§ 2-13-25. Entry powers of county employees; power to order work to provide conservation of water or to eliminate improper use of sewers.

Any employee or agent of the county has the right of entry, at all reasonable hours, upon any private premises and into any building in the service area while in pursuit of his official duties, after reasonable notice and upon first presenting proper credentials from the board. The board or the county’s agent or employees may order and require such changes in plumbing, water usage, drainage, water or sewer connections as it deems necessary to eliminate leakage, loss of water, unnecessary or improper use of sewers. The board shall exercise control of the water supply at all times and in case of shortage of water or, for any other reason, the board, in the exercise of its discretion, may determine that the water supply should be conserved. The consumers, upon notice from the county, its agents or employees, or upon notice published in one newspaper published in Frederick County for one insertion shall comply with any order passed by the board to conserve the water supply. In addition to any other penalty herein prescribed, the county may turn off the water supply of any person violating such an order at any time without further notice. Any unreasonable restraint or hindrance offered by any owner, tenant, or agent or any other person to the right of entry in this section provided or any violation of any order issued pursuant to this section is a misdemeanor punishable under section [10A-23] 10A-30 of this chapter. Nothing in this section is applicable within any municipality or to any water and sewerage system operated by a municipality unless authorized in accordance with § 2-13-6 of this chapter.

(Code 1959, § 10A-14; 1968, Chapter 609, § 1; 1977, Chapter 96, § 1; 1979, Chapter 723, § 1)

Editor’s note:

Ch. 723 of the 1979 Acts designated the above section as section 10A-14 of the 1959 county code; however, such section constitutes an amendment and renumbering of former section 10A-28 of the 1959 Code.