---
title: O.C.G.A. § 16-7-25. Damaging, injuring, or interfering with property of public utility companies, municipalities, or political subdivisions.
collection: code
id: 16-7-25
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 16-7-25 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-7-25
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-7-25.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-7-25/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t16-ch7-11-(v14a)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=f5e4f5fa_0#page=18
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMES AND OFFENSES / DAMAGE TO AND INTRUSION UPON PROPERTY / CRIMINAL TRESPASS AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 16-7-25. Damaging, injuring, or interfering with property of public utility companies, municipalities, or political subdivisions.

(a) As used in this Code section, the term “critical infrastructure” shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 16-11-220.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person intentionally and without authority to alter or interfere with any critical infrastructure to prevent the proper registering of the quantity of such service supplied; in any way to interfere with the proper action of a company, municipality, or political subdivision owning critical infrastructure; intentionally to divert any services of such company, municipality, or political subdivision; or otherwise intentionally and without authority to use or cause to be used, without the consent of the company, municipality, or political subdivision, any service manufactured, sold, or distributed by the company, municipality, or political subdivision.

(c) Where there is no evidence to the contrary, the person performing any of the illegal acts set forth in subsection (b) of this Code section and the person who with knowledge of such violation receives the benefit of such service without proper charge as a result of the improper action shall be presumed to be responsible for the act of tampering or diversion.

(d) This Code section shall be cumulative to and shall not prohibit the enactment of any other general and local laws, rules, and regulations of state or local authorities or agencies and local ordinances prohibiting such activities which are more restrictive than this Code section.

(e) Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

## History

Ga. L. 1897, p. 69, § 1; Penal Code 1910, § 783; Ga. L. 1916, p. 153, § 1; Code 1933, §§ 26-3801, 26-3802; Ga. L. 1957, p. 490, §§ 1-5; Code 1933, § 26-1507, enacted by Ga. L. 1976, p. 773, § 1; Ga. L. 1978, p. 1658, § 1; Ga. L. 2023, p. 69, § 3/HB 227, effective July 1, 2023.

## Amendments

The 2023 amendment, effective July 1, 2023, added subsection (a); redesignated former subsections (a) through (d) as present subsections (b) through (e), respectively; in subsection (b), substituted “authority to alter or interfere with any critical infrastructure to prevent the proper registering of the quantity” for “authority to injure or destroy any meter, pipe, conduit, wire, line, post, lamp, or other apparatus belonging to a company, municipality, or political subdivision engaged in the manufacture or sale of electricity, gas, water, telephone, or other public services; intentionally and without authority to prevent a meter from properly registering the quantity”, substituted “a company” for “such company”, and inserted “owning critical infrastructure”; and, in subsection (c), substituted “subsection (b) of this Code section” for “subsection (a) of this Code section”.