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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Barstow, CA

Which part of the pipe is yours

your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours.

If something’s wrong

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit

    Who issues it:
    City of Barstow - building department, with a separate street excavation permit from the engineering services division
    What it covers:
    uncovering, connecting to, opening into, using, altering or disturbing any public sewer or its appurtenances; and, under section 13.16.070, any excavation for a building lateral in a public street or easement

    Barstow Municipal Code section 13.16.010 provides that "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the city building department."

The repair rule in full, with its sources

Buying or selling?

No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Barstow about the sewer lateral.

Barstow: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on

Who is responsible for which part

In Barstow the whole sewer lateral, from the building to the City's sewer, is the owner's. Section 13.16.030 of the City's code provides that "The owner is solely responsible for the sewer lateral from the building to the point of connection with the city's sewer collection system." It names both halves: the upper lateral, from the building to the property line, and the lower lateral, from the property line to the point of connection.

The property owner
The building lateral, which the code defines as "the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or another place of disposal", upper and lower lateral together. "All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building lateral shall be borne by the owner."

What else is worth knowing

Nothing splits the lateral between the City and the owner. The part under the street is still the owner's: the code says laterals connecting a building drain to a sewer main "are not public sewers although they may be partially located in a public right-of-way or easement." The code does not say whether the fitting at the main belongs to the lateral.

Sources

Barstow Municipal Code section 13.16.030

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you have a backup or blockage

No rule on file here is specific to a backup or blockage; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Barstow - building department, with a separate street excavation permit from the engineering services division
    What it covers:
    uncovering, connecting to, opening into, using, altering or disturbing any public sewer or its appurtenances; and, under section 13.16.070, any excavation for a building lateral in a public street or easement

    Barstow Municipal Code section 13.16.010 provides that "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the city building department."

    What to do: Before a lateral is installed, replaced or connected, get a written permit from the City's building department, and an excavation permit from engineering services if the work reaches the street.

    Why this matters

    A lateral is connected to the public sewer at its lower end, so installing or replacing one reaches the public sewer, and the owner bears every cost of installing and connecting it. The application is made by the owner or their agent on the City's form, with any plans the building department asks for. Digging for a lateral in a public street or easement needs a separate permit from the City's engineering services division as well.

    In force since · Checked

    Barstow Municipal Code section 13.16.010, Permit required. Ord. No. 276

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
Barstow (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

4 of the 8 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

Distances are approximate, in a straight line between the places’ centres.

Compare the rules city by city

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

This page describes what applies to properties in Barstow in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

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