Water theft: fire hydrants.

Senator Allen's legislation targeting unauthorized fire hydrant connections expands civil and administrative remedies available to utilities and local agencies confronting water theft. The bill authorizes utilities to pursue civil actions against individuals who tamper with fire hydrants or divert water without authorization, while creating a rebuttable presumption of violation when such tampering occurs.

Local agencies providing retail water service may now adopt ordinances specifically prohibiting unauthorized hydrant connections, with fines up to $2,500 for first violations, $5,000 for second violations, and $10,000 for third and subsequent violations. The legislation also modifies existing water theft penalties by removing the one-year limitation period for escalating fines on repeat violations. Agencies must establish administrative procedures for enforcement and provide hardship waivers for those demonstrating undue financial burden.

The measure includes exemptions for public agencies conducting firefighting operations and qualified insurance resources responding to active fire incidents, provided they receive approval from incident command or relevant authorities. Local agencies are prohibited from imposing duplicate fines under both general water theft and specific fire hydrant ordinances for the same offense, though other civil and criminal remedies remain available.