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California Penal Code Section 496a

Legal Research Home > California Lawyer > Penal Code > California Penal Code Section 496a

(a) Every person who, being a dealer in or collector of junk,
metals or secondhand materials, or the agent, employee, or
representative of such dealer or collector, buys or receives any
wire, cable, copper, lead, solder, mercury, iron or brass which he
knows or reasonably should know is ordinarily used by or ordinarily
belongs to a railroad or other transportation, telephone, telegraph,
gas, water or electric light company or county, city, city and county
or other political subdivision of this state engaged in furnishing
public utility service without using due diligence to ascertain that
the person selling or delivering the same has a legal right to do so,
is guilty of criminally receiving such property, and is punishable,
by imprisonment in a state prison, or in a county jail for not more
than one year, or by a fine of not more than two hundred fifty
dollars ($250), or by both such fine and imprisonment.
   (b) Any person buying or receiving material pursuant to
subdivision (a) shall obtain evidence of his identity from the seller
including, but not limited to, such person's full name, signature,
address, driver's license number, vehicle license number, and the
license number of the vehicle delivering the material.
   The record of the transaction shall include an appropriate
description of the  material purchased and such record shall be
maintained pursuant to Section 21607 of the Business and Professions
Code.

Last modified: January 12, 2009