California Codes, Civil Code - CIV, Division 3 — Obligations, Part 4 — Obligations Arising from Particular Transactions, Title 3.5 — Utility Services, Section 1882.3

There is a rebuttable presumption that there is a violation of Section 1882.1 if either of the following occurs:

(a) On premises controlled by the customer or by the person using or receiving the direct benefit of utility service, including through the use of a vehicle, there is either, or both, of the following:

(1) Any instrument, apparatus, or device primarily designed to be used to obtain utility service without paying the full lawful charge for the utility service.

(2) A meter that has been altered, tampered with, or bypassed so as to cause no measurement or inaccurate measurement of utility services.

(b) A person tampers with or uses a fire hydrant, fire hydrant meter, or fire detector check without authorization to obtain water and without paying the full lawful charge of the water.