Who pays for the sewer lateral in Del Rey Oaks, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main under the road
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of Del Rey Oaks building inspector
- What it covers:
- any excavation in or under the surface of a street, alley, sidewalk, public way or public place in the city
Del Rey Oaks Municipal Code section 12.08.010 provides that "It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, to make any excavation in or under the surface of any street, alley, sidewalk, public way, or public place in the city without first obtaining a permit so to do from the building inspector of the city". Seaside County Sanitation District, which serves the city, and Marina Coast Water District, whose service area takes in its former Fort Ord land, both leave the lateral to the owner as far as the main, including any length under the street, so this is the permit an owner needs to reach that part of their own pipe. It is the City's permit and applies whichever district serves the property.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Del Rey Oaks: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
In Del Rey Oaks the sewer lateral is the property owner's to maintain as far as the main. The City's own code does not say who maintains a lateral. Seaside County Sanitation District, which runs the collection system serving the city, says on its page that "the lateral line that connects the individual home or business to the main line is the responsibility of the property owner". Marina Coast Water District, whose service area takes in the former Fort Ord land in the city, puts it the same way in its code: "Side sewers shall be maintained by the owner of the property served thereby."
- The property owner
- The lateral from the building to the main. Seaside County Sanitation District's code divides it into a house sewer, "a sewer line beginning two feet outside the foundation of any building and running to the property line", and a lateral sewer, "that portion of a sewer between a building and collecting main which lies within a public street", and the District's Sewer System Management Plan puts all of it on the owner: "Sewer laterals are owned, operated and maintained by individual property owners from the wye connection at the sewer main, back to each building." Marina Coast Water District's code defines the side sewer as "the sewer line beginning two feet outside the foundation wall of any building and terminating at the main sewer and includes the building sewer and lateral sewer together".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Seaside County Sanitation District- Seaside County Sanitation District, Sewer System Management Plan, Revision 3, August 2025, adopted by the District's Resolution No. 25-04 on 8 July 2025
- Seaside County Sanitation District Code section 4.05.010, Definitions
- Marina Coast Water District Code, Title 5 Sewer Service System, section 5.16.090
- Marina Coast Water District Code, section 1.04.010
- Marina Coast Water District, Sewer System Management Plan, February 2017
What the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of Del Rey Oaks building inspector
- What it covers:
- any excavation in or under the surface of a street, alley, sidewalk, public way or public place in the city
Del Rey Oaks Municipal Code section 12.08.010 provides that "It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, to make any excavation in or under the surface of any street, alley, sidewalk, public way, or public place in the city without first obtaining a permit so to do from the building inspector of the city". Seaside County Sanitation District, which serves the city, and Marina Coast Water District, whose service area takes in its former Fort Ord land, both leave the lateral to the owner as far as the main, including any length under the street, so this is the permit an owner needs to reach that part of their own pipe. It is the City's permit and applies whichever district serves the property.
What to do: Before digging in the street to reach a sewer lateral in Del Rey Oaks, apply in writing to the City's building inspector for an excavation permit, stating what will be dug and why, and expect to leave a cash deposit and pay the resurfacing cost. Ask the district that serves the property - Seaside County Sanitation District or, on former Fort Ord land, Marina Coast Water District - what its own permit requires, and finish the refill by the date on the permit.
Del Rey Oaks Municipal Code chapter 12.08, Excavations and EncroachmentsWhy this matters
The same section asks for "a cash deposit to defray the cost of restoring the surface of the street, alley, sidewalk, public way or public place, as the case may be, to its former condition as nearly as practicable", and section 12.08.030 has applicants pay "sufficient moneys to defray the cost of resurfacing such excavations as determined by resolution of the city council". The City, not the permittee, normally lays the new surface: "All such excavations shall be refilled by the applicant under the direction of the city engineer and resurfaced by the city", unless the city engineer and council approve otherwise in writing. The permit sets a completion date, and under section 12.08.020 the applicant "shall forfeit to the city as liquidated damages the sum of $10.00 per day for each day such work of refilling remains uncompleted beyond the period for such completion". Separately, the sewer district issues its own permit to build a lateral or connect to its sewer - Seaside County Sanitation District under its code section 4.05.050, or Marina Coast Water District, on former Fort Ord land, under its section 5.16.010.
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
- Del Rey Oaks (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
1 of the 5 nearest cities draws the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.
Nearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Del Rey Oaks in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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