Who pays for the sewer lateral in Fullerton, 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 Fullerton, through the City Engineer
- What it covers:
- laying pipes in a street and repairing or altering a street or its appurtenances, and constructing or reconstructing a lateral sewer service in the right-of-way
The sewer chapter points at it and the public works chapter carries it. Section 12.08.070 provides that "any person wishing to construct or reconstruct a lateral sewer service or to make connection to the public sewer system within the public streets, alleys, easements and public rights-of-way of the city shall obtain a public works permit and conform to construction standards as set forth in Title 16 of this code". That permit is section 16.07.010, which reaches anyone who would "lay pipes, conduits, lines or utilities or construct, reconstruct, repair or alter any curb, gutter, sidewalk, street or appurtenance therein, or excavate in, close, encroach over or upon ... any street" without first obtaining written permission from the City Engineer.
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
Fullerton: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
Fullerton puts the whole run on the owner and then keeps a door open. Section 12.08.031 of the municipal code provides that "a lateral sewer from its connection to a building on the property to its point of connection with the main sewer shall remain the responsibility of the property owner or user with regard to maintenance, repair and upkeep". Section 12.08.010 defines that lateral as "a connecting line between the main sewer and any property lying adjacent to or abutting said main sewer", and defines the main sewer as the sewers "located and constructed in and along the streets, alleys, easements and public rights-of-way". So the owner's length reaches the main, the part under the road included.
- The property owner
- The lateral from the building to the main, "with regard to maintenance, repair and upkeep", under section 12.08.031(A). Section 12.08.030 adds the cost side for a new one: "the costs of installing lateral sewers and connecting to the city sewer system shall be borne by the property owner or developer".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Fullerton Municipal Code section 12.08.031, Lateral sewerWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you have received a notice from the city or district
No rule on file here is specific to a notice from the city or district; that does not mean none exists.
Also in force here
- Who issues it:
- City of Fullerton, through the City Engineer
- What it covers:
- laying pipes in a street and repairing or altering a street or its appurtenances, and constructing or reconstructing a lateral sewer service in the right-of-way
The sewer chapter points at it and the public works chapter carries it. Section 12.08.070 provides that "any person wishing to construct or reconstruct a lateral sewer service or to make connection to the public sewer system within the public streets, alleys, easements and public rights-of-way of the city shall obtain a public works permit and conform to construction standards as set forth in Title 16 of this code". That permit is section 16.07.010, which reaches anyone who would "lay pipes, conduits, lines or utilities or construct, reconstruct, repair or alter any curb, gutter, sidewalk, street or appurtenance therein, or excavate in, close, encroach over or upon ... any street" without first obtaining written permission from the City Engineer.
What to do: Ask the City Engineer what bond will be required for your length of work, and whether it will be cash or surety, because that is a discretionary decision rather than a schedule. Build the twenty-four hours' notice into the contractor's programme. Ask separately whether the City will take on the portion in the right-of-way under section 12.08.031(B) - that is the Director of Public Works' decision and turns on the City's own exposure, so it is worth asking but not worth assuming.
Fullerton Municipal Code section 16.07.010, Permit requiredWhy this matters
The verbs in section 16.07.010 reach a repair rather than only a connection, which is the difference between a permit that applies to a failed lateral and one that does not. Two conditions are worth knowing before work is booked. Section 16.07.030 lets the City Engineer require a cash bond at their discretion, with a surety bond permitted above five thousand dollars - so the figure is set case by case rather than published - and requires the applicant to notify the City Engineer twenty-four hours before commencing work. And the bond is not released until section 16.07.060's final field inspection has happened, so the money stays with the City past the day the trench is filled. Section 16.07.070 makes working without the permit a misdemeanour carrying a fine of up to one thousand dollars.
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
- Fullerton (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.
Nearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Fullerton in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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