Penal Code section 496e
(a)
Any person who is engaged in the salvage, recycling, purchase, or sale of scrap metal and who possesses any of the following items that were owned or previously owned by any public agency, city, county, city and county, special district, or private utility that have been stolen or obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, or fails to report possession of the items pursuant to Section 21609.1 of the Business and Professions Code, is guilty of a crime:(1)
A fire hydrant or any reasonably recognizable part of that hydrant.(2)
Any fire department connection, including, but not limited to, reasonably recognizable bronze or brass fittings and parts.(3)
Maintenance hole covers or lids, or any reasonably recognizable part of those maintenance hole covers and lids.(4)
Backflow devices and connections to that device, or any part of that device.(5)
Reasonably recognizable street lights, traffic signals, and their reasonably recognizable related equipment, including, but not limited to, all of the following:(A)
Controller devices.(B)
Light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures.(C)
Ornamental or historical, modern, or pedestrian poles made of concrete, steel, brass, cast iron, or aluminum.(D)
Solar street lighting components, such as solar panels, steel poles, and battery packs.(E)
Colocation equipment.(F)
Conductors, wiring, and cabling, including fiber optic cables.(G)
Cameras.(H)
Air quality sensors.(I)
Digital banners and signs.(J)
Pedestrian and cycling counters.(6)
Active grade crossing signals.(7)
Sewer flow monitoring station equipment.(8)
Sewer pump station instrumentation and controls.(9)
Stormwater auto sampling equipment and instrumentation.(10)
Stormwater pump station instrumentation and controls.(11)
Irrigation wiring.(12)
Plaques.(13)
Communications or broadband infrastructure or equipment.(14)
Electric vehicle chargers.(15)
Water meters and water meter components.(b)
A person who violates subdivision (a) shall, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, be subject to a criminal fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
Source:
Section 496e, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=496e. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 22, 2025).
