Who pays for the sewer lateral in Piedmont, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main under the road — if certain conditions are met
Why, and what to doYours from the meter to your building
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of Piedmont
- What it covers:
- work on the private sewer lateral between the building and the City main, as a full or partial replacement
The City of Piedmont issues a Sewer Building Permit, stating that "you need a permit if you are working on the sewer line that connects your building (private sewer lateral) to the City's main line". It is applied for in two subtypes, full replacement and partial replacement. The City adds that "new construction that requires a new connection to an existing sewer main may require a separate encroachment permit and the payment of a sewer connection fee". This is separate from the East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program's compliance certificate.
Buying or selling?
A Compliance Certificate is required to close escrow when a property is sold or transferred. A certificate is valid twenty years after a complete replacement and seven years otherwise.
A 180-day extension is available when buying or selling: if a Compliance Certificate cannot be obtained before title transfers, a Time Extension Certificate allows 180 days for the work, and is valid only when returned with a $4,500 deposit at title transfer.
Planning work?
Where a permit is sought for new construction or for remodelling costing more than $100,000, a Compliance Certificate is required before the final permit or approval is obtained.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Piedmont: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
The property owner is responsible for the entire lateral, upper and lower, from the home to the public main - except in Alameda and Albany, where the programme covers the upper lateral only.
- The property owner
- The programme states that "the property owner is responsible for the entire PSL from their home to the public sewer main (upper and lower lateral), with the exception of Alameda and Albany where the responsibility ends at the property line or curbside cleanout (i.e. upper lateral only)", and describes the same span again as "the entire lateral from the building cleanout to the public sewer main under the street". So in Oakland, Emeryville and Piedmont the run beneath the road is the owner's. In Alameda and Albany the programme reaches the upper lateral only. Both of those cities have answered the rest themselves and the answer is in your favour - see below.
What decides which applies
Sources
East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program, Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is required
Some of these requirements are issued by East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program rather than by Piedmont.
- Who issues it:
- City of Piedmont
- What it covers:
- work on the private sewer lateral between the building and the City main, as a full or partial replacement
The City of Piedmont issues a Sewer Building Permit, stating that "you need a permit if you are working on the sewer line that connects your building (private sewer lateral) to the City's main line". It is applied for in two subtypes, full replacement and partial replacement. The City adds that "new construction that requires a new connection to an existing sewer main may require a separate encroachment permit and the payment of a sewer connection fee". This is separate from the East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program's compliance certificate.
What to do: Decide with your contractor whether the work is a full or partial replacement before applying, since Piedmont's permit asks and the answer changes how long the resulting certificate lasts. If the work is a new connection rather than a replacement, ask about the encroachment permit and the connection fee as well. The regional programme's compliance certificate is separate from the City's permit.
City of Piedmont, Building PermitsWhy this matters
Piedmont asks at the application stage whether you are replacing the whole lateral or part of it, where most authorities issue one permit for any work on the pipe. That distinction follows the job afterwards: under the regional programme a compliance certificate is worth twenty years after a full replacement and seven after a repair, so the choice made on the permit form is the choice that decides when the next owner has to do this again. A brand-new connection is a different transaction still, carrying an encroachment permit and a connection fee that a replacement does not.
Where a permit is sought for new construction or for remodelling costing more than $100,000, a Compliance Certificate is required before the final permit or approval is obtained.
What to do: Check whether a current certificate or exemption already covers this property through the East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program before planning the permit timeline around an inspection.
Consolidated Regional Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance, effective 24 May 2019Why this matters
This is the highest threshold of the covered programmes - Berkeley's own ordinance, which this one does not cover, fires at $60,000, and three Marin districts at $50,000. It is also required later in the process than its neighbours demand: the certificate is needed before final approval rather than before the permit is issued. A certificate is valid twenty years after a complete replacement and seven years otherwise, and an exemption may be available where the lateral was fully replaced within the last ten years.
A Compliance Certificate is required to close escrow when a property is sold or transferred. A certificate is valid twenty years after a complete replacement and seven years otherwise.
What to do: Check whether a current certificate or exemption already covers this property through the East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program before arranging an inspection.
Consolidated Regional Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance, effective May 24, 2019Why this matters
An exemption may be available if the sewer lateral was fully replaced within the last ten years, or if an unexpired certificate from another agency already covers the property. Whether one already exists is not something an address lookup can answer - ask the programme, which holds the certificate records.
A 180-day extension is available when buying or selling: if a Compliance Certificate cannot be obtained before title transfers, a Time Extension Certificate allows 180 days for the work, and is valid only when returned with a $4,500 deposit at title transfer.
What to do: If the lateral cannot be certified before completion, ask the East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral Program about a Time Extension Certificate, and agree in writing which party will receive the $4,500 refund.
East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral ProgramWhy this matters
The certificate requirement reads as an absolute bar on closing escrow, and it is not one. The $4,500 is a deposit rather than a fee - the programme states it "will be released to the designated party when compliance is achieved" and is refunded if compliance is met within the 180 days - but it still has to be found at title transfer, and the Time Extension Certificate itself carries its own charge.
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
- Piedmont (municipality)
- Sewer service
- No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.
Where else this answer applies
The same authorities settle this in the places below too:
Each of them gets its answer from the same authorities.
How this compares to neighbouring cities
6 of the 8 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; your water line stops being yours at the meter.
Who owns the water service line in PiedmontNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Piedmont in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
Search for an address