Who pays for the sewer lateral in Concord, CA

Who is responsible for which part

The split is at your property line cleanout, and the half under the street is the City's property rather than yours - even if an applicant paid to build it. Everything applicants pay for "(excepting property sewers)" becomes, "upon acceptance by the city ... the property of the city, which shall have the right to repair, replace, and maintain the same". Your side is the property sewer, from that cleanout back to the building, and "each owner shall keep his property sewer in good order at his own expense".

Concord

The lateral sewer - "that portion of any building sewer within a street or public easement (normally that portion between the main sewer and the property line cleanout)". Section 13.05.100(g) provides that sewer connections and installations paid for by applicants, "(excepting property sewers)", and all facilities furnished by the city "shall, upon acceptance by the city, be and remain the property of the city, which shall have the right to repair, replace, and maintain the same".

The property owner

The property sewer - "that portion of the building sewer located on private property (normally that portion located between the property or sewer easement line cleanout and the point of connection from the building's plumbing system)". Section 13.05.100(k) provides that "each owner shall keep his property sewer in good order at his own expense and shall be held responsible for damage to any of the city's sewer system which results from use or operation of any appliances or facilities, including ... damage caused by steam, hot water, or chemicals".

What else is worth knowing

The property line cleanout divides the pipe, and two things about Concord's version are worth a reader's attention. The first is how the City's half became the City's. It is not simply drawn on a map: under section 13.05.100(g) sewer connections and installations paid for by applicants, "(excepting property sewers)", become the City's property on acceptance - so a developer or owner may have paid to lay the pipe under the street and it is the City's nonetheless, with the City holding "the right to repair, replace, and maintain the same". The second is what the code does not say. It gives the City that right and never states a duty; chapter 13.05 contains no sentence saying the city shall maintain a lateral sewer. It does say the reverse where the pipe is outside the system - "the city will not be responsible for the installation or maintenance of any sewer lines beyond the end of its service" - and it makes the owner liable for damage their own use causes to the City's system. If a blockage sits in the street here, the City owns that pipe; whether it is bound to repair it is a question this code leaves open, and one worth asking directly rather than assuming either way.

Checked 2026-09-15

What is required

• Any timePermit

  "No person shall connect any premises, or cause any premises to be connected, to the sewer system without first: (1) obtaining a connection permit from the Director of Public Works, and (2) paying the applicable charges", and going without one "shall constitute a violation of this article". The clause that catches people out is eleven words: "Existing unused lateral sewers must meet city standards prior to connection." There is also a duty that outlives the work - whenever a material change is made to the equipment or operations served, "the owner shall be responsible for giving and shall immediately give the Director of Public Works written notice".

  What to do: If you are connecting to a lateral that is already in the ground, ask the Director of Public Works what standard it has to meet and get it inspected before the design is frozen, not after the trench is dug - the condition is current city standards, not the ones the pipe was built to. Budget for replacing it rather than assuming it will pass. If your property is on a working septic system, section 13.05.090 lets the Director defer connection while it adequately serves the premises, but the annual sewer service charge applies either way, so that is a question to ask rather than a saving to assume.

  Why this matters▸▾

  The assumption on an infill lot, a teardown and rebuild, or a long-vacant building is that the lateral already in the ground comes with the land. Concord says it comes with a condition, and the condition is current city standards rather than whatever was acceptable when the pipe was laid. That is a cost that arrives late in a project, after the design is fixed. It is sharpened by what happens next: under the same section everything an applicant pays for "(excepting property sewers)" becomes the City's property on acceptance, so the street half of a lateral you bring up to standard is not yours afterwards. Worth knowing, too, that the owner is held "responsible for damage to any of the city's sewer system which results from use or operation of any appliances or facilities" - grease, chemicals and hot water discharges included.

  In force since 2026-09-15 · Checked 2026-09-15

  Concord Municipal Code, Title 13 Public Utilities and Services, Chapter 13.05 Sewer System

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction

Concord (municipality)

Sewer service

• Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
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