Who pays for the sewer lateral in San Jose, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours 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 San José, department of public works
- What it covers:
- any excavation in a public street to repair or clean a lateral sewer drain, with written permission required before the work
The City of San José requires anyone excavating in a public street "for the purpose of repairing or cleaning any lateral sewer drain" to make and maintain a general deposit with the city against damage to the street - except that the "deposit shall not be required in the case of a duly licensed master plumber of the city", whose bond on file with the city suffices instead. Work in the street needs written permission from the department of public works first, the person who made the excavation must "maintain proper barricades and lights and assume full responsibility for such excavation", and the department resurfaces the trench and bills the cost to whoever authorised the work.
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
San Jose: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
The property owner owns the whole lateral, both on their land and under the road - the City's own ordinance says so in passing, twice. But San Jose will clear a blockage in the run from your property line to the main, and if that run then needs repair the City repairs it "without charge to the owner". All of it depends on a wye cleanout sitting no more than twenty-four inches below the surface and not covered over.
- San Jose
- Not the pipe, but the work on part of it, and only on conditions. Under section 15.16.420 the department of public works will, on written application and once the main has been ruled out, "rod the lateral to remove blockage" in the run between the property line and the sewer main - and "if, after such rodding, the department of public works determines the said lateral requires repair, the department of public works shall repair the said lateral, without charge to the owner". The City claims no ownership of that run and describes no general duty to maintain it; what it describes is a repair it performs for free once the process has been followed.
- The property owner
- The lateral end to end, as the ordinance describes it. Section 15.16.420 refers to "that portion of the sewer lateral owned by the owner lying between the owner's property line and structures on his property", and to the City repairing "that portion of the lateral owned by the property owner" - the run out to the main. The owner is also responsible for the wye cleanout: where none exists the owner must have one installed at their own expense, and where one is buried too deep or covered over the owner must expose it and bring it to within twenty-four inches of the surface before the City will act.
What else is worth knowing
Sources
City of San José Municipal Code, Title 15 chapter 15.16, Sewer Connections and Storm DrainageWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of San José, department of public works
- What it covers:
- any excavation in a public street to repair or clean a lateral sewer drain, with written permission required before the work
The City of San José requires anyone excavating in a public street "for the purpose of repairing or cleaning any lateral sewer drain" to make and maintain a general deposit with the city against damage to the street - except that the "deposit shall not be required in the case of a duly licensed master plumber of the city", whose bond on file with the city suffices instead. Work in the street needs written permission from the department of public works first, the person who made the excavation must "maintain proper barricades and lights and assume full responsibility for such excavation", and the department resurfaces the trench and bills the cost to whoever authorised the work.
What to do: Find your wye cleanout and check it is no more than two feet down and not paved or planted over - that single fact decides whether the City does this or you do. Then make the written application to the department of public works before arranging any work of your own. If you do need a contractor for the street, ask whether they are a duly licensed master plumber of the city, because that removes the deposit, and ask the City what the deposit and any cleanout installation fee come to, since both are set in a council fee schedule rather than in the code.
City of San José Municipal Code, Title 15 chapter 15.16, Sewer Connections and Storm DrainageWhy this matters
Apply to the City before you hire anyone. Under section 15.16.420 the department of public works will clear a blockage in the run between your property line and the sewer main, and if that run then needs repair it "shall repair the said lateral, without charge to the owner" - so long as your wye cleanout is no more than twenty-four inches below the surface and is not covered by dirt, concrete or asphalt. Someone who hires a contractor and opens the road has paid for work the City may have done for nothing. Here the plumber's credential changes the price rather than merely qualifying them: a duly licensed master plumber of the city owes no street deposit at all.
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
- San Jose (municipality)
Compare the rules city by city
Here the split is not one fixed point on the pipe, so it cannot be set beside the towns next door. The rules themselves still compare.
Compare the rules city by cityYour 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. Look up both to see which applies to your property.
Who owns the water service line in San JoseNearby cities and further reading
The nearest cities with a published answer, and where each one puts the split:
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in San Jose in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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