Before any certificate may be issued under this chapter, a certified copy of the articles of incorporation, charter, or organization of the public utility, if the applicant is a corporation or a limited liability company, shall be filed with the commission. At the hearing on the application as provided in section 49-03.1-03, the applicant shall submit evidence showing that the applicant has received the consent, franchise, permit, ordinance, or other authority of the proper municipality or other public authority, if required, or has or is about to make application therefor. The commission shall have the power, after notice and hearing, to do any of the following:
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions, the commission may grant a certificate if no interested party has requested a hearing on the application after receiving at least twenty days' notice of opportunity to request such hearing.
N.D.C.C. § 49-03.1-05