Who pays for the sewer lateral in Burbank, 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
Burbank Municipal Code 8-1-313 requires that "new and remodeled properties ... install, operate, and maintain an approved backwater valve on their building sewer unless it can be shown that all fixtures contained therein have flood level rim elevations above the elevation of the next upstream maintenance hole cover of the public sewer serving the property, or a conditional waiver is granted by the Director". It names three thresholds: new construction; "existing buildings with planned modifications having a building permit valuation of $50,000 or more"; and existing buildings "having building sewers replaced, or having building sewers repairs made with an aggregate length in excess of 10'". Separately, 8-1-301 requires the Director's approval to "connect to, repair, or tap ... or maintain a connection or tap to" the portion of a building sewer in the street.
Buying or selling?
No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.
Planning work?
The remodelling rule in full, with its sourcesWho to call first about the sewer lateral
Burbank: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
The property owner maintains the building sewer all the way to the public sewer, and the City's definitions put the portion under the street on the owner's side. Where a City parkway tree's roots crushed the pipe, the City may reimburse the repair - but only with permits and an inspection before the damaged pipe is removed.
- The property owner
- All of it, from two feet outside the building wall to the public sewer. The City states that "all building sewers ... shall be maintained in good operating condition and in conformity with applicable law by the owner of the property which such facilities serve", and defines a building sewer as "that part of the sewer piping beginning two (2) feet from the exterior wall of a building structure or foundation and extending to a connection with the public sewer". Its definition of a public sewer expressly excludes "a portion of building sewer within the street or public right of way", so the run under the road is the owner's on the face of the code. One exception is worth knowing about: under section 8-1-312 the City "may reimburse a property owner for the cost to repair or replace that portion of a building sewer that has been crushed or moved out of alignment by the root system of a city parkway tree", if the owner shows the tree root was the cause, obtains the permits, and has the Director inspect before any damaged pipe is removed; the amount is capped by the Burbank Fee Resolution. In all other respects the same section keeps the obligation with the owner. Note also that repairing or tapping the portion in the street needs the City's approval first, even though the work is the owner's.
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Burbank Municipal Code sections 8-1-107 (Maintenance of Sewers)What the rules say
Most relevant if you are remodelling or adding a unit
Burbank Municipal Code 8-1-313 requires that "new and remodeled properties ... install, operate, and maintain an approved backwater valve on their building sewer unless it can be shown that all fixtures contained therein have flood level rim elevations above the elevation of the next upstream maintenance hole cover of the public sewer serving the property, or a conditional waiver is granted by the Director". It names three thresholds: new construction; "existing buildings with planned modifications having a building permit valuation of $50,000 or more"; and existing buildings "having building sewers replaced, or having building sewers repairs made with an aggregate length in excess of 10'". Separately, 8-1-301 requires the Director's approval to "connect to, repair, or tap ... or maintain a connection or tap to" the portion of a building sewer in the street.
What to do: Ask the Building Department to confirm the permit valuation of your planned work against the $50,000 line, and whether your fixtures clear the next upstream maintenance hole cover. No address lookup settles that half - it takes a levels check on site. If the work touches the run of pipe under the street, the Director's approval under 8-1-301 is a separate requirement from the building permit.
Burbank Municipal Code sections 8-1-313 (Backwater Valves) and 8-1-301 (Permit)Why this matters
Burbank puts a figure on what sets the requirement off. A remodel priced at $48,000 does not carry it; the same job at $52,000 does. And a repair can trigger it by length alone - ten feet of aggregate lateral repair is one trench for one root intrusion, and it brings a valve, a concrete box and a duty to operate and maintain it with it. The way out is an elevation test: if every fixture's flood level rim sits above the next upstream maintenance hole cover, the valve is not required.
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
- Burbank (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 BurbankNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Burbank in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
Search for an address