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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Dixon, CA

Which part of the pipe is yours

  • Sewer lateral

    Yours all the way to the main, including the fitting where it joins

    Why, and what to do
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.

Buying or selling?

No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.

Planning work?

  • When you remodel · Inspection

    Dixon requires the lateral to be video inspected when certain remodels are permitted. Section 14.01.1330(D) provides that every private property building remodel, as section 14.01.1320 defines it, "shall be required to have the lateral video inspected by a qualified plumber, at the sole expense of the property owner". A remodel for this purpose is a project that needs a building permit and either involves a bathroom, kitchen or laundry facility, or reaches a valuation of forty percent or more of the cost of replacing the building.

The remodelling rule in full, with its sources

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Dixon about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

Dixon puts the whole lateral on the owner, the joint at the main included, and says so twice. Section 14.01.220 of its municipal code provides that "The City shall not be responsible for the repair, maintenance, cleaning or replacement of a lateral sewer", and section 14.01.1330(A)(1) makes every property owner served by a private sewer lateral "responsible for all preventative and corrective maintenance activities for the private sewer lateral including the connection to the public sewer". Section 14.01.1320 defines that lateral as the piping "that extends from the end of the building drain to the public sewer which includes the connection to the public sewer".

The property owner
The whole run from the building drain to the City's main, and the joint where it meets the main. Section 14.01.1330(A)(1) lists what the owner's duty covers - it "may include but is not limited to periodic video inspection, cleaning, repair or replacement of the line and connection joint". The City's sewer page puts it in one line: "All laterals are the property owner's responsibility to maintain."

What else is worth knowing

Nothing in the code splits the lateral at the property line or the curb. The City's sewer page describes its own system as running "from the connection of the sewer lateral at the sewer main (e.g., wye)" to the treatment plant and says "The City of Dixon maintains only the sewer mains", without saying on which side of that joint the line falls; the code does, and puts the connection with the owner. The duty is enforced: where an inspection or investigation finds a lateral may not be functional, the City sends a notice and the owner has a 180-day correction grace period, and section 14.01.1350 treats a spill after a failure to act as a public nuisance. A shared lateral in a common interest development must be video inspected "to and including the point of connection to the City's main line every five (5) years". All of this reaches laterals connected to the City's sewer; section 14.01.200 bars any other disposal of sewage within the City limits.

Sources

Dixon Municipal Code section 14.01.1330, Regulations

Also quoted:

Checked

What is required

  • When you remodelInspection

    Dixon requires the lateral to be video inspected when certain remodels are permitted. Section 14.01.1330(D) provides that every private property building remodel, as section 14.01.1320 defines it, "shall be required to have the lateral video inspected by a qualified plumber, at the sole expense of the property owner". A remodel for this purpose is a project that needs a building permit and either involves a bathroom, kitchen or laundry facility, or reaches a valuation of forty percent or more of the cost of replacing the building.

    What to do: Before applying for a building permit that touches a kitchen, bathroom or laundry, or for a remodel valued at forty percent or more of the building's replacement cost, budget for a video inspection of the lateral by a qualified plumber. If it shows the lateral is not fully functional, plan for a City building permit for the work on private property, a City encroachment permit for any work in the right-of-way, including at the connection to the main, and a second video once the work is done.

    Why this matters

    The inspection is on top of the owner's standing duty, not instead of it: the owner is responsible for the lateral "including the connection to the public sewer", and a lateral that is not fully functional has to be made so. Repairs need two permits - section 14.01.1340(B) provides that "Repair and replacement of a private sewer lateral requires a City building permit on private property and an encroachment permit for all work within the right-of-way which includes the connection to the public sewer". Before either is issued the owner submits a plot plan showing the lateral and the proposed work, the City inspects the finished job, and a post-construction video inspection is required before the permits are signed off. A new or replaced lateral must include "a cleanout located at or near the property line", and a spot repair where only part of the lateral is defective needs the City Engineer's approval.

    Current wording dates from · Checked

    Dixon Municipal Code section 14.01.1330, Regulations

    Also quoted:

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
Dixon (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

4 of the 5 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Dixon(this page)
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Vacavilleabout 10 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Woodlandabout 16 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • West Sacramentoabout 17 mi
    the cleanout (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Sacramentoabout 21 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Beniciaabout 31 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)

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

Compare the rules city by city

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

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