Meter Obstructions & Tampering | Jackson Energy Authority

To properly maintain services and ensure accurate readings, Jackson Energy Authority servicemen must have access to the meters on customers’ property. It is the responsibility of the utility customer to keep unfriendly animals, vegetation, debris and landscaping maintained at all times so as not to create an unsafe situation or impede the clear visibility of utility meters.

Utility meters are the property of Jackson Energy Authority and should not be removed, tampered with, obstructed, damaged, altered or otherwise prevented from performing the normal function. Regardless of the service (electric, natural gas, propane, water and wastewater), no one shall:

Interfere with or prevent the proper registration of the meter
Tamper with or work on meters without the written permission of the Authority
No installation shall be made which will cause services to pass through or around the meter without the passage of services being registered fully by the meter.

All metering equipment will be sealed by Jackson Energy Authority for protection. No one, except the Authority representatives, shall cut, break or remove this seal except by special permission of the Authority.

Fraud, theft or destruction of property of public utilities in the state of Tennessee is addressed in Tennessee state law (TCA 65-35-101 et.seq.) TCA 65-35-104 provides that any person violating the provisions of TCA 65-35-102 (“Prohibited Acts”) is liable civilly for damages resulting from such violation, including actual, compensatory, incidental and punitive damages, which is three (3) times Jackson Energy Authority’s estimated loss of revenue plus reasonable attorneys' fees and costs associated with such loss. In the event Jackson Energy Authority brings a civil action in any court of appropriate jurisdiction against the owner, occupant or tenant violating any of the acts prohibited by TCA 65-35-102, and upon a finding by the court that said person violated TCA 65-35-102, Jackson Energy Authority shall also assess against said person the level of damages determined by the court.

In the absence of an identifiable tenant, the owner of any premises may be presumed to be the occupant of such premises for purposes of these service procedures and Jackson Energy Authority’s consequences for service tampering.