(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, other than an authorized employee of the City of Flint, to turn on water service to any property; to tamper with, reverse, bypass, modify or in any way interfere with the operation of any meter or measuring device used in or on any water service line within the City; or to permit another person or persons to tamper with, reverse, bypass, modify or in any way interfere with the operation of any meter or measuring device used in or on any water service line within the City, including but not limited to the following:
(1) Injure, or allow to be injured, a meter, wire, water service line or pipe within the City;
(2) Prevent or allow the prevention of a water meter or any measuring device used in or on any water service line within the City from duly registering the quantity of water measured through the meter, or in any way hinder or interfere with the meter’s proper action or just registration;
(3) Attach or allow to be attached a line, wire or pipe to a water service line, wire, pipe or main served by the City. This subsection does not apply to the use of a ground wire to ground an electrical system;
(4) Use or allow to be used any water supplied by the City, without the written consent of the City or an authorized agent or officer of the City, unless the water passes through a meter or is measured by a meter installed by the City;
(5) Turn on water service after it has been disconnected by the City for any reason, including, but not limited to, nonpayment of the water bill; or
(6) Use or provide to a person a key or specialized tool for the purpose of turning on water service to a premises without authorization by the City of Flint.
(b) In any prosecution under this section, upon a showing that a meter or measuring device used in or on any water service line at a particular address within the City has been tampered with, reversed, bypassed, modified or in any way interfered with, proof that a person’s name is listed with the City for the purpose of billing for water service at the same address shall constitute a prima facie showing that person did, or permitted another person or persons to tamper with, reverse, bypass, modify or in any way interfere with the operation of the meter or measuring device used in or on any water service line located at that particular address in the City of Flint.
(c) A person who violates subsection (a) above is guilty of a misdemeanor. The court before whom a violation is prosecuted shall have authority to order that restitution be made for water used without City authorization.
(d) A criminal prosecution under this section shall not in any way impair the right of the City to recover full compensation in damages by civil action.
(e) If the City of Flint has determined that a person has used or consumed water in a manner that bypasses the water meter, then the City may, at the expense of the person caught using the bypass, install a meter on the bypass line before turning the water service back on.
(f) A person who attaches any line, wire or pipe or any other device or process to any line, wire or pipe of the City’s water supply system which interferes with the proper operation and just registration of a meter within the meaning of this section, is presumed to do so with the intent to avoid, or to enable another to avoid, payment for water use and service.
(Ord. 1766, passed 5-4-1964; Ord. 2781, passed 10-13-1980; Ord. 3572, passed 6-9-2004)