Who pays for the sewer lateral in Corte Madera, CA

Who is responsible for which part

The property owner is responsible for the whole lateral, including the run from the curb to the sewer main and the connection itself.

The property owner

The District's ordinance defines both halves as parts of one privately owned pipe: the lower lateral is "the portion of the private sewer lateral extending from the cleanout near the curb line to the sewer main, or from the curb line in the street to the sewer main if there is no cleanout near curb line", and "includes the connection to the sewer main". Its repair provisions fall on owners throughout - shared laterals are repaired jointly by the owners served, and responsibility after a failed test at sale is "an issue between the buyer and seller".

Checked 2026-09-02

What is required

These requirements are issued by Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County, not by Corte Madera.

• When you remodelInspection

  A lateral inspection is required before a building permit is issued where the work - or cumulative work over the previous three years - is worth $50,000 or more, and lists a second unit, a water meter size change, a fire sprinkler installation or a change in fixture count alongside it.

  What to do: Ask Sanitary District No. 2 whether this property is exempt, and whether earlier work counts towards the threshold, before applying for a permit.

  Why this matters▸▾

  The threshold is cumulative rather than per project, so two modest jobs in three years can cross it when neither approaches $50,000 on its own. The District states it notifies the city, town or county so that a building permit is conditioned on the inspection, which means this is enforced at the permit counter. Its published exemptions and its ordinance disagree: the page describes a replacement within ten years as exempt while the ordinance's exception clause says three years.

  Issued by Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County · In force since 2018-08-04 · Checked 2026-09-01

  Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County Ordinance No. 45

  Also quoted:

  • Sanitary District No. 2, ordinance archive
• When you sellCertificate

  Where a sale of property is proposed, the seller is to have the private sewer lateral inspected before title transfers, and that repairs are due within 180 days of the close of sale. The District defines a title transfer broadly enough to include transfers into a trust, to an heir, and between co-owners.

  What to do: Ask Sanitary District No. 2 whether this property is exempt before assuming either figure applies, and if the lateral is shared, ask whether the transfer requirement applies at all.

  Why this matters▸▾

  If the seller does not have the inspection done, the District states that it will require the new owner to arrange the inspection and any repairs - so the obligation follows the property rather than ending at closing. The District's ordinance and its summary page disagree about who is exempt: the page describes a replacement within ten years as an exemption while the ordinance's exception clause says three years, and the page describes a 180-day extension for shared laterals while the ordinance says shared laterals are not subject to the transfer requirement at all.

  Issued by Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County · In force since 2018-08-04 · Checked 2026-09-01

  Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County Ordinance No. 45

  Also quoted:

  • Sanitary District No. 2, ordinance archive

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction

Corte Madera (municipality)

Sewer service

• Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County (collection)
• Which provider serves a particular address depends on where it is. Look up an address to resolve it.

Assistance programmes

• Sanitary District No. 2 low-income grant assistance

  Confirm before relying on this. The District's published funding for this programme ran through the 2023-24 financial year and its income threshold cites HUD's 2022 limits, while its page still offers it. Whether money remains, and which income limits now apply, could not be confirmed online. This is the only low-income programme found in any covered area, so it is worth asking the District rather than assuming it has gone.

  A 75% cost match up to $10,000. Funded through FY 2023-24. The published threshold cites HUD FY 2022 median family income limits.

  The District states it is for households at "80% ('Low') or less of the Median Family Income (MFI) limits" whose lateral replacement was triggered by a District capital improvement project, and requires two years of filed IRS Form 1040 with Social Security numbers redacted, plus proof of occupancy.

  Apply on the official site

• Sanitary District No. 2 private sewer lateral loan

  Confirm before relying on this. This loan's window runs to 30 June 2027, but its funding is the same allocation across 2022-23 and 2023-24 that the District's three grant programmes drew on, and those state a window that ended on 30 June 2024. An extension of a programme's life is not a refill of its budget, and the District calls it contingent on available funding. Ask whether money remains before counting on it.

  Up to $25,000 at 6.5% annually, repayable over up to ten years, with sewer permit fees waived. Extended through 30 June 2027 by Resolution No. 08/2024. The District states the programme is contingent on available funding, with $125,000 allocated across two fiscal years and distributed first-come.

  The District states that an owner qualifies where "sewage overflow or malfunction has occurred on the property; or the adjacent sewer main is being improved or roadway is being paved" as part of its capital improvements, or where the owner cannot obtain private financing and provides written documentation from a financial institution confirming they cannot qualify at about 6.5% annual interest. It lists as disqualifying a District grant received within the previous ten years, a lateral that passed a pressure test within ten years, and a determination by the District Manager.

  Apply on the official site

• Sanitary District No. 2 lower lateral capital improvement programme

  Confirm before relying on this. The District's published funding for this programme ran through the 2023-24 financial year, and its page still offers it. Whether money remains could not be confirmed online. Ask the District before counting on it - and ask rather than assuming it is gone, because the page has not been withdrawn.

  Full cost of the lower lateral repair or replacement within District capital improvement projects.

  The District states that a property qualifies automatically where its lower lateral falls within the limits of a District capital improvement project. There is no application; the District notifies qualifying owners by post and an owner may opt out by contacting it.

  Apply on the official site

• Sanitary District No. 2 private sewer lateral grant

  Confirm before relying on this. The District's published funding for this programme ran through the 2023-24 financial year, and its page still offers it. Whether money remains could not be confirmed online. Ask the District before counting on it - and ask rather than assuming it is gone, because the page has not been withdrawn.

  50% of the cost of the repair or replacement needed to pass a pressure test, to a maximum of $2,500 per parcel, or $3,500 for a shared lateral triggered by another party. Funded from the FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24 capital budget.

  The District states it is open to "any property owner within the District, regardless of income level" who has not received District funding assistance in the previous ten years, and requires an approved sewer permit before work begins.

  Apply on the official site