(a) It is unlawful for a person with the intent to damage property and having no right to do so or any reasonable ground to believe that he or she has such a right, damages or destroys any of the following:

Attorney's Note

Under the Alabama Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class B felony2 to 20 yearsup to $30,000
Class C felony1 to 10 yearsup to $15,000
Violationup to 30 daysup to $200
For details, see Ala. Code § 13A-5-6 and Ala. Code § 13A-5-7
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Terms Used In Alabama Code 13A-8-36

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • property: includes both real and personal property. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
(1) Telecommunications, cable communications, or electric power transmission pedestal or pole owned or operated by a telecommunications, cable, or electric power company or cooperative, or electric power supplier, or railroad.
(2) Telecommunications, cable communications, or electric power grounding or any other equipment or materials used in the delivery of electricity, wire, fiber insulator, power supply transformer, ground wire, or other apparatus, equipment, or fixture used in the transmission of telecommunications, cable communications, or electric power owned or operated by a telecommunications, cable, or electric power company or cooperative, or electric power supplier, or railroad.
(3) Equipment used in the transmission of wireless communications or related to wireless communications.
(4) Equipment used at any facility of over the air broadcast companies.
(5) Railroad materials and lading, including, but not limited to, any rail telecommunications; cable communications; power and signal equipment and wires; road/rail crossing signals, equipment, and wires; metal property lading being transported by a railroad; and any railroad track and other operating materials, including switch component, spike, angle bar, tie plate or bolt of the type used in constructing railroads.
(6) Electric power line, gas line, water line, wire or fiber insulators, electric motors or other apparatus, heating and cooling systems, and environmental control systems that are connected to farm shops, on-farm grain drying and storage complexes, animal production facilities, irrigation systems, greenhouse facilities, or other agricultural, forestry, or food-related activities, equipment, structures, systems, or vehicles.
(7) Any electric power line, gas line, water line, wire or fiber insulators, fencing, gates, security structures, electric motors or other apparatus, metering instruments, communications antenna, environmental control systems, and processing plants that are connected to oil, natural gas, coalbed methane, shale gas, or other petroleum producing properties, equipment, structures, systems, or vehicles.
(8) Any metal property from a school, place of worship, or a secondary metals recycler’s premises.
(9) A copper, aluminum, or aluminum-copper condensing or evaporating coil, including its tubing or rods, from a heating or air conditioning unit, excluding scrap from window air conditioning units and automobile condenser coils, unless any one of the following criteria are satisfied:

a. The condenser coils are being sold by a licensed contractor, HVAC contractor, plumber, or electrician and a current and valid license with number is provided at the time of sale and copied or scanned by the secondary metals recycler at the time of sale.
b. The condenser coils are being sold by a person with verifiable documentation, such as a receipt or work order, indicating that the condenser coils are the result of a replacement of an air conditioner unit or condenser coils performed by a licensed contractor.
(10) Utility access covers, manhole covers, or storm drain covers, unless the seller is a company that deals in the manufacture or sale of the aforementioned products.
(11) Grave markers, vases, memorials, statues, plaques, or other bronze objects used at a cemetery or other location where deceased persons are interred or memorialized or any other metal historic markers or monuments or the attached support or post to either, unless the seller is a company that deals in the manufacture or sale of the aforementioned products.
(b) Any person in violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class C felony.
(c) Any person in violation of this section shall be guilty of a Class B felony if the damage or destruction causes imminent danger to the health and safety of the public, a metal owner’s employees, first responders, law enforcement officers, or utility workers, or cause an interruption in communications services or electric utility services. For purposes of this subsection, “imminent danger” means the existence of any condition that could hinder or disrupt the normal operation of equipment, systems, or services provided for the health and safety of the public, metal owner’s employees, first responders, law enforcement officers, or utility workers or cause an interruption in communications services or electric utility services.
(d) At the time of sentencing of any person convicted under this section, the judge may order restitution in an amount determined by the court; provided, however, the amount shall not be less than the value of the metal property determined to have been damaged or stolen and shall include the cost of replacement and the cost to repair any and all damage caused during the commission of the crime for which the person is convicted.
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