Who pays for the sewer lateral in Ukiah, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main under the road
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of Ukiah
- What it covers:
- any work on a street lateral or building lateral, and any connection with or opening into a public sewer
Ukiah City Code section 3708.1 provides: "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenances or perform any work on any street lateral or building lateral without first obtaining a written permit from the City." This is the City's sewer code. Where the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District collects the sewage, in the part of the city the District calls the overlap area, the District's own ordinances govern work on the lateral instead.
Buying or selling?
No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.
Planning work?
The remodelling rule in full, with its sourcesWho to call first about the sewer lateral
Ukiah: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
In Ukiah the owner keeps the whole sewer lateral, from the building to the main sewer, including the length under the street. The City Code defines the sewer lateral as "The sewer line beginning at the foundation wall of any building and terminating at the main sewer and shall include the building lateral and street lateral together", and section 3799.4 provides: "It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to repair and/or replace any sewer lateral which has been found through testing and/or inspection to exhibit conditions which would permit infiltration to enter the sewer system." Section 3704.8 adds: "Side sewers shall be maintained by the owner of the property served thereby."
- The property owner
- The building lateral on the lot and the street lateral, which the code defines as "The portion of a sewer lateral lying within a public street connecting a building lateral to the main sewer." A lateral that fails its test must be repaired or replaced and retested within the times the code sets; if the owner does not finish the repair in time, the City may do it and add a surcharge to the property's utility account until the cost is recovered.
What else is worth knowing
Sources
Ukiah City Code division 4, chapter 2, article 18, Sewer Lateral TestingWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of Ukiah
- What it covers:
- any work on a street lateral or building lateral, and any connection with or opening into a public sewer
Ukiah City Code section 3708.1 provides: "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenances or perform any work on any street lateral or building lateral without first obtaining a written permit from the City." This is the City's sewer code. Where the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District collects the sewage, in the part of the city the District calls the overlap area, the District's own ordinances govern work on the lateral instead.
What to do: Before working on a building or street lateral, ask the City of Ukiah for a sewer permit, and for an encroachment permit if the street is to be opened. If your sewer bill comes from the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District, ask the District what it requires. Give written notice at least 24 hours before the work is ready for inspection, and do not cover the pipe until it has passed.
Ukiah City Code division 4, chapter 2, article 9, Permits and FeesWhy this matters
All sewer work is inspected for the City, and "No sewer shall be covered at any point until it has been inspected and passed for acceptance." The person doing the work must tell the Director of Public Works in writing that it is ready for inspection at least 24 hours ahead, weekends and holidays excluded. Section 3708.13 requires a separate encroachment permit to excavate in a public street. Work started without a permit pays double the permit fee plus $100, except proven emergency work. All costs of the work are the owner's, and the owner indemnifies the City. A repaired or replaced lateral must also be tested before it is used to carry sewage to the public sewer.
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
- Ukiah (municipality)
- Sewer service
- No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.
How this compares to neighbouring cities
Both of the nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.
Nearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in Ukiah in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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