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McPherson Adds Theft-of-Water Offense With Fines Up to $5,000

Ordinance No. 3470 adopts the 2026 municipal offense code and creates a local water-theft offense

Sarah Newberry, Cronkite

18 Sep 2026 • 2 min read

Courtesy of Matthew Petillo - Citizen Journal

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson City Commission adopted the 2026 Uniform Public Offense Code for Kansas Cities on Tuesday, Sept. 15, adding a local theft-of-water offense carrying a fine of $1,000 to $5,000. Ordinance No. 3470 identifies theft of water as an unclassified misdemeanor. Its new Section 6.4.1 states that without prior written authorization from the McPherson Board of Public Utilities, a person may not take water from the city distribution system without paying or connect to the system without installing a backflow preventer, and that a mistake about ownership of a water tap or part of the system is not a defense.

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