Marin County Municipal Code Ch. 6.20 Tampering with Fire Equipment and Hydrants

Interfering with fire fighting—See Chapter 16.04.

Every person who wilfully tampers with, molests, injures, breaks, removes, uses or destroys any apparatus, hose, extinguishers, axes, shovels, tanks, buckets, or other equipment or articles designated, intended and maintained for the purpose of fire protection, fighting, extinguishing or prevention, except for the purpose of actually suppressing or extinguishing a fire, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months or by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(Ord. 316 § 1, 1943)

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to open or use any fire hydrant in the unincorporated territory of the county of Marin, State of California, under the jurisdiction of the Marin County fire department.

(Ord. 1302 § 1, 1963)

Section 6.20.020 shall not be applicable to:

(a) Any officer or employee of a public agency acting within the scope of his employment and in the performance of his duties; or

(b) Any person, firm or corporation or the agent or employee thereof who has secured a permit under the provisions of Section 6.20.040.

(Ord. 1302 § 2, 1963)

The chief of the Marin County fire department or his designated representative, may issue a permit to any person, firm or corporation to open and use any fire hydrant referred to in Section 6.20.020 subject to the following terms and conditions:

(a) Location of fire hydrant subject of the permit shall be designated on said permit.

(b) Duration of permit and use for which issued shall be specified thereon.

(c) Permittee shall comply with all of the rules, regulations, orders and ordinances of local water districts issuing water meters for use on said hydrants.

(d) Permittee shall be responsible for all damage to said fire hydrants arising out of permittee's use thereof.

(e) Permittee shall indemnify and hold harmless the county, its officers and employees from any and all claims by, damages to and causes of action of third parties arising out of or proximately resulting from the issuance of said permit or the use of said fire hydrant.

(f) Permittee shall at the time of issuance of said permit deposit with county cash in the sum of one hundred dollars to insure permittee's compliance with subparagraph (d) hereof. Said sum shall be returned to permittee upon the termination, surrender or expiration of the permit provided that permittee has complied with all the terms, conditions and covenants of said permit.

(Ord. 1302 § 3, 1963)

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to damage or destroy any fire hydrant in the unincorporated territory of the county of Marin, State of California, under the jurisdiction of the Marin County fire department.

(Ord. 1302 § 4, 1963)

Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding the sum of five hundred dollars or by imprisonment in the county jail of Marin County for a period not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(Ord. 1302 § 5, 1963)