Gas is a resource represented by a source of high danger, therefore, all actions performed with different gas equipment should be performed exclusively by experienced professionals. This includes not only connecting to the highway, but even installing or removing a gas stove. Although many people think that it is enough to simply unscrew and re-screw the gas hoses, even the slightest mistakes cause significant harm to human life or health. Therefore, a significant penalty is imposed for gas connected unauthorizedly, as well as for other actions with gas equipment.
Legislative regulation
The gasification of a private house, as well as the installation of various equipment powered by gas, can be carried out solely on the basis of special regulations. The main document for this is the Decree of the Government of PF No. 549, which describes the procedure for the supply of gas to meet the needs of citizens.
The main provisions of this PP include:
- gasification of a private house or multi-apartment building is a complex procedure that should be carried out exclusively by experienced specialists who are gas service workers, and the owners of structures must pay for these services on the basis of established tariffs;
- gas equipment is always regularly serviced, and building owners cannot refuse these services, otherwise a significant fine will be imposed on gas, as the provisions of the law are violated;
- gas equipment may only be installed, dismantled or carried by competent professionals, and this even applies to a standard household appliance represented by a gas stove;
- if the PP rules are not followed, then fines for gas paid by the owners of houses or apartments in the house are stipulated, and they increase if there is evidence of theft of this resource, and if illegal actions do harm to the life and health of other citizens, then even criminal liability is applied.
Therefore, the use of gas and equipment should be carried out only under the supervision of competent and experienced specialists.
The concept of illegal tapping
Many owners of private houses want to save on utilities, for which they prefer to independently connect to the gas main, therefore, an agreement with the gas service is not drawn up. In this case, a fine is imposed for the illegal insertion of gas, and such a penalty is applied in situations:
- connection to a gas pipeline without prior signing of an agreement with a gas supply company;
- the implementation of the installation on their own or with the involvement of third-party companies or persons who do not have the necessary authority, and often knowledge, in order to perform this work correctly and on time;
- connecting to the neighbor’s highway without notifying him of 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 structure try to save on the costs necessary to use different communications.
What conditions must be observed?
When connecting a private house to gas, the basic conditions must be observed, in violation of which certain penalties are also applied to the owner. These requirements include:
- various equipment is being installed with the compilation of an agreement with a company that is a gas supplier;
- an agreement is made for periodic maintenance of the house;
- all actions with equipment should be carried out only by authorized and experienced specialists;
- if various malfunctions in the operation of gas equipment are detected, then it is required to quickly contact professionals to eliminate them.
If there is a smell of gas or detection of open columns, the owners of a private house must certainly contact specialists to eliminate violations. If the above requirements and conditions are not met, then this is the basis for holding the perpetrators accountable.
What are fines?
The fine for unauthorized connection of gas and other actions related to gas equipment and which are a violation of the law is imposed in a fairly significant amount. In this case, it will be required in addition from the owner of the structure to eliminate all installed items. After that, you still have to contact specialists to install the necessary equipment.
The main fines that will have to be paid in case of illegal actions to obtain gas intended for use by citizens for domestic purposes include:
- A company acting as a gas supplier will disconnect the line or charge an additional charge.
- What are the penalties for connecting gas to the stove? If this process is carried out independently or by third-party specialists who do not have the necessary license and work permit, the violator will have to pay the gas supplying company 35 thousand rubles.
- If a gas column is installed with your own hands, then in this case the fine for gas will be equal to 45 thousand rubles. The same applies to the situation when another organization is invited for these purposes, which does not have a license for this process.
- Often, people after disconnecting the line carry out a new tie-in in another part of the gas pipeline. In this case, a fine for gas in the house is reappointed, and its size can be significantly increased.
- In addition to the violators, administrative penalties are applied. For private individuals, a fine of 2 thousand rubles is imposed, but officials are obliged to pay an amount of 3 to 4 thousand rubles. If the offender is a company, then a fine of 40 thousand rubles is imposed on it.
- Individuals may even be subject to criminal liability for the illegal gasification of a private house. Punishment can be expressed in imprisonment for up to two years.
- If due to the revealed violations an emergency occurs that leads to death due to gas leakage, the owners of such houses or apartments are subject to more severe penalties, which include imprisonment for up to five years.
Thus, fines for the theft of gas, unauthorized gasification and the installation of various equipment working from this resource are really significant and serious. Therefore, all people before violating the law should carefully evaluate the appropriateness of the actions taken.
How to connect?
To prevent the imposition of a significant fine for illegal connection to the gas main of a private house, certain requirements and conditions must be met. To do this, the actions of the owner of the building are implemented:
- Initially, you need to decide which gas service company operates in the specific region where the building is located;
- write a statement in the name of the head of the institution;
- it spells out the need to connect a particular house to gas, and may also indicate the maintenance, installation of certain equipment or the transfer of an existing gas column;
- appointed by the date and time of the visit to this house by the company's specialists;
- based on the available data, the employees of the organization draw up an estimate, which is signed by the owner of the house;
- services are paid by the applicant, after which the necessary work is carried out by specialists;
- the owner of the house accepts the work, after which the act is signed.
Only under such conditions can a significant penalty be imposed for the theft of gas in a private house. At the same time, you can be sure that all actions were performed professionally, so in no way gas equipment will cause an accident or other negative consequences.
Fines for theft in an apartment building
Even in apartment buildings, people often cut an additional line from the gas pipeline, which allows them to use gas without payment. Usually, neighbors notice such violations, so they turn to the housing department or supervisory authorities with complaints.
Such actions lead to the fact that gas can explode, therefore there is 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 by unauthorized connection of gas. Its size can reach 35 thousand rubles.
Punishment for stealing gas from neighbors
Often, owners of private or summer cottages do not want to pay money for gas on their own, so they are connected to the pipeline passing on the neighboring plot. This allows them to use unaccounted gas for which neighbors pay.
Upon detection of such a violation, gas service employees leave for the place, who check the connection and make sure that the gas is used illegally. The culprit is assigned an amount equal to the damage caused. Additionally, its structure is disconnected from the gas.
If citizens themselves have discovered that neighbors have connected to their gas pipeline, they are not allowed to put plugs, as this is also considered a violation, so they can also be held accountable by gas service workers.
Theft Fines
If theft is detected that involves connecting to a gas pipeline passing in a neighboring section, then fines are imposed for this on the basis of Art. 7.19 Administrative Code. Responsibility depends on the status of the violator:
- individuals pay from 10 to 15 thousand rubles;
- officials are punished 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 that can be used to claim significant theft, offenders are often even prosecuted. For this, 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 together, so the theft of gas is considered a really significant crime, for which severe fines and other penalties are imposed.
The nuances of fraud with counters
Many people are interested in what kind of fines for gas the meter has to pay if seals are deliberately broken or different devices are used to reduce performance. Frauds can consist in various actions:
- disabling counters, which leads to underestimated performance;
- locking the mechanism of the device, for which special magnets or other similar devices are used;
- dismantling the meter at a time when the gas supply agreement is in effect.
All of the above actions are illegal, therefore, violators are brought to harsh measures of responsibility.
What are the penalties for the counter?
The penalty for the failure of a gas seal on the meter or for damage to it in other ways varies from 2 to 15 thousand rubles. It depends on whether the process is done intentionally, as well as when the violation is detected and whether it led to a decrease in the performance of the device.
The size of the fine is necessarily significantly higher than the gas fee, so there will be no savings. When a fine is imposed, 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 for the calculation, and a fine is charged for violations of the law.
Conclusion
Illegal gasification is a process leading to serious negative consequences for violators. Since the procedure is performed by non-professionals, it is likely that a serious mistake will be made, which leads to an explosion.
Theft is punishable by significant fines. It is usually detected with the help of neighbors or during regular inspections of gas service workers. Different frauds with gas meters also rarely lead to positive results, since the money saved cannot be more than the fines imposed. Therefore, it is advisable to always follow the rules of law. It is recommended that you turn to professionals not only for gasification at home, but also when connecting various gas equipment, which includes a stove for cooking or a column for heating rooms. In this case, you can be sure of the safety and legality of the operation of the equipment.