Until Congress shall provide for a conduit system it shall be unlawful to lay conduits or erect overhead wires for electric lighting purposes in any road, street, avenue, highway, park, or reservation, except as specifically authorized by law; provided, however, that the Mayor of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized to issue permits for house connections with conduits and overhead wires existing on June 4, 1897, adjacent to the premises with which such connection is to be made; and also permits for public lighting connections with conduits existing on June 4, 1897, in the portion of the street proposed to be lighted. And nothing herein contained shall be construed to affect in any way any litigation pending on June 4, 1897, involving the validity or invalidity or legality of the construction of any conduits made since June 18, 1896, nor to prevent the United States Electric Lighting Company from extending conduits into Columbia Heights, Washington Heights, and Mount Pleasant within the fire limits as specifically provided in §§ 34-1401 and 34-1901.01.

(Mar. 3, 1897, 29 Stat. 673, ch. 387; June 4, 1897, 30 Stat. 41, ch. 2.)

1981 Ed., § 43-1202.

1973 Ed., § 43-1102.

Telegraph and telephone companies, wiring limitations, see § 34-1901.01.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.