No person shall be permitted to tamper, test, repair, remove, relocate or in any way interfere with any water meter, proportional, indicating or recording device, installed in any building, structure or premises for the control of the water supply thereto, excepting under authority granted by the commissioner. The owner of the building, structure or premises for which such meter is installed shall be held responsible for any unauthorized tampering or interference in violation of this section. Such owner shall be subject to a fine of not less than $500.00 nor more than $750.00 for each violation; and the water supply to such owner's building, structure or premises may be cut off, and shall not again be permitted to be turned on until such owner or person shall have paid to the department of finance the cost and expense of cutting off and turning on such water supply; provided, however, where such owner can show that such tampering was done contrary to his efforts to prevent same there shall be no such cutting off of the water supply nor shall such owner be subject to a fine.
(Prior code § 185-25; Amend Coun. J. 12-4-02, p. 99026, § 1.12; Amend Coun. J. 12-2-09, p. 78837, Art. 5, § 5; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 14596, Art. IV, § 1)