{"data":{"id":"us-al/ala.-code-6-5-601","jurisdiction":"us-al","citation":"Ala. Code § 6-5-601","heading":"Right of Action for Diversion or Unauthorized Use of Utility Services.","body":"Any person who knowingly:\n(1) Connects any tube, pipe, wire, or other instrument with any meter, device, or other instrument used for conducting utility services in such a manner as to permit the use of said utility services without the same passing through a meter or other instrument recording the usage for billing;\n(2) Alters, injures, turns on, or prevents the action of a meter, valve, stopcock, or other instrument used for measuring quantities of utility services;\n(3) Breaks, defaces, or causes to be broken or defaced any seal, locking device, or other parts that make up a metering device for recording usage of utility services or a security system for said recording device;\n(4) Removes a metering device for measuring quantities of utility services;\n(5) Transfers from one location to another a metering device for measuring usage of utility services;\n(6) Uses a metering device belonging to the utility that has not been assigned to said location and installed by the utility;\n(7) Adjusts the indicated consumption, jams the measuring device, bypasses the meter or measuring device with a jumper so that it does not indicate use or registers incorrectly or otherwise obtains quantities of utility services from the utility without same passing through a metering device for measuring quantities of consumption for billing;\n(8) Fabricates or uses a device to pick or otherwise tamper with the locks used to deter current diversion, meter tampering, and meter thefts;\n(9) Otherwise takes any action resulting in the diversion or unauthorized use of utility services;\nshall be liable civilly for damages resulting from such violations.","path":["Title 6 Civil Practice.","Chapter 5 Actions.","Article 31 Utility Services Actions."],"source_url":"https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=6-5-601","current_through":"Act 2026-611","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T14:01:51Z","sha256":"2a15bbe1d5c8014d752ae940c741ac6515d125804fb35f8d5c235b84f7e7ed19","source_id":"us-al","stale":false,"prev":"us-al/ala.-code-6-5-600","next":"us-al/ala.-code-6-5-602"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}