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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Ojai Valley Sanitary District, CA

If something’s wrong

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • When you sell · Inspection

    Ojai Valley Sanitary District requires a certificate for the private sewer lateral before a property on its sewer is sold. Section 409.4.2 of its Code of Regulations provides: "Before completing a Title Transfer associated with a Parcel which is served by the District Sewer System, a Compliance Certificate or Conditional Compliance Certificate must be obtained by either the transferor or the transferee (as negotiated between them)". The same section also requires one for a remodel valued over $25,000, a change of use, added service units, a repair, replacement or extension of the lateral, or when the District finds a public health and safety concern.

The repair rule in full, with its sources

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Ojai Valley Sanitary District about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Ojai, Ojai Valley Sanitary District collects the sewage, and the owner has the whole lateral, from the building to the District's main, including the connection to the main. The District's code makes it "the responsibility of the Parcel Owner to maintain the Lateral to and including its connection at the District Sewer System", and its lateral page tells owners: "You own the entire lateral from the house to the point of connection to the Sanitary District sewer, not just to the sidewalk or curb."

The property owner
The whole privately-owned sewer lateral, upper and lower. The District's Ordinance 78 defines the lower lateral as the part "extending from the property line to the Sewer Main located in a street", and adds: "The Lower Sewer Lateral includes the connection of the Privately-Owned Sewer Lateral to the Sewer Main." The District's main "does not include any portion of a Privately-Owned Sewer Lateral", and owners "must perform, at their sole cost and expense, any Repair or Replacement of their Privately-Owned Sewer Laterals". The District's page adds: "You are responsible for your lateral's maintenance and good working order."

What else is worth knowing

Nothing splits the lateral; the District's main is the dividing point, and the connection to it is the owner's. Where a lateral joins a main in a rear or side yard easement, or a manhole, the District counts the whole lateral, connection included, as the upper lateral, which is still the owner's. A property that is not connected to the District's sewer is outside this answer.

Sources

Ojai Valley Sanitary District Ordinance No. OVSD-78 (adopted 28 September 2015, effective 1 December 2015)

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe

  • When you sellInspection

    Ojai Valley Sanitary District requires a certificate for the private sewer lateral before a property on its sewer is sold. Section 409.4.2 of its Code of Regulations provides: "Before completing a Title Transfer associated with a Parcel which is served by the District Sewer System, a Compliance Certificate or Conditional Compliance Certificate must be obtained by either the transferor or the transferee (as negotiated between them)". The same section also requires one for a remodel valued over $25,000, a change of use, added service units, a repair, replacement or extension of the lateral, or when the District finds a public health and safety concern.

    What to do: If you are buying or selling in Ojai, ask the District early whether the lateral holds a valid certificate. If it does not, book a District inspection, have a licensed plumber video the lateral with at least 24 hours' notice to the District, and allow time for any repairs, or apply for a Time Extension Certificate and its deposit before closing.

    Why this matters

    The certificate follows a video inspection of the whole lateral, upper and lower, done by "a licensed plumber qualified to perform the work", and the owner or agent "shall notify the District 24 hours prior to Verification Testing" so that a District representative can attend. A lateral that fails must be repaired or replaced at the owner's cost. If the certificate cannot be obtained before the sale, a Time Extension Certificate gives 180 days, against "a refundable four thousand and five hundred dollar ($4,500.00) deposit". A certificate after a full replacement lasts ten years, after a partial repair five. Transfers to an heir, between co-owners, into a revocable or living trust, to a spouse or close relative, and to a lender by foreclosure are not counted as sales. After the sale the buyer alone answers for the certificate.

    In force since · Checked

    Ojai Valley Sanitary District Ordinance No. OVSD-78

    Also quoted:

What this page cannot tell you

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Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction
Ojai Valley Sanitary District (special district)
Sewer service

Where else this answer applies

The same authorities settle this in the place below too:

It gets its answer from the same authorities.

Compare the rules city by city

Here the split is not one fixed point on the pipe, so it cannot be set beside the districts next door. The rules themselves still compare.

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

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