Who pays for the sewer lateral in Alhambra, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main under the road
Why, and what to doYours from the meter to your building
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of Alhambra, Director of Public Works
- What it covers:
- any excavation or fill in, over or under the surface of a public street
Alhambra Municipal Code section 13.20.030 makes it "unlawful for any person to make, cause or permit to be made, an excavation or fill in, over or under the surface of any public street for any purpose, without first obtaining from the Director of Public Works a written permit". The house connection sewer is the owner's all the way to the public sewer in the street, so a repair under the road needs one.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Alhambra: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
Alhambra writes its own sewer code and puts the whole house connection sewer on the owner. Section 16.12.110 provides that "All house connection sewers and appurtenances thereto, now existing or hereafter constructed after September 18, 1951, shall be maintained by the owner of the property served in a safe and sanitary condition". Section 16.04.110 defines the house connection sewer as the horizontal piping "beginning 24 inches from the exterior wall of the building or structure and extending to its connection with the public sewer".
- The property owner
- The house connection sewer, from two feet outside the building to the public sewer. Section 16.04.180 closes the argument that the street length might be public: the public sewer "means the main sewer or trunk sewer, constructed in a street, highway, alley, place or right of way dedicated to public use", and "The term PUBLIC SEWER does not include a house connection sewer".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Alhambra Municipal Code section 16.12.110, Maintenance in sanitary conditionWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of Alhambra, Director of Public Works
- What it covers:
- any excavation or fill in, over or under the surface of a public street
Alhambra Municipal Code section 13.20.030 makes it "unlawful for any person to make, cause or permit to be made, an excavation or fill in, over or under the surface of any public street for any purpose, without first obtaining from the Director of Public Works a written permit". The house connection sewer is the owner's all the way to the public sewer in the street, so a repair under the road needs one.
What to do: Apply to the Director of Public Works for the excavation permit before any work in the street, and ask how long the guarantee period is for your trench - the permittee answers for settlement and faulty workmanship during it, so agree in writing whether that is you or your contractor. If an emergency forces the dig out of hours, the eight-hour clock starts when City offices next open.
Alhambra Municipal Code section 13.20.030, Permit requiredWhy this matters
The obligation does not end when the trench is filled. Section 13.20.080 provides that if repairs become necessary during the guarantee period "because of faulty materials or workmanship on the part of the permittee or his agent", the permittee must remedy them, and if the pavement is not restored in time the Director may do the work, with "The cost thereof, including any inspection costs and administrative overhead incurred by city" assessed against the permittee. Emergencies are allowed but narrow: section 13.20.180 requires the party making an emergency excavation to "apply for the regular permit therefor within eight hours after the offices of the city are first opened".
What this page cannot tell you
- No assistance or grant programme has been reviewed for this jurisdiction yet.
- No sewer service territory has been mapped for this area, so BelowGrid cannot say who serves an individual address.
Who governs and serves this area
- Jurisdiction
- Alhambra (municipality)
- Sewer service
- No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.
How this compares to neighbouring cities
2 of the 8 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.
Your other pipe: the water service line
The drinking water line coming into your property is a separate pipe, run by a separate authority, and who is responsible for it is decided separately. Your sewer lateral is yours to the main; your water line stops being yours at the meter.
Who owns the water service line in AlhambraNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Alhambra in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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