N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 10-118.1: § 10-118.1 Theft of manhole covers.

a. Except as provided in subdivision d of this section, no person shall remove, or transport through, along or across a public street, any manhole cover, including but not limited to the cover of an opening in the ground, street or sidewalk used by a public utility or authority to access underground vaults, structures, installations, or other enclosed space; or the cover of such an opening that is part of a sewer system, fuel storage system, or water supply system.

b. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars. A notice of violation issued pursuant to this section shall be returnable to the environmental control board, which shall have the power to impose such civil penalty.

c. In addition to the civil penalties set forth in subdivision b of this section, any person who knowingly violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisonment not exceeding thirty days, or both for each violation.

d. The prohibition in this section shall not apply to the owner of such cover, the duly authorized agent of such owner, or an appropriate legal authority.