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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Concord, CA

Which part of the pipe is yours

  • Sewer lateral

    Yours from the cleanout to your building — unless Central Contra Costa Sanitary District is your sewer provider

    Why, and what to do
  • Water service line

    Yours from the meter to your building

    Why, and what to do
your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours. A dashed marker means the position depends on your property — see below.

If something’s wrong

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit

    Who issues it:
    City of Concord
    What it covers:
    connecting any premises to the sewer system, including reusing an existing unused lateral, which must meet city standards first

    "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".

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 Concord about the sewer lateral.

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

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". That is the answer where the City's sewer serves the property, which is most of Concord; in the parts Central Contra Costa Sanitary District serves, the whole lateral to the main is the owner's.

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 decides which applies

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. Before any of that, settle whose sewer serves the property. The City's Sewer Information page says "The majority of properties located within the City of Concord's city limits are located within the City of Concord's service area. However, there are CCCSD service areas located within the City of Concord's city limits", and that laterals and mains in the city "are serviced (regulated, permitted, plan reviewed, and inspected) by either the City of Concord or the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District". In Central Contra Costa Sanitary District's areas the District's Code of Laws applies instead: "A side sewer is a private facility", and the owner is responsible for "the entire side sewer between the building and the public sewer (including both the lateral and building sewers, and the tap, saddle or wye connection fitting at the public main sewer)". There the street half is the owner's, not the District's, and "CCCSD will issue a separate permit for the sewer system". If you are not sure which applies, the City asks you to contact its Current Development Engineering Division.

Sources

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

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 Concord
    What it covers:
    connecting any premises to the sewer system, including reusing an existing unused lateral, which must meet city standards first

    "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. This permit is the City's, for the City's sewer: the City's Sewer Information page says that within Central Contra Costa Sanitary District's service area in Concord "CCCSD will issue a separate permit for the sewer system and will perform inspections of the exterior sewer systems originating from the building", so ask the City which service area the property is in first.

    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.

    Checked

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

    Also quoted:

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
Concord (municipality)
Sewer service

How this compares to neighbouring cities

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

  • Concord(this page)
    the cleanout (conditions apply)
  • Pittsburgabout 6 mi
    the property line
  • Martinezabout 7 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Beniciaabout 11 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • San Ramonabout 15 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Herculesabout 17 mi
    the main
  • Pinoleabout 18 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Brentwoodabout 16 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Richmondabout 20 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main

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

Compare the rules city by city

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 cleanout; your water line stops being yours at the meter.

Who owns the water service line in Concord

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

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