Who pays for the sewer lateral in National City, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main under the road
Why, and what to do
Who is responsible for which part
National City puts the whole line on the owner, with a City service for blockages under the street. Section 14.06.160 provides that "The property owner is responsible for the building connection line from the house to the main", and section 14.06.170 that the building sewer and "the building connection serving such building sewer or drainage piping shall be maintained by the property owner."
- The property owner
- The building connection line from the house to the main, the street length included, and the first call on any blockage. Section 14.06.160 provides that "The owner or occupant is responsible for calling a licensed private plumbing contractor if a stoppage occurs", and that "City crews cannot respond to requests for service unless the owner or occupant has first obtained the service of a licensed plumber."
- What else is worth knowing
- One thing changes the cost, not the responsibility. If your plumber cannot clear the line and finds the stoppage "is located in the right-of-way portion of the building connection", section 14.06.160 has the plumber call the department of public works for City service. The City then clears it, and you pay for that only where the obstruction "is due to waste matter which should not have been placed in the sewer". So a root or a collapse under the street is still your line, but the City's crew does the clearing there. These sections govern property on the City's sewer; check the name on your sewer bill if you are not sure the City serves you.
What is required
The length of your line under the street is yours, and the City does the work on it. Section 14.06.050 provides that "All sewer laterals from mains to the property line shall be constructed by the city" and that "All connections to the sewer main in a public street, alley, easement or right-of-way shall be made by the city." Section 14.06.090 adds that no work is done on a connection, "either in the public streets or alleys, or within property lines, until a permit for such construction and work has been issued therefor by the city."
What to do: Before comparing contractors for a replacement, apply to the director of building and housing for the permit and ask Public Works what it charges to build the street length and how long the wait is. For a blockage, call a licensed plumber first - City crews respond only after one has tried.
National City Municipal Code section 14.06.050, Work to be performed by cityWhy this matters
A plumber's quote for replacing the line covers the part on your lot; the street length is built by the City, for a fee the City sets - section 14.06.060 charges the owner for "constructing and laying a sewer lateral", with extra charges under abnormal conditions such as laterals deeper than eight feet. So the real cost and the timetable depend on the City's price and schedule as well as your contractor's.
Who governs and serves this area
- Jurisdiction
- National City (municipality)
- Sewer service
- Not mapped. No sewer service territory covering this area has been added, so BelowGrid cannot say who serves an individual address here.
What BelowGrid cannot say yet
- 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.
How this compares to neighbouring cities
1 of the 4 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. No single authority publishes that comparison, because each knows only about itself.
Look up a specific address
A jurisdiction page describes what applies to properties in general. To see which authorities serve one address and what records exist for it, search for it.
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