Section 3: Ski lifts and ski runs.

The term “ski lifts” refers to all public transport equipment for persons by rack railway, by cableway installation falling within the scope of Regulation (EU) 2016/424 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on cableway installations and repealing Directive 2000/9/EC, as well as cableway installations used to service mountain refuges referred to in Article 2(2)(d) of the same Regulation.

Articles L. 342-1 to L. 342-5 and the following provisions of the Transport Code apply to ski lifts: a) Chapter I of Title I of Book V of Part One ; b) Title II of Book VI of Part One ; c) Title I of Book II of Part Two; d) Articles L. 1000-2, L. 1111-1, L. 1211-4, L. 1211-5, L. 1221-4, L. 1221-9, L. 1311-3, L. 1311-4, L. 1431-2,…

The ski lift service, where applicable extended to the facilities required for the operation of ski runs, is organised by the communes on whose territory they are located or by their groupings or by the département to which they may entrust by agreement, within the limits of a defined geographical perimeter, the organisation and implementation of the service. The communes or their groupings may, at their request, join forces with…

The provisions of article L. 342-9 do not apply either to ski lifts organised by the départements before 10 January 1985 or to ski lifts located within a geographical perimeter, defined by decree of the Conseil d’Etat, within the limits of which the département organised this service before 10 January 1985.

When the ski lift service is organised by the département in application of the provisions of article L. 342-10, the département may, by agreement, entrust the communes or groups of communes, within a defined geographical area, with the organisation and implementation of the service. Similarly, and at its request, the département may join forces with communes or groups of communes to organise this service.

The provisions relating to ski-lift operators may be laid down in accordance with the legal, administrative and financial procedures defined by decree in the Conseil d’Etat.

The service is provided either by direct management, by a public entity in the form of an industrial and commercial public service, or by a company that has signed a fixed-term agreement with the competent authority for this purpose.

The agreement is drawn up in accordance with the provisions of articles L. 342-1 to L. 342-5 and sets out the nature, operating conditions and funding of the service. It defines the respective obligations of the parties as well as the conditions under which compensation will be paid to owners for easements instituted pursuant to articles L. 342-20 to L. 342-23. It may provide for the operator to contribute financially…

Ski lift services are subject to the provisions of Titles III and IV of Book II of Part Two of the Transport Code, with the exception of Articles L. 2231-1, L. 2231-4, L. 2240-1 and L. 2241-8.

Articles L. 472-1 to L. 472-5 of the French Town Planning Code lay down the rules relating to authorisations prior to carrying out works and putting ski lifts and ski area developments into operation.