Who pays for the sewer lateral in Atwater, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main under the road
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
Atwater keeps the lateral on the owner but takes on damage from its own trees under the street. Section 12.32.170 provides that "The City has determined that it is in the best interest of the City to replace sewer laterals within all public rights-of-way that have been damaged by City trees", and that "The City shall, at its expense, repair and, if necessary, replace any portion or all of the sewer lateral located in any public right-of-way", subject to a procedure.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Atwater: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
Atwater puts the house connection on the owner all the way to the City's sewer. Section 13.08.160 provides that "All portions of house connections and building connections between the connection to the building sewer system and the City lateral sewer, collecting sewer or mainline sewer shall be maintained by the owner of the house or building", except as other chapters provide.
- The property owner
- The house connection, which section 13.08.020 defines as "the sewer connecting the building sewer or building waste drainage system to the public sewer" - including the length under the street. A broken connection the owner fails to repair after five days' notice can be replaced by the City at the owner's expense, with the cost made a lien on the property.
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Atwater Municipal Code section 13.08.160, Maintenance of connections to sewer systemWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
Atwater keeps the lateral on the owner but takes on damage from its own trees under the street. Section 12.32.170 provides that "The City has determined that it is in the best interest of the City to replace sewer laterals within all public rights-of-way that have been damaged by City trees", and that "The City shall, at its expense, repair and, if necessary, replace any portion or all of the sewer lateral located in any public right-of-way", subject to a procedure.
What to do: With a recurring blockage near a street tree, have a licensed plumber rod the line first. If the stoppage is in the right-of-way and will not clear, have the plumber report its location to the City. Document the lateral's condition yourself before excavation, since if the City finds on exposure that no repair is needed, you are billed at time and materials times 150 percent.
Atwater Municipal Code section 12.32.170, Responsibility for sewer lateral replacement from damage caused by City treesWhy this matters
The procedure decides whether the City pays. "The property owner or his/her-agent shall initially contact a licensed plumber who will conscientiously attempt to clear the stoppage by standard rodding procedures"; only if the plumber finds the stoppage in the right-of-way and cannot clear it does the plumber call the City. And the City charges for a false alarm: if the exposed lateral turns out not to need repair, the owner is billed "at the rate of time and materials times 150 percent" for the City's work. The section covers the length in the right-of-way only, not the pipe on the lot.
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
- Atwater (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
3 of the 4 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.
Nearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Atwater in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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