Who pays for the sewer lateral in Merced, 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 curb to your building — if certain conditions are met
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of Merced, the city engineer
- What it covers:
- repairing any connection between a building or premises and the city sewer
Merced Municipal Code 15.08.040 states that "no person shall repair or cause to be repaired any connection of any building or premises with the city sewer without first obtaining a permit to do so from the engineer". The City engineer estimates the cost of the repair "including the opening and repairing of any street or alley", the applicant deposits that amount before the permit issues, and then "the engineer shall cause such repair to be made and the cost thereof charged against the deposit, and any excess of the deposit shall be refunded to the applicant".
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Merced: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
The user is responsible for the construction, maintenance and repair of the house or building sewer line, which the code defines as running all the way to the City's public sewer - the portion under the road included.
- The property owner
- All of it. The City states that "each user shall be responsible for the construction, maintenance and repair of his house and/or building sewer line", and that a user "shall be liable for damages which may result to the sewage system from his failure to keep his house or building sewer line in good order". The code defines a "building sewer" as "a sewer conveying wastewater from the plumbing of a structure to a public sewer", and a "sewer lateral" as "a building sewer", so the duty reaches the City's main and the pipe under the road is the owner's on the face of the code. If an owner does not repair a broken lateral within five days of notice, the director may have the work done "at the expense of the owner, agent or occupant". And the code puts it as ownership as well, in a section headed exactly that. Section 15.08.070, "Ownership of sewer line extensions", provides that "house and building sewer lines, including their connection to subtrunk sewers or sewer laterals, shall not be considered city property or become a part of the city sewer system, and their maintenance and repair shall not be the responsibility of the city". Note the four words in the middle: the CONNECTION is named, so the joint where your pipe meets the City's is on your side of the line.
Sources
Merced Municipal Code section 15.08.180, House and building sewer linesWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of Merced, the city engineer
- What it covers:
- repairing any connection between a building or premises and the city sewer
Merced Municipal Code 15.08.040 states that "no person shall repair or cause to be repaired any connection of any building or premises with the city sewer without first obtaining a permit to do so from the engineer". The City engineer estimates the cost of the repair "including the opening and repairing of any street or alley", the applicant deposits that amount before the permit issues, and then "the engineer shall cause such repair to be made and the cost thereof charged against the deposit, and any excess of the deposit shall be refunded to the applicant".
What to do: Ask the City engineer for the estimate before planning the work, because the deposit is what releases the permit and the figure includes opening and reinstating the street. The same mechanism applies to a new connection under section 15.08.010.
Merced Municipal Code sections 15.08.040 (Permit for repairing connection to city sewer) and 15.08.010 (Sewer connections), chapter 15.08 Construction (Ord. 1489 section 1, 1983)Why this matters
In Merced the owner does not hire a contractor for this. They apply, the City quotes them, they pay the quote in advance, the City does the work and refunds what is left. Elsewhere it works differently: Los Angeles leaves the work to the owner's own contractor, San Francisco issues the permit only to a contractor carrying a bond, and Visalia does the work and charges the owner its cost. Merced wants the estimated cost in hand before the street is opened.
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
- Merced (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 4 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 curb.
Who owns the water service line in MercedNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Merced in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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