2023 Tennessee Code › Title 65 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS (§§ 65-1-101 — 65-37-104) › Chapter 35 - FRAUD, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (§§ 65-35-101 — 65-35-107) › Section 65-35-102 - Prohibited acts

It is unlawful for a person to:
(1)
(A)
Knowingly tap, cut, burn, break down, injure, destroy or otherwise interrupt or interfere with the current, lines, cables, poles, towers, fixtures or appliances utilized to furnish service to the general public by any telephone or telegraph company, or electric light or power company engaged in furnishing communication, light, heat or power by electricity; or
(B)
In any way injure, remove, destroy or interfere with any gas, sanitary sewer, or water fixtures or appliances;
(2)
Obtain or attempt to obtain, by the use of any fraudulent scheme, device, means or method, telephone or telegraph service or the transmission of a message, signal or other communication by telephone or telegraph, or over telephone or telegraph facilities with intent to avoid payment of the lawful price, charge or toll therefor, or for any person to cause another to avoid such payment for such service, or for any person for the purpose of avoiding payment, to conceal or to assist another to conceal from any supplier of telecommunication service or from any lawful authority the existence or place of origin or of destination of any telecommunication, or for any person to assist another in avoiding payment for such service, either through the making of multiple applications for service at one (1) address, or otherwise;
(3)
Obtain or attempt to obtain by use of any fraudulent scheme, device, means or method, electric, sanitary sewer, water, or gas service, with intent to avoid payment of the lawful price, charge or toll therefor, or for any person to cause another to avoid such payment for such service, or for any person to assist another in avoiding payment for electric, sanitary sewer, water, or gas service, either through the making of multiple applications for service at one (1) address, or otherwise;
(4)
Divert or use electrical power with the intent to defraud or deprive any public or private electric power supplier from receiving proper charges or payment for such electrical power; or
(5)
Commit any of the following acts which would make gas, electricity, telephone, sanitary sewer service, or water available to tenant or occupant by committing any of the acts:
(A)
Connect any tube, pipe, wire or other instrument with any meter, device or other instrument used for conducting telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water in such a manner as to permit the use of the telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water without same passing through a meter or other instrument recording the usage for billing;
(B)
Alter, injure or prevent the action of a meter, valve, stopcock, or other instrument used for measuring quantities of telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water;
(C)
Break, deface or cause to be broken or defaced any seal, locking device or other parts that make up a metering device for recording usage of telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water or a security system for such recording device;
(D)
Remove a metering device for measuring quantities of telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water;
(E)
Transfer from one (1) location to another a metering device for measuring utilities of telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water;
(F)
Use a metering device belonging to the utility that has not been assigned to the location and installed by the utility;
(G)
Adjust the indicated consumption, jam the measuring device, bypass the meter or measuring device with a jumper so that it does not indicate use or registers incorrectly or otherwise obtain quantities of telephone, gas, electricity, sanitary sewer service, or water from the utility without same passing through a metering device for measuring quantities of consumption for billing; or
(H)
Fabricate or use a device to pick or otherwise tamper with the locks used to deter electric current diversion, telephone diversion, gas diversion, water diversion, sanitary sewer service diversion, meter tampering and meter thefts.
Acts 1990, ch. 851, §2; 1997 , ch. 116, §§ 2-4.