# 8003 Natural Gas Service Reliability and System Planning Standards - 1.0 Purpose and Scope

**Citation:** 26 Del. Admin. C. § 8003-1.0  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** Delaware Public Service Commission  
**Effective:** 2020-10-11  
**Published:** 2020-10-01

Purpose and Scope. 1.1 Natural gas system safety is the overriding goal for Delaware's natural gas system operators. Reliable natural gas service is an essential service to Delaware citizens and is of great importance to the Delaware Public Service Commission ("Commission"). This regulation sets forth distribution planning requirements, reliability standards, and reporting req

## Document text

1.1 Natural gas system safety is the overriding goal for Delaware's natural gas system operators. Reliable natural gas service is an essential service to Delaware citizens and is of great importance to the Delaware Public Service Commission ("Commission"). This regulation sets forth distribution planning requirements, reliability standards, and reporting requirements to assure the continued Reliability and Natural Gas quality of service being delivered to Delaware regulated public utility customers and applies to all Delaware Gas Distribution Companies ("GDCs").

1.2 Nothing in this regulation relieves a GDC from compliance with any requirement set forth under any other regulation, statute or order, such as the GDC's operations, maintenance and emergency manuals, federal pipeline safety regulations contained in 49 CFR Part 192 and Delaware Pipeline Safety Compliance Programs.

1.3 Compliance with this regulation is a minimum standard. Compliance does not create a presumption of safe, adequate and proper service. Each GDC must exercise its professional judgment based on its systems and service territories. Nothing in this regulation relieves any GDC from the requirement to furnish safe, adequate and proper service and to keep and maintain its property and equipment in such condition as to enable it to do so. (26 Del.C. §209)

1.4 Each GDC is responsible for maintaining the Reliability of natural gas service to all its customers in the state of Delaware. Pursuant to this requirement, GDCs may be subject to penalties as provided for in Section 10.0 or allowed under other applicable Delaware law.

1.5 GDCs are encouraged to explore the use of proven state of the art technology, to provide cost effective natural gas service Reliability improvements.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title26/8003>
- Source ID: `de-admin-code`
- SHA-256: `17de9bb2cc7fde8e8f34af4dcb4bc4fa4e50447de6de30ce8e1de7449ab17c1d`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T09:32:30.577Z
- Exported: 2026-08-24T03:57:22.757Z
- Document slug: `de-admin-code-8003-1-0`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "jurisdiction": "US-DE",
  "title": 26,
  "regulatoryGroup": "8000 Gas Regulations",
  "regulationNumber": "8003",
  "section": "1.0",
  "scopeKind": "adjacent-gas-reliability",
  "legalScope": "Complete current Regulation 8003 adjacent natural-gas distribution reliability and system-planning standards, retained because it expressly requires federal and Delaware pipeline-safety compliance.",
  "applicabilityCaveat": "Regulation 8003 is adjacent gas-distribution reliability and system-planning coverage, not the core Delaware pipeline-safety compliance code. It applies to Delaware gas distribution companies and does not displace 49 CFR Part 192, Regulation 8001, utility manuals, Commission orders, or other law.",
  "incorporationCaveat": "Regulation 8003 requires conformity with 49 CFR Part 192 and Delaware pipeline-safety programs while adding state reliability and planning duties. The federal regulation and utility manuals are not reproduced.",
  "rights": "Delaware provides authenticated Administrative Code PDFs under its Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act implementation, but the Regulations site does not state a general open-content license. Preserve attribution and provenance; review redistribution of site presentation, state marks, linked forms, and incorporated federal or third-party material separately.",
  "authenticatedPdfId": "2a8585b3-8f3c-4671-9a83-942f72e92268",
  "references": [
    {
      "citation": "26 Del. C. § 209",
      "referenceType": "delaware-code",
      "url": "https://delcode.delaware.gov/title26/c001/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "49 CFR 192",
      "referenceType": "cfr",
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-192"
    }
  ],
  "region": "DE"
}
```