In a master-metered community, residents don't have their own utility account — so Civil Code § 798.43.1 makes management the CARE program's delivery mechanism. Management must notify residents about CARE every year, must never withhold the account information a resident needs to apply, must pass through the full CARE discount in monthly billings to every qualified resident, and must show the discount on the bill. § 798.43.1 is CARE-specific — FERA, the companion electric discount, lives in Public Utilities Code § 739.12 and reaches submetered residents through § 739.5's same-rate mandate.
Subdivision (a): The February 1 Notice
Written notice to homeowners and residents on or before February 1 of each year, delivered in their utility billing statements and posted conspicuously in a community public area, stating that CARE provides a discount on monthly gas or electric bills for qualifying low-income residents, with the serving utility's telephone number.
Subdivision (b): Application Assistance — and No Gatekeeping
Management may assist residents with CARE applications — filling in required account information and submitting to the utility — but may not deny a resident who chooses to apply directly any community information the utility requires, including a utility account number.
Subdivision (c): The Full Passthrough
Management must pass through the full amount of the CARE discount in monthly utility billings to qualified residents, shown as either the itemized discount amount or a notation that the resident is receiving the CARE discount — for electric, gas, or both. A reduced discount, a missing discount, or a discount absorbed invisibly into a total is non-compliant.
Where FERA Actually Lives
§ 798.43.1 mentions only CARE. FERA's statutory home is Pub. Util. Code § 739.12(b): an 18-percent line-item discount applied to an eligible customer's electric bill, calculated at the applicable rate, for households with income between 200% and 250% of the federal poverty guideline at the three largest electrical corporations. Electric only — there is no gas FERA. The passthrough duty for a submetered FERA-qualified resident comes from § 739.5(a)'s same-rate mandate: the resident must be billed what they would pay as a direct customer, and a direct customer gets FERA. Two details operators get wrong: CARE and FERA are mutually exclusive on the same commodity and carry different percentages — and SB 1130 (effective January 1, 2025) removed FERA's old three-or-more-person household floor, so content still claiming “3+ persons” is out of date.
What Compliant Billing Looks Like
Every qualified resident's bill carries the full CARE discount as a line item or notation; the January/February statement run includes the annual CARE notice with the utility's phone number, and the community posting is refreshed; account-information requests for self-applications are fulfilled promptly; FERA-qualified residents get the 18% electric line-item at the applicable rate. The discount percentages themselves are program-year tariff values — verify them per utility, per period, from the current schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do mobile home park tenants qualify for CARE if the park has a master meter?
Yes. Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 739.5(h) bars denying CARE eligibility to a submetered resident even where some homes in the community are not submetered, and Cal. Civ. Code § 798.43.1(c) requires management to pass through the full CARE discount in monthly utility billings to every qualified resident.
When does a mobile home park have to tell residents about CARE?
On or before February 1 of each year, in residents' utility billing statements, plus a conspicuous posting in the community (Cal. Civ. Code § 798.43.1(a)). The notice states that CARE offers a discount on monthly gas or electric bills for qualifying low-income residents and gives the serving utility's telephone number.
How does the CARE discount have to appear on the bill?
As either the itemized discount amount or a notation that the resident is receiving the CARE discount, for electric, gas, or both (Cal. Civ. Code § 798.43.1(c)) — and the passthrough must be the full amount of the discount.
Does § 798.43.1 cover FERA too?
No — § 798.43.1 is CARE-only. FERA lives in Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 739.12(b): an 18-percent line-item discount on electric bills for households with income between 200% and 250% of the federal poverty guideline, at the three largest electrical corporations. It reaches submetered residents through § 739.5's requirement that each resident be billed as if served directly. Note: SB 1130 (effective January 1, 2025) removed FERA's old three-or-more-person household requirement — FERA now covers any household size in the income band.
Can management refuse to give a resident the account number needed to apply for CARE?
No. Cal. Civ. Code § 798.43.1(b) forbids denying a resident who chooses to submit a CARE application directly to the utility any community information — including a utility account number — that the utility requires.
This page explains the statute in plain English for operators; it is not legal advice. Statutory text verified against the official California Legislative Information site, August 2026.