Who pays for the sewer lateral in Inglewood, 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 Inglewood Public Works Director
- What it covers:
- any excavation in any public place, which is where the City's policy continues the owner's lateral to the public main
Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-52 provides that "It shall be unlawful for any person to make any excavation or fill any excavation in any public place without first obtaining a permit so to do from the Public Works Director". The City's sewer maintenance policy puts the lateral on the owner all the way to the public main in the street, so this is the permit an owner needs to reach the street part of their own pipe. Section 10-55 exempts services and laterals from the plan approval required for new installations in the street system.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Inglewood: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
In Inglewood the whole lateral is the owner's, including the part under the street. The City's Public Works Department states its sewer maintenance policy in plain terms: "the standard requirement by the City is that the property owner is responsible for the upkeep of their lateral from the residence or business to the public main in the street." The City's side of the line is the main: it cleans, maintains and repairs "those sewer mains in the street areas, which serve more than a single ownership".
- The property owner
- The lateral from the building to the public main, the part in the street included. The City gives its reason as well as its rule: it "has no way of cleaning individual sewer laterals from the public main" and "has no control over what the property owner discharges to the sewer system".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
City of Inglewood Public Works, Sewers and Street Sweeping - Sewer Maintenance Policy- City of Inglewood, Sewer Maintenance Policy (PDF)
- City of Inglewood Public Works Department, Sewer Maintenance Policy (a scanned sheet)
- City of Inglewood Public Works Department, Sewer Laterals and Tree Roots (a scanned slide set)
- City of Inglewood Public Works, Sewer System
- City of Inglewood Wastewater System, 2024 Sewer System Management Plan
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-1.17, Public sewer
What the rules say
Most relevant if you have a backup or blockage
No rule on file here is specific to a backup or blockage; that does not mean none exists.
Also in force here
- Who issues it:
- City of Inglewood Public Works Director
- What it covers:
- any excavation in any public place, which is where the City's policy continues the owner's lateral to the public main
Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-52 provides that "It shall be unlawful for any person to make any excavation or fill any excavation in any public place without first obtaining a permit so to do from the Public Works Director". The City's sewer maintenance policy puts the lateral on the owner all the way to the public main in the street, so this is the permit an owner needs to reach the street part of their own pipe. Section 10-55 exempts services and laterals from the plan approval required for new installations in the street system.
What to do: Before digging in the street to reach a sewer lateral, apply to the Inglewood Public Works Director for an excavation permit and have the insurance certificate ready. Ask whether the City or the permittee will lay the permanent surface, since that decides who restores the street and what it costs, and keep the permit papers for a year - the permittee guarantees the trench for that long. If the lateral has failed and the work cannot wait, apply on the first working day after digging begins.
Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-52, Excavation permit requiredWhy this matters
The obligation runs past the day the trench is closed. Under section 10-56 "The permittee will properly backfill, repave, and maintain any excavation made by him and will guarantee same for a period of one year", and must make repairs within twenty-four hours of the City's notice if the trench fails or settles. Unless the permit says otherwise, section 10-73 has the City itself lay the permanent street surface, at rates set by council resolution, and the permittee must tell the Public Works Director within twenty-four hours that the trench is ready for it. Section 10-85 requires a certificate of public liability and property damage insurance before any street opening permit issues. For a failed pipe, section 10-78 lets the excavation start first, "provided that the person making such excavation shall apply to the Public Works Director for such a permit on the first working day after such work is commenced". The permit fee is in the City's master fee schedule.
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-55, Approval of plans and specifications required
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-56, Restoration required
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-54, Permit fee required
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-73, Restoration of surface (permanent)
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-78, Emergency action permitted
- Inglewood Municipal Code section 10-85, Insurance required
- City of Inglewood Public Works, Sewer Maintenance Policy
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
- Inglewood (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
2 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 Inglewood in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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