Who pays for the sewer lateral in Fortuna, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours from your property line to your building
Why, and what to doYours from the meter to your building
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of Fortuna
- What it covers:
- any work on any lateral or building sewer, and uncovering, connecting to or altering any public sewer; no sewer may be covered until inspected and passed
Fortuna Municipal Code section 13.40.010 provides that "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenances or perform any work on any lateral or building sewer without first obtaining a written permit from the city." Section 13.40.080 adds that "No sewer shall be covered at any point until it has been inspected and passed for acceptance."
Buying or selling?
No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.
Planning work?
The remodelling rule in full, with its sourcesWho to call first about the sewer lateral
Fortuna: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
Fortuna's code puts the building sewer, the part from the building to the property line, on the property owner, and does not say who maintains the lateral under the street. Section 13.28.080 provides that "Building sewers shall be maintained by the owner of the property served thereby", and section 13.24.040 defines the building sewer as the part of a sewer beginning at the building's plumbing or drainage outlet "and running to the property line or to a private sewage disposal system."
- The property owner
- The building sewer, from the plumbing or drainage outlet of the building to the property line, and its cleanouts, which section 13.28.050 requires to be "maintained watertight". Where a backflow prevention device is required, it sits on the building sewer between the building and the property line, is installed at the owner's cost, and "The maintenance of the backflow prevention device shall be the sole obligation of the owner".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Fortuna Municipal Code section 13.28.080, Building sewerWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are selling or buying
No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.
Also in force here
- Who issues it:
- City of Fortuna
- What it covers:
- any work on any lateral or building sewer, and uncovering, connecting to or altering any public sewer; no sewer may be covered until inspected and passed
Fortuna Municipal Code section 13.40.010 provides that "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenances or perform any work on any lateral or building sewer without first obtaining a written permit from the city." Section 13.40.080 adds that "No sewer shall be covered at any point until it has been inspected and passed for acceptance."
What to do: Before any work on a building sewer or lateral, get a written permit from the City of Fortuna, leave the pipe uncovered until the City's inspector has passed it, and give written notice at least 24 hours ahead, not counting weekends and holidays. For work in the street, ask which authority issues the excavation permit.
Fortuna Municipal Code chapter 13.40, Permits and FeesWhy this matters
The permit reaches the building sewer on the lot and the lateral under the street alike. The person doing the work has to tell the City in writing that it is ready for inspection "not less than 24 hours, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excluded, before the work is to be inspected", and make sure it will pass the City's tests first. Work that fails is condemned and the owner is told to repair it. Section 13.40.110 puts all costs of the permitted work, inspection included, on the owner. Section 13.40.120 requires a separate permit from the city, county or other body with jurisdiction to excavate in a public street for sewer work. Section 13.40.020 sends the application through the City's encroachment permit chapter, and the permit issues only if the "plans, specifications, drawings, descriptions, information, and insurance furnished by the applicant" comply; that chapter asks for evidence of liability insurance naming the City as additionally insured. For work in the right-of-way, section 12.08.030 lets the city engineer require a completion and maintenance bond for one year before the permit issues. Fees are set by resolution and the code gives no figure.
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
- Fortuna (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 2 nearest cities draws the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.
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 property line; your water line stops being yours at the meter.
Who owns the water service line in FortunaNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Fortuna in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
Search for an address