Who pays for the sewer lateral in La Habra, 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 do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of La Habra
- What it covers:
- repairing or replacing a house sewer or connecting sewer where the work requires excavation in the public right-of-way
La Habra writes the repair permit into the same section that assigns the pipe. Section 13.10.030(A)(3) provides that "Should repairs to or replacement of the house sewer or connecting sewer be needed which will require excavation in the public right-of-way, the property owner or agent must first obtain an encroachment permit from the city of La Habra before the work can begin", and sets the conditions the permit must carry.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
La Habra: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
La Habra puts the whole lateral on the owner and names the fittings at the main so there is no argument about them. Section 13.10.030(A)(1) provides that "The property owner or agent is responsible for the maintenance, repair and upkeep of the connecting sewer and house sewer from the property owner's structure up to and including the point of connection (e.g. wyes, tees, saddles, manhole structures, etc.) to the main sewer line". Subsection (A)(2) keeps the main for the City: "The city is responsible for the maintenance, repair and upkeep of the main sewer."
- The property owner
- Both named lengths and the junction with the main. Section 13.04.010 defines the connecting sewer as "that portion of the sewer system which extends from the main sewer to the curb", and the house sewer as the piping "from a point two feet from the foundation wall of the building to its connection with the connecting sewer". Section 13.10.030 adds cleaning to the owner's list: "The property owner or agent is responsible for all routine and emergency cleaning of the connecting sewer and house sewer lines."
What else is worth knowing
Sources
La Habra Municipal Code section 13.10.030, ResponsibilityWhat 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 La Habra
- What it covers:
- repairing or replacing a house sewer or connecting sewer where the work requires excavation in the public right-of-way
La Habra writes the repair permit into the same section that assigns the pipe. Section 13.10.030(A)(3) provides that "Should repairs to or replacement of the house sewer or connecting sewer be needed which will require excavation in the public right-of-way, the property owner or agent must first obtain an encroachment permit from the city of La Habra before the work can begin", and sets the conditions the permit must carry.
What to do: Before hiring anyone, check the contractor's state licence yourself and confirm it is a C-36 plumbing or Class A licence, because the code puts that check on you. Apply for the encroachment permit before work starts, and book the City's inspection so the trench stays open until it has happened. Ask the contractor to include the infiltration test in the quotation.
La Habra Municipal Code section 13.10.030, subsection A(3)Why this matters
The conditions decide who can do the work and when the trench can be closed. The work must be done by a contractor "who holds a C-36 Plumbing Contractor's License or Class A Contractor's License from the state of California", and "the property owner/agent is solely responsible for retaining said contractor and verifying his or her qualifications" - so checking the licence is the owner's job, not the City's. Every repair must be "tested for infiltration", and "prior to backfilling, an inspector from the city must inspect the installation". A contractor who fills the trench before the inspection has broken a permit condition.
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
- La Habra (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.
Nearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in La Habra in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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