{"id":5975,"date":"2022-05-24T06:12:11","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T06:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdsourcelawyers.com\/california-statutes\/?page_id=5975"},"modified":"2022-05-24T16:34:15","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T16:34:15","slug":"penalty-for-stealing-electricity-in-california","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/crowdsourcelawyers.com\/california-statutes\/california-statutes\/penalty-for-stealing-electricity-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Penalty For Stealing Electricity In California"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-l3jra25a-8e7f5ed2c164eea919c338de5f6f2986\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-l3jra25a-8e7f5ed2c164eea919c338de5f6f2986{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-l3jra25a-8e7f5ed2c164eea919c338de5f6f2986 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-l3jra25a-8e7f5ed2c164eea919c338de5f6f2986 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:22px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-l3jra25a-8e7f5ed2c164eea919c338de5f6f2986 av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first '><div class='av-subheading av-subheading_above'><p>California<\/p>\n<\/div><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Penal Code PC \u00a7 498<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-3a876428eececa9d35452247ddb053af\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-3a876428eececa9d35452247ddb053af{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-3a876428eececa9d35452247ddb053af hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-e878f05c31dff72941bf1e49a00d9ff5 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><a href=\"https:\/\/crowdsourcelawyers.com\/\">CrowdSourceLawyers.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad\">\n#top .avia_search_element.av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad .av_searchform_wrapper{\nborder-color:#edae44;\nbackground-color:#edae44;\n}\n#top .avia_search_element.av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad #s.av-input-field{\ncolor:#edae44;\n}\n#top .avia_search_element.av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad .av-input-field-icon.av-search-icon{\ncolor:#edae44;\n}\n#top .avia_search_element.av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad .av-input-field-icon.av-search-icon.avia-svg-icon svg:first-child{\nfill:#edae44;\nstroke:#edae44;\n}\n#top .avia_search_element.av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad #searchsubmit{\nbackground-color:#edae44;\n}\n#top .avia_search_element.av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad .av_searchsubmit_wrapper{\nbackground-color:#edae44;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia_search_element av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_hr '><search><form action='https:\/\/crowdsourcelawyers.com\/california-statutes\/' id='searchform_element' method='get' class='' data-element_id='av-avia_sc_search-4ee94ae86cde3b232e718bb4ac84e6ad' ><div class='av_searchform_wrapper'><input type='search' value='' id='s' name='s' placeholder='Search CA statutes' aria-label='Search CA statutes' class='av-input-field ' required \/><div class='av_searchsubmit_wrapper '><input type='submit' value='Find' id='searchsubmit' class='button ' title='View results on search page' aria-label='View results on search page' \/><\/div><input type='hidden' name='numberposts' value='10' \/><input type='hidden' name='results_hide_fields' value='' \/><\/div><\/form><\/search><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-3a876428eececa9d35452247ddb053af\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-3a876428eececa9d35452247ddb053af{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-3a876428eececa9d35452247ddb053af hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_avia_sc_search  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-l3jrfl2z-81c1fd23b0d9f027eab71e0d89862de1 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"subsection\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(a)\u2002The following definitions govern the construction of this section:<\/p>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(1)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Person<\/span>\u201d means any individual, or any partnership, firm, association, corporation, limited liability company, or other legal entity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(2)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Utility<\/span>\u201d means any electrical, gas, or water corporation as those terms are defined in the Public Utilities Code, and electrical, gas, or water systems operated by any political subdivision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(3)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Customer<\/span>\u201d means the person in whose name utility service is provided.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(4)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Utility service<\/span>\u201d means the provision of electricity, gas, water, or any other service provided by the utility for compensation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(5)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Divert<\/span>\u201d means to change the intended course or path of electricity, gas, or water without the authorization or consent of the utility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(6)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Tamper<\/span>\u201d means to rearrange, injure, alter, interfere with, or otherwise prevent from performing a normal or customary function.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(7)\u2002\u201c<span class=\"wordphrase\">Reconnection<\/span>\u201d means the reconnection of utility service by a customer or other person after service has been lawfully disconnected by the utility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(b)\u2002Any person who, with intent to obtain for himself or herself utility services without paying the full lawful charge therefor, or with intent to enable another person to do so, or with intent to deprive any utility of any part of the full lawful charge for utility services it provides, commits, authorizes, solicits, aids, or abets any of the following shall be guilty of a misdemeanor:<\/p>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(1)\u2002Diverts or causes to be diverted utility services, by any means.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(2)\u2002Prevents any utility meter, or other device used in determining the charge for utility services, from accurately performing its measuring function by tampering or by any other means.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(3)\u2002Tampers with any property owned by or used by the utility to provide utility services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(4)\u2002Makes or causes to be made any connection with or reconnection with property owned or used by the utility to provide utility services without the authorization or consent of the utility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(5)\u2002Uses or receives the direct benefit of all or a portion of utility services with knowledge or reason to believe that the diversion, tampering, or unauthorized connection existed at the time of that use, or that the use or receipt was otherwise without the authorization or consent of the utility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(c)\u2002In any prosecution under this section, the presence of any of the following objects, circumstances, or conditions on premises controlled by the customer or by the person using or receiving the direct benefit of all or a portion of utility services obtained in violation of this section shall permit an inference that the customer or person intended to and did violate this section:<\/p>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(1)\u2002Any instrument, apparatus, or device primarily designed to be used to obtain utility services without paying the full lawful charge therefor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(2)\u2002Any meter that has been altered, tampered with, or bypassed so as to cause no measurement or inaccurate measurement of utility services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(d)\u2002If the value of all utility services obtained in violation of this section totals more than\u00a0<span class=\"added-material\">nine<\/span>\u00a0hundred\u00a0<span class=\"added-material\">fifty<\/span>\u00a0dollars ($<span class=\"added-material\">950<\/span>) or if the defendant has previously been convicted of an offense under this section or any former section which would be an offense under this section, or of an offense under the laws of another state or of the United States which would have been an offense under this section if committed in this state, then the violation is punishable by imprisonment in\u00a0<span class=\"added-material\">a<\/span>\u00a0county jail for not more than one year, or in the state prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subsection\">\n<p>(e)\u2002This section shall not be construed to preclude the applicability of any other provision of the criminal law of this state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br class=\"avia-permanent-lb\" \/><br class=\"avia-permanent-lb\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/crowdsourcelawyers.com\/\">CrowdSourceLawyers.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":2019,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5975","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Penalty For Stealing Electricity In California - California Statutes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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