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• 2027 Joint Action Conference
  January 10-12, 2027
  Rancho Bernardo Inn
  San Diego, California

Yes, you can earn the following kinds of educational credits for participating in sessions during the conference:

• Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
• Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as established by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
• Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)

To receive a certificate for your participation, participants must complete the online conference evaluation after the event.

The following food functions/meals are included in the registration fee:

• Sunday - Reception
• Monday - Continental Breakfast
• Monday - Lunch
• Tuesday - Continental Breakfast

The attire for the conference is business casual. Meeting room temperatures vary, so prepare to dress for cool conditions.

We welcome your topic and speaker ideas for future conferences and events. To submit your idea for consideration, complete this form. Conference topics are generally determined 6-8 months before the event is held. Ideas will be kept on file for a full year, so if the agenda for the conference has already been determined, your ideas will be considered for the next year’s event, or in case any space opens up in the current year’s program. You will be contacted only if your idea is selected for an upcoming conference.

Attendees of American Public Power Association meetings agree to abide by the APPA Code of Conduct. If attendees engage in unacceptable behavior as outlined in the Code of Conduct, the Association may take any action it deems appropriate, including but not limited to, expulsion from the current and future meetings, with no warning or refund.

Contact Academy@PublicPower.org.

Early Registration Deadline: February 6, 2026

Final Registration Deadline: March 6, 2026

FAQ Submission Deadline: March 6, 2026

Online Banquet Table Sales Deadline: March 6, 2026

Online Banquet Ticket Sales Deadline: March 13, 2026 (Please note you will be able to purchase banquet tickets in-person at the Rodeo grounds prior to the banquet).  

Competitor registration (apprentices, teams, and/or alternates) includes registration for each competitor, event t-shirt, and a banquet ticket. Banquet ticket includes admission to awards ceremony and dinner.

The competition is open only to public power utilities, joint action agencies, and state/regional associations.

An individual can only register in one of these categories: Team, Alternate, Apprentice, or Judge/Auditor. For example, a Judge cannot also serve as an alternate; or a person who is competing in the Apprentice competition cannot also serve as the part of a Team.

Team: A team consists of two journeyman linemen and one ground support person. This three-person team is permitted to rotate roles between events. An apprentice can serve as the ground support person on the team. To the extent possible, utilities should strive to register at least one judge or auditor per team registered.

Alternates: If a team member can no longer continue to participate, that individual is out of the competition for the remainder of the event. The team can then substitute a registered alternate for the missing team member. The groundman can be an alternate if he/she is a journeyman lineworker. The activation of an alternate within the team must be approved by the Journeyman Master Judge.

Apprentice: A person is considered an apprentice for four years after he/she enters an apprentice program. To the extent possible, utilities should strive to register at least one judge or auditor per three competitors registered.

Utilities should strive to register at least one judge or auditor for each team or per three competitors registered. Judge and Auditor registrations are complimentary and include a t-shirt and banquet ticket.

All judges and auditors must be employed by an APPA member municipal utility, joint action agency, or state/regional association. Judges and auditors may not register as competitors in any category (team members, alternates, or apprentices).

Judges are responsible for observing, evaluating, and assigning a score to competitors based on the safe, accurate, and timely performance of the technical aspects of linework as detailed in the event rules, as well as their conduct upon entering, during, and prior to exiting the event.

• Requirements: Judges for the journeyman and apprentice events must have experience with linework and/or judging similar events in the past.
• Commitment: Judges must attend a meeting at the John Hunt Park, 2180 Airport Road, SW, Huntsville, AL 35801 on Friday, March 27 from 2 – 4 pm, proctor the apprentice written test on Friday, March 27 from 4 – 5 pm and judge events during the rodeo on Saturday, March 28. Judges will be required to be on the rodeo grounds from 7 am until approximately 3 pm on Saturday.

Auditors are responsible for checking each team and/or apprentice in to a specific competition event during the rodeo upon their arrival, in addition to orienting them to any event-specific instructions as directed by the chief judge. Auditors ensure all paperwork related to the event is accurate, accounted for, and distributed to the appropriate parties. Scripts and guidelines are provided for Auditors.

• Requirements: Auditors must have strong organizational skills and demonstrate attention to detail.
• Commitment: Auditors must attend an in-person Auditors meeting (1- 2 pm, Friday, March 27) and a Judges & Auditors Meeting (2 – 4 pm, Friday, March 27) at the rodeo grounds and are needed at the grounds on Saturday (March 28) from 7 am until approximately 3 pm.

Hands-on training courses are open to journeymen and apprentice lineworkers. These interactive courses will be held on Friday, March 27 at the rodeo grounds. Each person who will participate in hands-on training classes must register individually (registration fees are per person). 

The 2026 Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo Awards Banquet will be held at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday, March 28 at 5:30 pm. 

Pricing Information (Purchase by February 6):
Tables: $250 members/$500 nonmembers
Tickets (Adult): $65 members/nonmembers
Tickets (Child): $25 members/nonmembers

Pricing Information (Purchase After February 6):
Tables: $300 members/$550 nonmembers
Tickets (Adult): $80 members/nonmembers
Tickets (Child): $30 members/nonmembers

Banquet Tickets: All competitors, judges, and auditors receive a banquet ticket as a part of their event registration. Sponsors receive a set number of banquet tickets, depending on sponsor level. Rodeo attendees may choose to purchase additional banquet tickets for colleagues, family, and friends. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase; as such, APPA recommends purchasing tickets in advance. (Discounted tickets are available for children age 12 and under. Children 2 and under do not need to purchase a ticket). The deadline to purchase banquet tickets in advance is March 13. Banquet tickets will be available for sale on site at the Rodeo grounds while supplies last.

Banquet Tables: Rodeo participants can reserve a table at the awards banquet on Saturday night. All reserved tables will be assigned and labeled with the utility’s name and include up to eight chairs. A table reservation does NOT include banquet tickets for admission. Table orders are limited and should be placed as early as possible. The deadline to purchase banquet tables in advance is March 6.

Three ways to purchase guest banquet tickets:

1. During the registration process, you'll have the option to add guest banquet tickets to your order.
2. Purchase banquet tickets through the Product Store - a great option if you've already registered your competitors, or if you need to purchase guest tickets separately from your utility's competitor registrations. The deadline to purchase banquet tickets in advance is March 13.
3. Purchase tickets on site at the Rodeo Grounds. Banquet tickets will be available on site at the Sales tent while supplies last. (Tickets are limited, so APPA does recommend purchasing tickets in advance whenever possible). 

Discounted tickets are available for children age 12 and under. Children 2 and under do not need to purchase a ticket. 

Once you register, please complete the Tent & Trailer survey as soon as possible to let us know if you will be bringing a tent and/or trailer for your competitors. This will help organizers map out the Rodeo Grounds. Please complete this survey whether you are bringing your own tent/trailer or if you are renting a tent. The deadline to order your tents and to complete the tent & trailer survey is March 14, 2026.

All participants will be required to sign the Code of Conduct when they check in on site at the rodeo. Participants should review this form in advance.

Registrants who cancel in writing on or before March 6, 2026, are entitled to a refund of their registration fee, minus a $100 cancellation fee. Registrants who cancel after March 6 will not receive a refund, but attendee substitutions will be allowed for the 2026 Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo only. Registrants and no-shows who do not cancel on or before March 6 are responsible for the full registration fee and are not entitled to a refund. 

Cancellations must be made in writing and emailed to: Rodeo@PublicPower.org.

Contact Rodeo@PublicPower.org for additional information.

Check out our Registration FAQs for answers to the most common questions and help with all your registration-related issues.

Competitor Equipment and Parking

Accommodations will be made at the Rodeo Event Grounds to support competitor equipment:

• Teams have the option of renting a tent or being assigned a space for trailer and their own tent by Huntsville Utilities
• Each team renting a tent will have an area to park a trailer and one vehicle by their tent location.
• Teams will be assigned a 30x30 location. If they have a trailer it will be un-hitched at the grounds and parked by rodeo grounds maintenance crew.
  Teams with assigned location will be able to park one vehicle at their designated space.

Access to the Rodeo Event Ground Competitor Parking Area will be available beginning 8 am on Wednesday, March 25, and will end at 5 pm on Sunday, March 29. Coordinate after-hours access to the Rodeo Event Grounds Competitor Parking Area with Jeff Gautney (Jeff.Gautney@HSVUtil.org | (256) 652-8525).

Huntsville Utilities will begin delivering equipment shipments from the warehouse to the rodeo event grounds on Wednesday, March 25.

If you have additional questions about competitor parking, or would like to request a larger space, contact Jeff Gautney (information above).

General Parking

General Parking will be available on Friday, March 27 and Saturday March 28 for the weekend's activities.

2026 Trailer/Tent Parking Schedule

Twenty-four-hour security will be provided Wednesday, March 25 at 8 am – Sunday, March 29 at 5 pm. See below for days and times when competitors and vendors can drop off trailers at the Rodeo grounds. 

• Wednesday, March 25: 8 am - 5 pm
• Thursday, March 26: 7 am - 5 pm
• Friday, March 27: Trailers will not be allowed to be DROPPED OFF on Friday. Please make arrangements if you will be arriving later than Thursday.

Additional Resources

• Tent/Trailer Survey: All utilities participating in the Rodeo should complete this survey to let us know if they will be bringing a tent and/or trailer for their competitors. This will help organizers map out the Rodeo Grounds.
• Tent vendor order form (if you need to rent a tent or other items)
• Shipping information for rodeo competitors
• Rodeo Event Grounds Map

• March 27-28, 2026 — Huntsville, Alabama
• April 9-10, 2027 — Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• 2028 — Omaha, Nebraska
• 2029 — Raleigh, North Carolina