Water theft: fire hydrants.
Vote required
Majority
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Chaptered
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill addresses water theft, specifically focusing on unauthorized connections and use of fire hydrants. It strengthens penalties for tampering with fire hydrants, meters, or detectors, and expands the legal basis for utility companies to pursue civil action against those engaging in this activity. The bill also revises fines for repeat offenses, eliminating the one-year timeframe for applying them, and clarifies local agency authority to enact ordinances prohibiting unauthorized fire hydrant connections.
Key provisions
- Adds tampering with fire hydrants, meters, and detectors to the list of actions for which utilities can seek civil action.
- Expands a rebuttable presumption to include tampering with or using a fire hydrant without authorization.
- Revises fines for repeat water theft violations, removing the one-year timeframe.
- Authorizes local agencies providing retail water services to enact ordinances prohibiting unauthorized fire hydrant connections.
- Prohibits local agencies from imposing multiple fines for the same offense related to fire hydrant connections.
- Clarifies that active fire incidents do not automatically waive restrictions on fire hydrant use.
- Defines ‘water theft’ to include diverting, tampering, or reconnecting water utility services.
- Establishes a process for hardship waivers for water theft fines.
Who is affected
- Utility companies
Bill text
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