2005 North Carolina Code - General Statutes § 14-151. Interfering with gas, electric and steam appliances.

§ 14‑151.  Interfering with gas, electric and steam appliances.

If any person shall willfully, with intent to injure or defraud, commit any of the acts set forth in the following subdivisions, he shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor:

(1)       Connect a tube, pipe, wire or other instrument or contrivance with a pipe or wire used for conducting or supplying illuminating gas, fuel, natural gas or electricity in such a manner as to supply such gas or electricity to any burner, orifice, lamp or motor where the same is or can be burned or used without passing through the meter or other instrument provided for registering the quantity consumed; or,

(2)       Obstruct, alter, injure or prevent the action of a meter or other instrument used to measure or register the quantity of illuminating fuel, natural gas or electricity consumed in a house or apartment, or at an orifice or burner, lamp or motor, or by a consumer or other person other than an employee of the company owning any gas or electric meter, who willfully shall detach or disconnect such meter, or make or report any test of, or examine for the purpose of testing any meter so detached or disconnected; or,

(3)       In any manner whatever change, extend or alter any service or other pipe, wire or attachment of any kind, connecting with or through which natural or artificial gas or electricity is furnished from the gas mains or pipes of any person, without first procuring from said person written permission to make such change, extension or alterations; or,

(4)       Make any connection or reconnection with the gas mains, service pipes or wires of any person, furnishing to consumers natural or artificial gas or electricity, or turn on or off or in any manner interfere with any valve or stopcock or other appliance belonging to such person, and connected with his service or other pipes or wires, or enlarge the orifices of mixers, or use natural gas for heating purposes except through mixers, or electricity for any purpose without first procuring from such person a written permit to turn on or off such stopcock or valve, or to make such connection or reconnections, or to enlarge the orifice of mixers, or to use for heating purposes without mixers, or to interfere with the valves, stopcocks, wires or other appliances of such, as the case may be; or,

(5)       Retain possession of or refuse to deliver any mixer, meter, lamp or other appliance which may be leased or rented by any person, for the purpose of furnishing gas, electricity or power through the same, or sell, lend or in any other manner dispose of the same to any person other than such person entitled to the possession of the same; or,

(6)       Set on fire any gas escaping from wells, broken or leaking mains, pipes, valves or other appliances used by any person in conveying gas to consumers, or interfere in any manner with the wells, pipes, mains, gateboxes, valves, stopcocks, wires, cables, conduits or any other appliances, machinery or property of any person engaged in furnishing gas to consumers unless employed by or acting under the authority and direction of such person; or,

(7)       Open or cause to be opened, or reconnect or cause to be reconnected any valve lawfully closed or disconnected by a district steam corporation; or

(8)       Turn on steam or cause it to be turned on or to reenter any premises when the same has been lawfully stopped from entering such premises. (1901, c. 735; Rev., s. 3666; C.S., s. 4323; 1993, c. 539, s. 88; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)