Water theft: fire hydrants.

Senator Allen's legislation targeting unauthorized fire hydrant use expands civil and administrative remedies available to California water utilities and local agencies. The bill adds tampering with fire hydrants and related equipment to the list of actions for which utilities can pursue civil damages, while establishing a rebuttable presumption of violation when individuals access hydrants without authorization or payment.

Local agencies gain authority to adopt ordinances specifically addressing unauthorized hydrant connections, with fines ranging from $2,500 for first violations to $10,000 for third and subsequent offenses. The bill also modifies existing water theft penalties by removing the one-year limitation period between violations, allowing agencies to impose escalating fines regardless of timing. To ensure equitable enforcement, agencies must establish hardship waiver processes for those who demonstrate that full fines would create undue financial burden.

The legislation addresses public health and infrastructure concerns outlined in the bill's findings, which note that unauthorized hydrant access can lead to drinking water contamination, system damage, and reduced firefighting capability. Local agencies are prohibited from imposing duplicate fines under both general water theft and hydrant-specific ordinances for the same violation, though other civil and criminal remedies remain available.