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Who pays for the sewer lateral in El Cajon, CA

Which part of the pipe is yours

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.

No rule on file here is specific to selling, buying, remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

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

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

Who is responsible for which part

Where the City of El Cajon collects the sewage, the owner keeps the lateral all the way to the main, including the length under the street. Section 13.28.037 makes it "the responsibility of each property owner whose property is connected to the city sewer system to maintain continuously and satisfactorily in operation at his own expense, any house connection sewer, building sewer", and section 13.20.010 defines the building sewer as running from the building drain "to the public sewer or other place of disposal including the lower lateral". Repairs follow the same line: section 13.37.060 has the owner repair the building sewer lateral "to the satisfaction of the director of public works", and even where a lateral crosses a neighbour's land without an easement, the owner still answers for the part on their own lot "and also to that portion of the building sewer within a public right-of-way".

The property owner
The whole run from the building to the City's main - the upper lateral on the lot and the lower lateral under the street. Section 13.20.010 defines the lower sewer lateral as the pipe and fittings connecting to the main: "The lower lateral extends from the public sewer main to the edge of the public right-of-way and terminates at a double cleanout." The public sewer the City keeps is the main line alone, a term that "shall not include building drain, building sewer, or lower lateral". Section 13.37.020 sets the standard the owner is held to: "Each owner shall maintain his building sewer lateral(s) free of displaced joints, open joints, root intrusion", cracks, leaks, grease and similar defects.

What else is worth knowing

Which body collects your sewage decides this, because two bodies collect sewage inside El Cajon. Padre Dam Municipal Water District's rules state that "Sewer service is provided to the City of Santee, portions of El Cajon, and unincorporated areas of the County of San Diego". The District's sewer system map draws that area south from Santee along the North Magnolia Avenue corridor, east of Gillespie Field, to about Greenfield Drive - ground where the city and unincorporated Bostonia interlock. The City's section 13.28.037 reaches property "connected to the city sewer system", and on the District's system the terms differ on the point that costs most. The owner still maintains and clears the whole lateral, but "If repairs are required in the public rights-of-way portion of the sewer lateral, the District will make any necessary repairs at no cost to the property owner", once a plumber's video shows a repair rather than a maintenance problem. If you are north of the city centre near Magnolia Avenue and not sure which agency serves you, ask the City or the District before pricing any work under the street.

Sources

El Cajon Municipal Code section 13.28.037, Maintenance of private systems

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are remodelling or adding a unit

No rule on file here is specific to remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Any timeInspection

    El Cajon Municipal Code section 13.37.040 provides that an owner "shall have the building sewer video-inspected in accordance with the requirements of this chapter (as directed and within the time-period indicated by the director of public works)" when the director has evidence that the building sewer "has recently overflowed or has recently malfunctioned", when City testing shows the lateral "has failed, is likely to fail, or has not been properly maintained", or on other reasonable cause to believe it threatens public health. Section 13.20.010 sets what the inspection is: "Such an inspection shall, at a minimum, include the use of a closed-circuit television inspection device", carried out by a contractor the owner retains from the City's pre-qualified list.

    What to do: If the City tells you your lateral has overflowed or failed a test, book a video inspection with a contractor on the City's pre-qualified list and send the report and recording within the time the director sets. Owners of commercial, mixed-use, multi-family or condominium property should expect a notice starting a ten-year inspection cycle, and should keep proof of any lateral replacement or permitted repair, which can excuse it. The chapter's inspection powers reach building sewers "connected to the city sewer system"; if Padre Dam Municipal Water District collects your sewage, ask the District which requirements apply to you.

    Why this matters

    Some properties are on a schedule whether or not anything has gone wrong. Non-residential property, and common interest developments, condominiums and multi-family property, must have their laterals inspected "once every ten years beginning on the first date of notification", and a property with both residential and non-residential uses counts as non-residential. The schedule is excused where the lateral was installed or replaced in the previous ten years, or was inspected or repaired under a permit in the previous three, or has a valid compliance certificate. The report and its video go to the City with a review fee, and the director then issues a notice to repair or replace with a deadline; the work ordered can include replacing the lateral outright and adding cleanouts, grease removal devices and backwater valves. The owner's repair reaches under the street: even where a lateral crosses a neighbour's land without an easement, section 13.37.060 keeps the owner responsible for "that portion of the building sewer within a public right-of-way", and in a common interest development the homeowners association is jointly and severally liable with the owner for laterals in common areas.

    Current wording dates from · Checked

    El Cajon Municipal Code section 13.37.040, Building sewer inspections

    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
El Cajon (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

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

  • El Cajon(this page)
    the main
  • San Diegoabout 10 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Lemon Groveabout 6 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Chula Vistaabout 12 mi
    the main
  • National Cityabout 12 mi
    the main
  • Coronadoabout 15 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Imperial Beachabout 19 mi
    the main
  • Escondidoabout 24 mi
    the main
  • Encinitasabout 24 mi
    the main (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 El Cajon in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

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