Unlawful acts involving theft or damage to property: Criminal penalties.
1. It is unlawful for a person to obtain any water, gas, electricity, power or other service, goods or product provided by a public utility with the intent to avoid payment therefor, by:
(a) Opening, breaking into, tapping or connecting with any pipe, flume, ditch, conduit, reservoir, wire, meter or other apparatus belonging to or used by any other person or by the State, any county, city, district or municipality, and taking and removing therefrom or allowing to flow or be taken therefrom any water, gas, electricity or power belonging to another;
(b) Connecting a pipe, tube, flume, conduit, wire or other instrument or appliance with any pipe, conduit, tube, flume, wire, line, pole, lamp, meter or other apparatus belonging to or used by any water, irrigation, gas, electric or power company or corporation, or belonging to or used by any other person in such a manner as to take therefrom water, gas, electricity or power for any purpose or use without passing through the meter or instrument or other means provided for registering the quantity consumed or supplied;
(c) Altering, disconnecting, removing, injuring or preventing the action of any headgate, meter or other instrument used to measure or register the quantity of water, gas, electricity or power used or supplied; or
(d) Injuring or interfering with the efficiency of any meter, pipe, conduit, flume, wire, pole, line, lamp, fixture, hydrant or other attachment or apparatus belonging to or used by any water, irrigation, gas, electric or power company or corporation.
2. If the value of the service involved or the property damaged or stolen is:
(a) Five hundred dollars or more, a person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a category D felony and shall be punished as provided in NRS 193.130. In addition to any other penalty, the court shall order the person to pay restitution.
(b) Less than $500, a person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Ê In determining the value of the service involved, the value of all services unlawfully obtained or attempted to be obtained within 3 years before the time the indictment is found or the information is filed may be aggregated.
3. This section applies when the service involved either originates or terminates, or both originates and terminates, in this state, or when the charges for the service would have been billable in the normal course by a person providing the service in this state but for the fact that the service was obtained or attempted to be obtained by one or more of the means set forth in subsection 1.
Last modified: February 26, 2006