Skip to main content
BelowGrid

Who pays for the sewer lateral in Coachella Valley Water District (sanitation), 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

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

No rule on file here is specific to selling, buying, remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Coachella Valley Water District (sanitation) about the sewer lateral.

Coachella Valley Water District (sanitation): official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on

Who is responsible for which part

Where Coachella Valley Water District collects the sewage, the whole lateral is the owner's to maintain, including the part under the street. The District's fact sheet says "Property owners are required to maintain the entire length of the Private Sewer Lateral, which extends from the property to the sewer main located in the street or a nearby easement."

The property owner
The building sewer lateral and the street sewer lateral - the whole pipe to the main. The District's code says its responsibility "does not include the street sewer lateral", and provides that "The applicant shall pay for the cost of installing the street sewer lateral and shall be responsible for the cost of maintaining it." The fact sheet: "The portion of the Private Sewer Lateral that extends beyond the property line (referred to as "Street Sewer Lateral" per CVWD Code) in the public right of way is also the owner's responsibility to maintain and repair."

What else is worth knowing

Nothing splits the lateral; the property line is not where the owner's part ends. A street sewer lateral from an existing District sewer is installed only by District employees or others the District authorizes in writing.

Sources

Coachella Valley Water District, Understanding Your Private Sewer Lateral

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are remodelling or adding a unit

No rule on file here is specific to remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Any timeWork required

    Coachella Valley Water District Code section 4.05.440(B) provides that "Upon being notified by the general manager of any defect arising in any street sewer lateral or of any violation of these regulations, the customer shall immediately take whatever corrective action may be necessary" to meet the District's specifications.

    What to do: If the District notifies you of a defect in your street sewer lateral, arrange the repair straight away with a contractor eligible to work in the District's right-of-way; the District publishes a list.

    Why this matters

    The street sewer lateral is the owner's to maintain, so a defect the District finds under the street is the owner's to correct.

    In force since · Checked

    Coachella Valley Water District Code section 4.05.440(B)

What this page cannot tell you

  • No assistance or grant programme has been reviewed for this jurisdiction yet.

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction
Coachella Valley Water District (sanitation) (special district)
Sewer service

Where else this answer applies

The same authorities settle this in the places below too:

Each of them gets its answer from the same authorities.

How this compares to neighbouring districts

1 of the 4 nearest districts draws 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

Your other pipe: the water service line

For the water service line, Coachella Valley Water District says:

Coachella Valley Water District owns and maintains the service connection, through the shut-off valve just past the meter; the line from there to the house is the owner's. Section 3.05.060 provides that "The district owns, operates, and maintains the service connection. The property owner is responsible for the customer service line."

Your sewer lateral is yours to the main; your water line stops being yours at the meter.

What else is worth knowing

The exact line is the outlet of the shut-off valve just downstream of the meter, not the meter itself. Before relying on any of this, check the name on your water bill. The State's register puts the District's system over nearly all of Palm Desert. In La Quinta it covers about 82% of the city's land, and the rest, about 18%, is ground inside the city limits that no published water service area reaches - not a rival utility, and not necessarily unserved. In Rancho Mirage it covers about 75% of the city's land, Desert Water Agency's system about 6% - if Desert Water Agency bills you, its own rules apply - and about 19% is ground inside the city limits that no published water service area reaches - not a rival utility, and not necessarily unserved. In Indian Wells it covers about 70% of the city's land, and the rest, about 30%, is ground inside the city limits that no published water service area reaches - not a rival utility, and not necessarily unserved.
Coachella Valley Water District Code, section 3.05.060, General provisions - service connections

Also quoted:

Checked

Nearby districts and further reading

Look up a specific address

This page describes what applies to properties in Coachella Valley Water District (sanitation) in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

Search for an address