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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Hillsborough, 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.

Buying or selling?

  • When you sell · Inspection

    Hillsborough requires the lateral to be tested, inspected and put right before a built-on property changes hands. Section 13.32.110 provides that "Whenever title to any improved parcel of land is to be transferred to or vested in any person(s) or entity(ies) not theretofore holding such title", the side and lateral sewers and the water pipelines to the Town's meters "shall be tested for infiltration and leaks and inspected (including video inspection)", and the laterals checked for a working backflow prevention device. The repairs "shall be completed at the property owner's expense (or as the property owner and transferee otherwise apportion the costs between them) prior to the property transfer or vesting of title."

The sale rule in full, with its sources

Planning work?

No rule on file here is specific to 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 Hillsborough about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

Hillsborough treats the whole lateral as private property, the length under the street and the connection to the main included. Section 13.33.030 of the municipal code defines a sewer lateral as "the privately owned pipeline that carries sewage and liquid wastes from the structure or structures served", running "to and including the connection to the sewer main, manhole or sewer main cleanout, including any portion under streets or within public rights-of-way", and section 13.33.060 provides that "the property owner shall remain responsible for ongoing maintenance of the entire lateral down to and including the connection to the sewer main."

The property owner
The whole lateral, both of the halves the code names. The upper lateral runs from the building to about the property line; the lower lateral runs from there "to the publicly owned sewer system, including the cleanout at its upstream end and the connection to the sewer main at its downstream end", and a sewer main is "a publicly-owned sanitary sewer pipe". Under section 13.32.110 a broken lateral that connects with a main in any street, road or easement in the town "shall be repaired by and at the cost and expense of the property owner whose property is drained through such sewer", and the city engineer may require it to be inspected at the owner's expense, "including by video inspection", where there are reasonable grounds to suspect damage. Where lots share one connection, section 13.32.100 says "The property owners bear joint responsibility for the maintenance of the lower lateral in the public right-of-way or easement".

What else is worth knowing

One exception is a one-off, not a split. When the Town rehabilitates a segment of public main, section 13.33.070 says "it will also repair or rehabilitate all of the lower laterals as needed, including the cleanouts proximate to the property lines", and section 13.33.040 says it does so "at its own cost" - but the upkeep afterwards stays with the owner under section 13.33.060. The Town's standard sewer lateral cleanout drawing (S8b) repeats the rule in its notes, putting the lateral to the main, connection included, on the owner. The Town's answer to residents is the same: "Maintenance and repair of sewer laterals are the responsibility of the property owner." A Public Works handout on the right-of-way says the Town maintains the underground water, sewer and storm infrastructure in the right-of-way; it speaks of that infrastructure generally, and the code names the lateral under the road as the owner's. The Town collects the sewage itself: its sewer plan says "The Town owns, operates and maintains its sanitary sewer collection system", and its sewage goes to the Burlingame and San Mateo treatment plants. Two County districts border the town - Crystal Springs County Sanitation District to the south, whose flow passes through the Town's sewers, and Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District on the north-west edge. The County describes its districts as serving unincorporated San Mateo County, and its district map draws both outside the town, apart from slivers along the shared boundary.

Sources

Hillsborough Municipal Code section 13.33.030, Definitions

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe

No rule on file here is specific to repairing or replacing the pipe; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • When you sellInspection

    Hillsborough requires the lateral to be tested, inspected and put right before a built-on property changes hands. Section 13.32.110 provides that "Whenever title to any improved parcel of land is to be transferred to or vested in any person(s) or entity(ies) not theretofore holding such title", the side and lateral sewers and the water pipelines to the Town's meters "shall be tested for infiltration and leaks and inspected (including video inspection)", and the laterals checked for a working backflow prevention device. The repairs "shall be completed at the property owner's expense (or as the property owner and transferee otherwise apportion the costs between them) prior to the property transfer or vesting of title."

    What to do: If you are selling in Hillsborough, ask the Town's Building Department whether a compliance certificate or a test within the last two years is on file for the property. If not, arrange the test and video inspection of the sewer lateral and the water service early, with the procedure approved by the Town, so that any repair and backflow device is approved before escrow closes.

    Why this matters

    There is no age threshold: any improved parcel is caught, and the code names "foreclosures and transfers of undivided interests" as transfers, but "not transfers to the transferor's living trust". Where the sale runs through escrow, the transfer happens "on the date such escrow closes", so the work has to be approved before then. The test procedure and the repairs both need the Town's approval in advance, and a backflow device is added before transfer where one is missing and the lateral is not high enough to prevent a backflow. If a sale closes without it, the new owners "shall be responsible for completion of such testing, inspections and repairs", and failing to finish after notice is a public nuisance. Two things can spare the test: the city engineer may waive it where the lateral was tested and inspected "within the two-year period immediately preceding the proposed transfer or vesting of title", and a lateral with a Town compliance certificate "shall be exempted from the testing and inspection requirements presented elsewhere in this title for the duration of the certificate's term" unless it has been physically altered. A remodel is a separate trigger: under section 13.32.120, "When more than one thousand five hundred square feet of an existing structure is remodeled or renovated", the lateral is evaluated and repaired or replaced if necessary.

    In force since · Checked

    Hillsborough Municipal Code section 13.32.110, Property owner responsibility

    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
Hillsborough (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

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

  • Hillsborough(this page)
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Burlingameabout 2 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • San Mateoabout 3 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Belmontabout 5 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Millbraeabout 4 mi
    the cleanout (conditions apply; see that page)
  • San Brunoabout 6 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Half Moon Bayabout 8 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • San Carlosabout 6 mi
    the cleanout (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Redwood Cityabout 9 mi
    the cleanout

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

Compare the rules city by city

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 Hillsborough

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

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