N.Y. Transportation Corporations Law § 12: Gas and electricity must be supplied on application

§ 12. Gas and electricity must be supplied on application. Except in

the case of an application for residential utility service pursuant to

article two of the public service law, upon written application of the

owner or occupant of any building within one hundred feet of any main of

a gas corporation or gas and electric corporation, or a line of an

electric corporation or gas and electric corporation, appropriate to the

service requested, and payment by him of all money due from him to the

corporation, it shall supply gas or electricity as may be required for

lighting such building, notwithstanding there be rent or compensation in

arrears for gas or electricity supplied, or for meter, wire, pipe or

fittings furnished, to a former occupant thereof, unless such owner or

occupant shall have undertaken or agreed with the former occupant to pay

or to exonerate him from the payment of such arrears, and shall refuse

or neglect to pay the same; and if for the space of ten days after such

application, and the deposit of a reasonable sum as provided in the next

section, if required, the corporation shall refuse or neglect to supply

gas or electric light as required, such corporation shall forfeit and

pay to the applicant the sum of ten dollars, and the further sum of five

dollars for every day thereafter during which such refusal or neglect

shall continue; provided that no such corporation shall be required to

lay service pipes or wires for the purpose of supplying gas or electric

light to any applicant where the ground in which such pipe or wire is

required to be laid shall be frozen, or shall otherwise present serious

obstacles to laying the same; nor unless the applicant, if required,

shall deposit in advance with the corporation a sum of money sufficient

to pay the cost of his proportion of the pipe, conduit, duct or wire

required to be installed, and the expense of the installation of such

portion.