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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Novato, 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

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit · Novato Sanitary District

    Who issues it:
    Novato Sanitary District
    What it covers:
    installing, altering or repairing any public sewer, lateral sewer, building sewer or other sewerage facility within the District

    Novato Sanitary District's code, section 210, provides that "No public sewer, lateral sewer, building sewer or other sewerage facility shall be installed, altered or repaired within the District until a permit for the work has been obtained from the District".

The repair rule in full, with its sources

No rule on file here is specific to selling, buying, 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 Novato Sanitary District about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Novato the side sewer, from the building to the main, is the owner's. Novato Sanitary District's code provides that "Side sewers shall be maintained by the owner of the property served thereby." The District's lateral guidance adds that the lateral runs "to and including the connection to the public sewer main in the street" and is "the private property of the property owner".

The property owner
The side sewer - "the sewer line beginning at a point two (2) feet outside the foundation wall of any building and terminating at the main sewer and includes the building sewer and lateral sewer together" - including the connection to the main.

What else is worth knowing

Nothing splits the side sewer; the connection at the main is the owner's. Where a side sewer serves several units in a development with common walls, condominiums or similar, the duty to maintain it falls on the homeowners' association or other entity responsible for the common property. The District serves the sewered areas of Novato; some parcels are on septic systems. On the County of Marin's sanitary district map, a small area inside Novato's southern city limits lies in Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District instead. That District's ordinance also leaves the whole lateral, to and including the wye at the main, to the owner, and it requires a lateral inspection report before a sale closes; if Las Gallinas Valley serves your property, its terms apply.

Sources

Novato Sanitary District, Ordinance No. 70 and amendments (updated August 2022)

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

These requirements are issued by Novato Sanitary District, not by Novato.

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

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    Novato Sanitary District
    What it covers:
    installing, altering or repairing any public sewer, lateral sewer, building sewer or other sewerage facility within the District

    Novato Sanitary District's code, section 210, provides that "No public sewer, lateral sewer, building sewer or other sewerage facility shall be installed, altered or repaired within the District until a permit for the work has been obtained from the District".

    What to do: Before a lateral is installed, altered or repaired, get a permit from Novato Sanitary District.

    Why this matters

    Repairs need the permit too, not only new work. The District inspects the work, and no sewer may be connected until it is inspected and approved.

    Issued by Novato Sanitary District · Checked

    Novato Sanitary District Ordinance No. 70 and amendments, section 210

What this page cannot tell you

  • No assistance or grant programme has been reviewed for this jurisdiction yet.

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction
Novato (municipality)
Sewer service

How this compares to neighbouring cities

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

  • Novato(this page)
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • San Rafaelabout 8 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Richmondabout 14 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Petalumaabout 11 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Larkspurabout 11 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main
  • Mill Valleyabout 13 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main

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 Novato

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address