Who pays for the sewer lateral in Fountain Valley, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main, including the fitting where it joins
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 Fountain Valley - an encroachment permit for the street, and the city engineer's sewer connection permit for connection work
- What it covers:
- excavations in city streets and other construction closing part of the right-of-way, and sewer connection work
Fountain Valley Municipal Code section 11.08.030 provides that "An encroachment permit shall specifically be required for the following uses: (1) Excavations in city streets or other construction activity requiring closure of part or all of the right-of-way". The owner's lateral runs to and includes the junction with the main in the street, so a repair there needs one. Connection work needs its own permit: section 14.36.110 provides that "A sewer connection permit shall be obtained from the office of the city engineer prior to commencing sewer connection work".
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
Fountain Valley: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
Fountain Valley puts the whole lateral and its junction with the main on the owner. Section 14.36.067 provides that "All sewer laterals shall be maintained by the owner of the property served by such lateral in a safe and sanitary condition so that there is no seepage of waste at any point from the structure to and including the junction of the sewer lateral at the sewer main", and that "It shall be the responsibility of the city of Fountain Valley to keep the sewer mains free and clear for the even flow of sewage".
- The property owner
- The lateral from the building to the main, the junction included. Section 14.36.065 defines sewer laterals as "that connecting sewer line running from sewer main to the private property line and extending to the structure to which it connects", and the sewer main as one that "does not include sewer laterals".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Fountain Valley Municipal Code section 14.36.067, Required maintenanceWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of Fountain Valley - an encroachment permit for the street, and the city engineer's sewer connection permit for connection work
- What it covers:
- excavations in city streets and other construction closing part of the right-of-way, and sewer connection work
Fountain Valley Municipal Code section 11.08.030 provides that "An encroachment permit shall specifically be required for the following uses: (1) Excavations in city streets or other construction activity requiring closure of part or all of the right-of-way". The owner's lateral runs to and includes the junction with the main in the street, so a repair there needs one. Connection work needs its own permit: section 14.36.110 provides that "A sewer connection permit shall be obtained from the office of the city engineer prior to commencing sewer connection work".
What to do: Before work in the street, apply for the encroachment permit, and ask the city engineer's office whether the repair counts as sewer connection work needing the separate connection permit - a repair at the junction usually will. Build both into the contractor's schedule before a date is set.
Fountain Valley Municipal Code section 11.08.030, Specific encroachments that require a permitWhy this matters
The owner's duty in this city reaches the junction at the main - section 14.36.067 runs it "to and including the junction of the sewer lateral at the sewer main" - so the length most likely to need a street excavation is the owner's to repair, and both permits can apply to one job: the encroachment permit for opening the street, and the sewer connection permit if the work touches the connection itself.
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
- Fountain Valley (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 8 nearest cities draw 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 main, fitting included; your water line stops being yours at the meter.
Who owns the water service line in Fountain ValleyNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Fountain Valley in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
Search for an address