{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-76-76-23","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 76, § 76-23","heading":"Public utilities - Definitions - Fraud - Penalties - Civil","body":"liability - Exemptions.\n\nA. As used in this section:\n\n1. \"Utility\" means any person, firm, corporation, district or\n\nassociation, whether private, municipal, body politic or\n\ncooperative, which is engaged in the sale, generation, distribution\n\nor delivery of electricity, water or gas;\n\n2. \"Person\" means any individual, firm, partnership,\n\ncorporation or association; and\n\n3. \"Utility service\" means the furnishing, sale, generation,\n\ndistribution or delivery of electricity, water or gas by a utility\n\nas defined herein.\n\nB. It shall be unlawful for any person, with intent to defraud\n\na utility, to:\n\n1. Alter, tamper with, injure or knowingly allow the altering,\n\ntampering with or injuring of any pipeline, line, wire, conduit,\n\nconductor, meter, meter seal, transformer or other equipment used by\n\na utility to deliver or register service;\n\n2. Prevent any installed metering device from registering\n\ncorrectly the quantity of service passing through such metering\n\ndevice;\n\n3. Make or cause to be made any connection between any\n\npipeline, lines, wires, conduits, conductors, meters, transformers\n\nor other equipment in such manner as to prevent the correct\n\nregistration of service by any metering device, or to otherwise use\n\nelectricity without the consent of the utility; or\n\n4. Supply or cause to be supplied any utility service to any\n\nperson without such service first passing through the metering\n\ndevice provided by the utility for measuring and registering the\n\nquantity of service.\n\nC. Any person who is convicted of violating the provisions of\n\nsubsection B of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor\n\npunishable by payment of a fine of not more than One Thousand\n\nDollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for a\n\nperiod not to exceed six (6) months, or by such fine and\n\nimprisonment.\n\nD. If a civil action is brought by a utility against a person,\n\nsaid person may post a bond, cash or other security with the utility\n\nin an amount equal to the value of the service alleged to be\n\nunlawfully used or diverted. Upon posting of said bond or cash, and\n\nuntil final disposition of the case, the utility shall restore to\n\nsaid person any service which it may have terminated.\n\nE. Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to\n\nlicensed and certified contractors while performing usual and\n\nordinary service in accordance with recognized standards.\n\nF. This section shall not be construed as repealing any laws of\n\nthe state relating to the powers, duties or jurisdiction of the\n\nOklahoma Corporation Commission, but shall be held as auxiliary and\n\nsupplementary thereto.","path":["OK Code","Title 76"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os76.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"7070fc493c8ca6c7a26dd0ccafe98fc9cc43dcd440ba1dbbe97ce38b2189812b","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-76-76-21","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-76-76-24"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}