§ 13-1601 — Definitions

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Damaging" means damage as defined in section 13-1701.

2. "Defacing" means any unnecessary act of substantially marring any surface or place, by any means, or any act of putting up, affixing, fastening, printing or painting any notice on any structure, without permission from the owner.

3. "Litter" includes any rubbish, refuse, waste material, offal, paper, glass, cans, bottles, organic or inorganic trash, debris, filthy or odoriferous objects, dead animals or any foreign substance of whatever kind or description, including junked or abandoned vehicles, whether or not any of these items are of value.

4. "Property of another" means property in which any person other than the defendant has an interest, including community property and other property in which the defendant also has an interest and, for damage caused by theft of scrap metal, the property of other persons damaged directly or indirectly as a result of the acts of the defendant.

5. "Tamper" means any act of interference.

6. "Tampering with utility property" means any of the following if committed against property that is owned or operated by a utility for the purposes of transmission or distribution:

(a) Rearranging, damaging, altering, interfering with or otherwise preventing the performance of a normal or customary function of utility property.

(b) Connecting any wire, conduit or device to any utility property without authorization.

(c) Defacing, puncturing, removing, reversing or altering any utility property.

(d) Preventing any meter from properly measuring or registering.

(e) Taking, receiving, using or converting to personal use or the use of another any utility service that has not been measured or authorized.

(f) Diverting or changing the intended course or path of the utility service without the authorization or consent of the utility.

(g) Causing, procuring, permitting, aiding or abetting any person to do any of the acts listed in this paragraph.

7. "Utility" means any enterprise, public or private, that provides gas, electric, irrigation, steam, water, water conservation, sewer or communications services, as well as any common carrier on land, rail, sea or air.