Section 16-18-1. Fire Hydrant, Manhole and Meter Maintenance: Damage to Property and Equipment of Water Utility. All fire hydrants, manholes and water meters are City of Northglenn property. The City shall maintain, test, and repair all fire hydrants and meters as required. It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully damage any fire hydrant, meter, property, equipment, or appliance constituting a part of the water supply system, including manholes and peripherals. Any water user who causes any damage shall pay the cost of repair, which shall be added to the charge for water service, in addition to any other remedy or penalty prescribed by this ordinance.

[Source: Ord. 1178, 1997]

Section 16-18-2. Trespass, Interference with Water Supply System or Meters Prohibited.

It shall be unlawful for any person to tamper with or to interfere with any meter, meter seal of piping or to so arrange to provide City water service or piping in a manner that the use of said water will not actuate the service meter. Discovery of any device which violates this prohibition shall be considered an unlawful installation by the owner of the property or his/her lawful representative and shall create a rebuttable presumption that such a device was installed by or with the knowledge of the customer. The City of Northglenn shall discontinue water service to any customer (hereafter defined as the owner of the real property to which water and sewer services are supplied, or his agent as registered pursuant to section 20-2-1) who violates the provisions of this section until satisfactory payment has been made for all water used, all repairs to the meter, and all fees for terminating and resuming water service. The customer shall be provided an opportunity for a hearing before the Finance Director within forty-eight hours of service of notice upon the water user, the only issue at such hearing being the accuracy of the amount being collected.

It shall be unlawful of any person to enter upon the fenced water or wastewater system facilities and /or tap any water mains without prior authorization by the Director of Natural Resources. It shall also be unlawful to operate, alter or damage any equipment, piping, valves, valve boxes or manholes which are part of the City water supply systems or wastewater system. Nothing in this subsection shall, however, be construed to prohibit a customer from closing the service valve located in the meter pit appurtenant to his property in case of emergency.

It shall be unlawful for a person to gain access to and use water from the Northglenn water supply system without authority of the Director of Natural Resources after the City has discontinued water service for any reason to the premises owned or occupied by such person.

[Source: Ord. 1178, 1997]

Section 16-18-3. Reserved. (Ord. 1734, 2017).

Section 16-18-4. Collection of Unpaid Charges and Penalties. If a customer fails or refuses to pay when due any charge or penalty imposed under this article such charge or penalty may be collected in the same manner as all other utilities charges, rates and penalties are collected pursuant to Article 10 of Chapter 16.

[Source: Ord. 1178, 1997]

Section 16-18-5. Penalty. Any person convicted of violation of any provision within this Article shall be punished as provided in Section 1-1-10(a)(2) of this Code.

[Source: Ord. 1178, 1997; 1659, 2013]

Section 16-18-6. Severability Clause. If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications, and to this end the provisions or applications of this ordinance are declared to be severable.

[Source: Ord. 1178, 1997]