Illegal gas connection in a private house. Fine for unauthorized gas connection

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The economic situation in the family budget often pushes people to commit illegal actions that carry both administrative and criminal liability.

That is why the consumer must understand that any unauthorized intervention in the mains entails consequences: a fine for unauthorized gas connection or a criminal sentence.

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Amount of fine for theft of network gas

Unauthorized gas connection is considered to be an illegal connection to gas pipelines and gas distribution networks without existing connection permits, and carried out by a non-specialized organization. Most often, connections to the gas pipeline are made illegally by consumers who were previously disconnected due to accumulated gas payment debts.

To help you understand what constitutes an illegal tap into the gas pipeline network, we list the following factors:

Unauthorized connection to the gas supply network without concluding a gas supply agreement with the supplier company.
Execution installation work by a third party or persons who do not have permission to perform this work.
Connection to the gas pipeline network without notifying the supplier.
Illegal connection of a gas pipeline after disconnection for debts.

Self-connection of gas will result in punishment in the form of payment of an administrative fine:

for citizens in the amount of up to 15 thousand rubles;
for officials - up to 80 thousand rubles or their suspension labor activity for a period of one to two years;
for organizations and legal entities- up to 200 thousand rubles.

Criminal liability for gas tapping

An administrative fine is a very minimal punishment for this offense. Unauthorized interference in the gas supply system and theft of gas can be considered as criminal offense, and then the illegal use of natural gas will be considered a crime and will be punishable: , which entails a prison sentence of up to two years.

Official connection to the gas supply system

Regardless of whether you live in an apartment or a house, there are a number of conditions that must be met in order for the use of gas to be legal:

conclude an agreement for the supply of gas and maintenance of household gas equipment;
provision of necessary documents for connection;
performance of any types of work: connection, disconnection, installation and dismantling of equipment must be performed by specialized services licensed to perform this type of work;
take measures when detecting a gas smell, malfunction of gas equipment or its use for other purposes.

Gas insertion after shutdown

Most often, subscribers make illegal connections in apartments after being disconnected for non-payment. Consumers accumulate debts, fail to make payments on time, and as a result, gas service employees disconnect subscribers by installing plugs. But if during the inspection it is discovered that there was illegal interference in the gas supply network, then the shutdown will be carried out using welding work.

Remove installed plugs, break seals, and independently connect stoves, water heating columns, heating boilers is strictly prohibited.

In private residential buildings, consumers show ingenuity and steal gas in all possible ways: they make bypass lines; inserts in front of the counter; and with an underground street gas pipeline, unauthorized connections are made.

You need to understand that timely payments for utilities will protect you from these problems. And remember that independent actions related to any changes in gas supply systems are criminally punishable, and you are responsible for the offenses committed.

An unauthorized connection to a gas pipeline has negative consequences for the offender, as well as may lead to the creation dangerous situations for others. Such an action is carried out unprofessionally, in violation of technology and safety regulations, which already implies severe punishment.

And also with such a connection, the consumer uses gas without metering and does not pay for it. What pushes residents of apartments or private houses into illegal installations is the desire to save money and steal from the state.

And it is fair that for such theft the offender bears financial and even criminal liability. To him a fine is issued for unauthorized gas connection, the amount of which is determined on the basis of the law and the consequences of the offense.

Reasons for unauthorized connection

It is difficult for the consumer to provide himself normal conditions living in an apartment, especially with a gas water heater, if his gas is turned off for debts. But instead of collecting funds after shutting down the system, paying off the debt and officially inviting specialists to connect gas equipment, the debtor decides to commit a crime.
Owners of private houses can also crash into the network on their own, production premises who have not yet received permission to officially connect.

Unauthorized tapping of a debtor is not just the theft of a resource from a gas pipeline. It puts his neighbors at risk, because if the connection is incorrect, a gas leak may occur.

ATTENTION! Most often, fines for tapping into a gas pipeline and theft of gas by a subscriber are committed by those who were previously disconnected for arrears in paying utility bills.

Unauthorized insertion

Unauthorized connection of a gas stove, water heater, heating boiler is connection to gas mains without permission. The permit must be issued by the enterprise that supplies gas in the given territory.

The pipelines are the property of gas transportation companies, gas distribution companies, and legal entities that own gas transportation equipment. Consumers to whom these authorities supply gas sign an agreement with the supplier and pay for its services according to the amount of expenses.

If the gas was turned off for non-payment or the new residential premises have not yet been officially connected to the network, you do not need to deal with the connection yourself, or perform any actions with the metering devices (install them yourself or remove them, change the indicators). Before looking for information on how to cut into a gas pipe illegally, it is worth asking about the punishment for this violation and the size of the fine.

ATTENTION! The main document defining the punishment for these actions is article of the Code of Administrative Offenses Russia 7.19.

Obtaining permission, completing documents, paying debts, and other expenses for official connection will not be as significant as fines to an individual for independently connecting a dispenser, removing a seal from a pipe, or illegally tapping into a gas pipeline.

If the disconnection was carried out without a meter, it is worth purchasing this equipment at the time of connection to save on gas bills in the future.

How is an offense detected?

Most often, an illegal tap into a gas pipeline is discovered during a residential inspection. If the supplier knows about the disconnected debtor, he will control the sealed equipment.

When a gas company employee sees the fact of a tap-in, he informs management about it, draws up a report, and calls an emergency team. The violator must sign a statement of unauthorized actions. The gas is turned off again, and the case of tapping is sent to court.

Types of punishment

Connecting a gas pipeline in a private house without official permission, or breaking the seals from the pipe by the debtor may subsequently result in both administrative and criminal penalties.

The minimum consequences for the violator are administrative liability and a fine. If the fines are not paid on time, a late fee will be added to them.
But judicial practice knows examples and criminal liability. Gorgaz can sue apartment owners who crash into a gas pipeline as natural fuel thieves.
Both a fine for tapping and imprisonment will not eliminate the need to pay for the use of gas for the time after the offense was committed. Debt fees are also charged.
It is not always possible to determine when last time The gas meter was checked. In this case, you will have to pay an additional 35,000 rubles for connecting the stove, and 45,000 rubles for the speakers. If the boiler was also working to heat the house, the additional charge will be 5,000 rubles. User fee rate natural fuel in this case – maximum.
A term of up to 5 years threatens those who decide to independently remove the plug, carry out an unauthorized replacement of the meter, crash into the network, and by their actions cause an explosion. If the gas is connected unprofessionally, a fire is difficult to avoid. An explosion can cause injury and even death to neighbors.

The sentencing of a violator to a prison term of up to 5 years is determined by Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

IMPORTANT! If a case of tampering ends up in court, the actions of the attacker may be punished by imprisonment. Duration – up to 2 years.

A fire in a house and the death of residents of neighboring apartments are the most serious consequences of unauthorized tapping. It should be remembered that it is much easier to get rid of debt, install gas equipment with the help of competent specialists (even if their services are paid), than to bear responsibility for such terrible events.

A poorly executed connection of gas pipes and equipment can easily be disrupted with one careless movement. A gas leak may not be noticeable immediately, but only as the substance accumulates dangerously.

In the end the offender will be disconnected from the gas pipeline again. And he will be able to use gas only after fulfilling all penalties (payment of debt, fine, other amounts).

Fine amounts

Article 7.19 applies to those who illegally connected to the gas pipeline for the first time and those who did so after being disconnected due to debt. In both the first and second cases, a fine is provided.

An individual will pay up to 2,000 rubles.
Officials who use gas illegally pay from 3,000 to 4,000.
The largest fine is paid to legal entities - up to 40,000 rubles.

Even a large fine cannot be compared with imprisonment, and it is easy to get from the court for unauthorized connection to gas pipes.

The apartment was illegally disconnected from gas

You can also encounter another situation when gas was turned off in a house or apartment by mistake or illegally.

Maybe, long time new home not connected to the main line. Residents who use serviceable equipment and pay utility bills on time must respond to such actions.

If gas is not connected, where can I complain to solve the problem?

First of all, you need to contact the gas supply company and write a statement about illegal shutdown. If there is no response, you can go to the prosecutor's office, write a complaint to Rospotrebnadzor, to the Housing Commission.

Connection to the main line

The presence of gas in an apartment or house makes it much easier to create comfortable living conditions. Therefore, this natural fuel provides more residential buildings.

To connect the room to the pipeline, connect the stove, water heater, gas heating boiler, a special project is drawn up technical specifications. The documents for this project may vary slightly depending on the specifics of the connection object.
The supplier company checks the documents provided; the review may take one month.
The next step is the actual connection. It is carried out by qualified specialists. Meters with seals are installed, and a contract for the supply of fuel is concluded.

If you need to connect after being disconnected due to debts, you should also contact the supplier. But you need to pay off your debts first. It is possible that the meter will be installed or replaced at the same time; how much the work costs, you need to find out from the contractors.

ATTENTION! Proper execution process will eliminate problems, including financial ones.

Useful video

Report about the danger of a gas leak.

Gas is supplied to residential buildings using complex system gas mains, gas distribution stations and intra-house gas pipelines. Any attempt to connect gas-consuming equipment to the gas pipeline independently is called an unauthorized connection. Gas equipment includes:

In-house gas equipment includes not only appliances, but also gas lines and taps that regulate the supply. That is, if an energy consumer unauthorizedly installed additional gas pipes, this is also punishable by law. Unaccounted energy consumption is also considered an offence.

Reference. If the equipment was connected correctly, and then the user unauthorizedly removed the metering devices and reconnected them after the meter or deliberately changed their readings (using neodymium magnets, for example), he will be subject to administrative penalties.

According to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 14, 2013 N 410, any manipulations with gas equipment (repair, replacement, shutdown) must be performed exclusively by gas service workers.

Detection methods

Any gas supply agreement with a gas distribution organization contains a list of equipment that consumes gas. When connecting the devices (and this must be done by a gas service employee), the subscriber is given a commissioning certificate. Such a document must be for all gas-consuming equipment in the apartment/house. Simply put, if the device is working, but there is no certificate for it, the regulatory authorities have the right to consider that there is an unauthorized connection.

Employees of the service with which the maintenance contract is concluded can check the technical serviceability and availability of documents. According to the already mentioned resolution No. 410, it is impossible not to conclude this agreement (more precisely, it is possible, but gas will not be supplied to the subscriber). Inspections can be scheduled or unscheduled. After each inspection, a report is drawn up, which records:

date of inspection;
data of the subscriber and employees performing the verification;
equipment condition;
detected defects (if any);
place of compilation.

If employees discover an unauthorized connection, they will immediately notify management and call emergency services. What happens is that an act of unauthorized actions is drawn up. This document must be signed by the subscriber who violated the law. Without his signature, the case cannot be taken to court.

Important! If the subscriber refuses to sign the act, two outside witnesses (disinterested persons) can do so in his presence.

Forms of liability for violators

According to Article 7.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, administrative or criminal liability is provided for unauthorized connection of gas equipment. Administrative punishment means that for a relatively “light” violation you will have to pay a fine.

Article 7.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. Unauthorized connection and use of electrical, thermal energy, oil or gas

Unauthorized connection to electrical networks, heating networks, oil pipelines, oil product pipelines and gas pipelines, as well as unauthorized (unaccounted) use of electrical, thermal energy, oil, gas or oil products, if these actions do not contain a criminal offense -

entails the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of ten thousand to fifteen thousand rubles; for officials - from thirty thousand to eighty thousand rubles or disqualification for a period of one to two years; for legal entities - from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand rubles.

For example, for independent start-up of gas in individual house, when all the pipes are connected, but permission to connect has not been received, you will have to pay from 10 to 15 thousand rubles. For legal entities, the fine ranges from 100 to 200 thousand rubles. The exact amount of payments will be determined by the court.

Unauthorized connection can lead to unpredictable consequences. Criminal liability may arise if the offender’s actions entailed:

damage to in-house equipment;
significant gas leak;
danger to the lives of other residents or gas service workers.

In these cases the court may decide on imprisonment for up to two years. In each case, the decision is made based on the data provided by the parties. Therefore, it is important to have on hand all the documents for household appliances, contracts with gas services, receipts for payment for energy consumed.

Amount of fines for incorrect connection

In addition to paying a fine for an offense, it is also necessary to cover the costs of the company that supplies gas to the consumer. That is, if the fact of unauthorized connection of equipment is revealed, the subscriber must compensate for material damage to the gas distribution company servicing the house/apartment. To determine the amount of debt, you must first determine for what period the gas surcharge will be calculated. Usually counted from the date of the last inspection (but not more than 6 months) until the date of complete elimination of the offense. For example:

the scheduled inspection on 01.03 did not reveal any violations;
an unscheduled inspection on April 31 revealed the fact of an unauthorized connection;
On 15.05 the violation was eliminated.

The additional payment for consumed gas will be calculated within 75 days.

Attention! The elimination date is not considered the date the violation was discovered, but the date when the regulatory authorities confirm that it has been eliminated. It is in the interests of the consumer to eliminate all shortcomings as quickly as possible and obtain written confirmation of this from the regulatory authorities.

Further calculations are made taking into account the power of illegally installed equipment. Let's give examples for basic household appliances.

Water heating columns

The calculation of additional charges for unauthorized connection, for example, of a Therm 4000 O WR13 geyser, will be performed as follows. Amount consumed natural gas indicated in the product passport and is 2.8 m3/h. In 75 days, such a column will consume 5040 m3/h (for the calculation, the time of round-the-clock operation of the device is taken). Let’s assume that the local gas distribution company has set a tariff for the population of 7.26 rubles per m3. The amount of the additional payment will be 5040*7.26=36590 rubles.

Kitchen stove

For example, let's take the combined gas stove GORENJE G6, and not a separate oven and hob. The instructions indicate the following burner powers: 1 kW, 3 kW and 2 * 1.9 kW. Total power 7 kW. One cubic meter of gas is equal to 10 kW, that is, consumption will be 0.7 m3/h. Let's add the consumption of the oven; at maximum it is 3 kW or 0.3 m3/h. It turns out that such a stove will consume 1 cubic meter of gas per hour, and in 75 days - 1800. Based on this, the amount of additional payment will be 1800 * 7.26 = 13068 rubles.

Heating equipment

Example calculation for a floor-standing gas boiler Protherm Medved 50 PLO, which consumes 5.2 m3/h.

In 75 days, such a boiler will “wind” 9,360 cubic meters of natural gas. It should be taken into account that the price of gas used for heating is approximately 30% lower. Let's say it is 5 rubles. Then the amount of the additional payment will be: 9360*5=46800 rubles.

Methods for collecting arrears

The gas distribution company, having established the fact of unauthorized connection and having calculated the amount of payments, submits statement of claim to court. It is accompanied by an act of unauthorized connection and calculation of additional charges. Based on these materials, as well as the testimony of the defendant, the court makes a decision. If the plaintiff’s claims are recognized as legitimate, the court decides to collect the debt. Issued writ of execution, which is handed over to the bailiffs.

How to avoid punishment?

Faults in gas equipment can lead to terrible accidents, casualties among the population and damage to property. Therefore, all violations related to the installation and connection of devices most often end in a court decision to impose a penalty. However, there are cases when the defendant can achieve a decision in his favor, for example:

the unauthorized connection was not recorded properly (there is no signature on the act, the defendant’s information is incorrect, etc.);
the violation was caused by improper or negligent performance of their duties by gas service employees;
The unauthorized connection was made by the gas service.

Each case is individual, and if the defendant is truly not at fault, a competent lawyer will easily win the case. But best way avoid punishment - comply with all requirements of the gas supplier and pay for his services on time.

The magistrate of judicial district No. 4 of the Chegem district of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic issued a resolution convicting a resident of the city of Chegem of committing an administrative offense under Part 1 of Art. 20.25 of the RF Code on administrative offenses, and sentencing him to compulsory labor for a period of 20 hours.

The case was initiated on the basis of non-payment of an administrative fine imposed for the illegal resumption of gas supply after disconnecting the subscriber from the gas supply system (Article 7.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation - a fine of three to four thousand rubles).

Since 2014, this subscriber has unauthorizedly connected to gas distribution networks five times. After each such illegal connection, gas company employees identified and again disconnected the household and transferred the materials to law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrator to administrative responsibility. At the time of the last shutdown in August 2015, the subscriber’s debt for consumed gas amounted to 502 thousand rubles.

“Subscribers need to understand that sooner or later they will still have to pay off the debt for consumed gas. But administrative fines and costs for disconnection and reconnection services will already be added to the amount of debt, not to mention reputational losses, which is important for a resident of the Caucasian republic, said Muaed Pshigoshev, director of the Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Pyatigorsk LLC branch in Kabardino-Balkaria. “Currently, we have intensified our efforts to identify facts of illegal connections and transfer materials to bring the perpetrators to administrative responsibility.”

In addition to causing damage to the gas supplier, illegal tappings pose a direct threat to people's lives, since they are often the cause of gas leaks that lead to emergencies such as explosions and fires. From 2013 to 2015, 526 such incidents were registered in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. In October of this year, as a result of an attempt to connect to a gas pipeline using a makeshift method, one person was killed and seven were injured.

Starting from 2016, penalties for unauthorized connection to a gas pipeline will become stricter and will amount to 10-15 thousand rubles.

REFERENCE

Since the beginning of 2015, employees of the branch of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Pyatigorsk LLC in Kabardino-Balkaria identified 3,247 consumers who carried out unauthorized gas withdrawals (including 3,102 subscribers - individuals, 145 industrial consumers).

Materials regarding all illegally connected subscribers have been sent to law enforcement agencies for administrative and criminal prosecution.

Article 7.19. Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation:

Unauthorized connection and use of electricity, fuel energy, oil or gas.

“Unauthorized connection to energy networks, oil pipelines, oil product pipelines and gas pipelines, as well as unauthorized (unaccounted for) use of electrical, thermal energy, oil, gas or oil products -

entails the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of three thousand to four thousand rubles; for officials - from six thousand to eight thousand rubles; for legal entities - from sixty thousand to eighty thousand rubles.”

Article 158 (part 3, paragraph b) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (as amended) Federal Law dated December 30, 2006 No. 283-FZ):

“Theft committed ... from an oil pipeline, oil product pipeline, gas pipeline ... is punishable by a fine in the amount of one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand rubles or in the amount wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to three years, or imprisonment for a term of two to six years with a fine in the amount of eighty thousand rubles or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to six months, or without it.”

Gas is a resource that represents a source of high danger, therefore all actions performed with various gas equipment should be performed exclusively by experienced professionals. This includes not only connecting to the main line, but even installing or dismantling a gas stove. Although many people think that it is enough to simply unscrew and re-screw gas hoses, even the slightest mistakes cause significant harm to people’s lives or health. Therefore, a significant fine is imposed for gas connected without permission, as well as for other actions with gas equipment.

Legislative regulation

Gasification of a private home, as well as the installation of various equipment powered by gas, can be carried out exclusively on the basis of special regulations. The main document for this is Government Decree PF No. 549, which describes the procedure for gas supply to meet the needs of citizens.

The main provisions of this PP include:

gasification of a private house or apartment building is a complex procedure that must be carried out exclusively by experienced specialists who are employees of the gas service, and the owners of the buildings must pay for these services based on established tariffs;
Gas equipment must be regularly serviced, and building owners cannot refuse these services, otherwise a significant fine for gas will be imposed, since the provisions of the law are violated;
gas equipment can only be installed, dismantled or moved by competent professionals, and this applies even to a standard household appliance represented by a gas stove;
if the rules of the PP are not followed, then fines for gas are provided, paid by the owners of houses or apartments in the building, and they increase if there is evidence of theft of this resource, and if unlawful actions harm the life and health of other citizens, then even criminal liability is applied.

Therefore, the use of gas and equipment should only be carried out under the supervision of competent and experienced personnel.

The concept of illegal tapping

Many owners of private houses want to save on utilities, for which they prefer to connect to the gas main themselves, so they do not draw up an agreement with the gas service. In this case, a fine is imposed for illegal gas tapping, and this penalty is applied in situations:

connection to the gas main without first signing an agreement with the gas supply company;
implementation of installation independently or with the involvement of third-party companies or persons who do not have the necessary authority, and often the knowledge, to carry out this work correctly and on time;
connecting to a neighbor's highway without notifying him this fact, as well as hiding information from the company that provides the resource.

Most often, such violations occur during the gasification of a private house, when the owners of the building try to save on the costs necessary to use various communications.

What conditions must be met?

When connecting a private house to gas, basic conditions must be met, and if they are violated, certain penalties are also applied to the owner. These requirements include:

installation of various equipment is carried out with the obligatory drawing up of an agreement with the company that is the gas supplier;
an agreement is concluded for periodic maintenance of the house;
all operations with the equipment must be carried out only by authorized and experienced specialists;
If various malfunctions are discovered in the operation of gas equipment, then you need to promptly contact professionals to eliminate them.

If you smell gas or discover open gas pumps, the owners of a private home should definitely contact specialists to eliminate the violations. If the above requirements and conditions are not met, then this is the basis for bringing the perpetrators to justice.

What are the fines?

The fine for unauthorized gas connection and other actions related to gas equipment that are a violation of the law is imposed in a fairly significant amount. In this case, the owner of the structure will additionally be required to remove all installed items. After this, you will still have to contact specialists to install the necessary equipment.

The main fines that will have to be paid for illegal actions to obtain gas intended for use for domestic purposes by citizens include:

The company acting as a gas supplier will disconnect the line or charge an additional fee.
What are the penalties for connecting gas to the stove? If this process is performed independently or by third-party specialists who do not have the required license and a work permit, the violator will have to pay the gas supply company 35 thousand rubles.
If you install a gas water heater yourself, then in this case the fine for gas will be equal to 45 thousand rubles. The same applies to the situation when another organization that does not have a license for this process is invited for these purposes.
Often, after disconnecting the line, people make a new connection in another part of the gas main. In this case, the fine for gas in the house is re-imposed, and its size can be significantly increased.
Additional measures will be taken against violators administrative punishment. For private individuals, a fine of 2 thousand rubles is imposed, but officials are required to pay an amount of 3 to 4 thousand rubles. If the violator is a company, then it will be fined 40 thousand rubles.
Individuals may even be subject to criminal liability for illegal gasification of a private home. Punishment can be imprisonment for up to two years.
If, due to the identified violations, a emergency, leading to the death of people due to gas leaks, then the owners of such houses or apartments are given more severe penalties, represented by imprisonment for a term of up to five years.

Thus, fines for gas theft, unauthorized gasification and installation of various equipment powered by this resource are truly significant and serious. Therefore, before violating the law, all people must carefully evaluate the appropriateness of the actions taken.

How to connect correctly?

To prevent a significant fine from being imposed for illegally connecting a private home to a gas main, certain requirements and conditions must be met. To do this, the owner of the building implements the following actions:

Initially, you need to decide which gas service company operates in the specific region where the building is located;
you must write a statement addressed to the head of the institution;
it states the need to connect a particular house to gas, and may also indicate maintenance, installation of certain equipment, or relocation of an existing gas water heater;
the date and time for a visit to the house by the company’s specialists is set;
based on the available data, the organization’s employees draw up an estimate, which is signed by the owner of the house;
services are paid for by the applicant, after which they are carried out necessary work specialists;
The owner of the house accepts the work, after which the act is signed.

Only under such conditions can one avoid imposing a significant fine for theft of gas from a private home. At the same time, you can be sure that all actions were performed professionally, so in no way will gas equipment cause an accident or other negative consequences.

Fines for theft in an apartment building

Even in apartment buildings people often install an additional line from the gas main, which allows them to use gas without paying. Usually neighbors notice such violations, so they contact the housing department or supervisory authorities with complaints.

Such actions lead to the fact that the gas may explode, therefore creating a danger to the health and life of people, as well as to their property.

Regardless of the amount of gas stolen, the perpetrators will be prosecuted. Additionally, the gas service will require compensation for damage caused as a result of unauthorized gas connection. Its size can reach 35 thousand rubles.

Punishment for stealing gas from neighbors

Often owners of private or summer cottages They do not want to pay for gas on their own, so they connect to a pipeline running in a neighboring area. This allows them to use unaccounted for gas that their neighbors pay for.

If such a violation is detected, gas service employees go to the site to check the correct connection and make sure that gas is being used illegally. The culprit is assigned an amount equal to the damage caused. Additionally, its structure is disconnected from gas.

If citizens themselves discover that their neighbors have connected to their gas pipeline, they are not allowed to install plugs, as this is also considered a violation, so they can also be held accountable by gas service workers.

Fines for theft

If theft is discovered, involving connection to a gas main running in a neighboring area, then fines are imposed for this on the basis of Art. 7.19 Code of Administrative Offences. Liability depends on the status of the offender:

individuals pay from 10 to 15 thousand rubles;
officials a punishment is imposed in the amount of 30 to 80 thousand rubles;
legal entities have to pay fines ranging from 100 to 150 thousand rubles.

If there is evidence with which to allege significant theft, violators are often even brought to criminal liability. For this purpose, the norms and information from Art. 158 of the Criminal Code. Under such conditions, different penalties are used:

a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles, and it can also be replaced by the offender’s income for three years;
involvement in forced labor for up to 5 years;
restriction of freedom up to 18 months;
imprisonment for up to 6 years.

Some penalties can be applied in combination, so gas theft is considered a truly significant crime, for which serious fines and other penalties are imposed.

The nuances of fraud with counters

Many people are interested in what fines they have to pay for the gas meter if the seals are deliberately broken or various devices are used to reduce the readings. Fraud can consist of various actions:

turning off meters, which leads to underestimated indicators;
blocking the device mechanism, for which special magnets or other similar devices are used;
dismantling the metering device while the gas supply contract is in force.

All of the above actions are illegal, so violators will be subject to severe penalties.

What are the meter penalties?

The fine for breaking the gas seal on the meter or for damaging it in other ways varies from 2 to 15 thousand rubles. It depends on whether the process is done intentionally, as well as on when the violation is detected and whether it led to a decrease in the performance of the device.

The size of the fine necessarily significantly exceeds the gas fee, so there will be no savings at all. When imposing a fine, the payment is initially recalculated, for which the indicators of the last inspection are taken into account, and then the consumption rate for all months is applied. Therefore, you will have to pay the funds according to the calculation, and a fine will be charged for violations of the law.

Conclusion

Illegal gasification is a process that leads to serious negative consequences for violators. Since the procedure is performed by non-professionals, there is a high probability that serious mistake, which leads to an explosion.

Theft is punishable by significant fines. It is usually detected with the help of neighbors or during regular checks of gas service workers. Various frauds with gas meters also rarely lead to positive results, since the savings cannot be more than the fines imposed. Therefore, it is advisable to always follow the laws. It is recommended to contact professionals not only when gasifying a home, but also when connecting various gas equipment, which includes a stove for cooking or speakers for heating rooms. In this case, you can be confident in the safety and legality of operating the equipment.