Who pays for the sewer lateral in Visalia, CA

Who is responsible for which part

The whole side sewer is the owner's - the code calls it "privately owned and maintained" and runs it from two feet outside the building all the way to the City's main, including the wye fitting where it joins. The City installs the portion in the street and charges the owner for it.

The property owner

All of it, including the fitting in the City's main. The City defines a "side sewer" as "the privately owned and maintained sewer which connects the plumbing system of the building to the main sewer", beginning "at the point of connection to the main sewer, including the wye" and ending "two feet outside the foundation line or building wall". Its maintenance section states that "side sewers, including lateral sewers and wyes, shall be maintained by the owner of the property served in good order and condition, at his or her sole cost and expense" - a "lateral sewer" being "that portion of the side sewer which is within the public right-of-way". The City does the installation work in the street, terminating at the property line, but "all costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of a lateral sewer shall be borne by the owner", so that is labour rather than ownership. Where a building sits too low to drain by gravity, lifting the sewage is also at the owner's expense.

Checked 2026-09-20

What is required

• When you askPermit

  Visalia Municipal Code 13.08.210 states that "no person shall cause or permit a premises to be initially connected to the sewer system nor shall any person increase the number of dwelling units on residential premises connected to the sewer system ... without a connection permit issued by the director". Section 13.08.220 adds that "the city shall install all lateral sewers, making connections therefrom to main and trunk sewers, and charging the property owner for the costs thereof".

  What to do: If you are adding a unit or changing the use of the property, ask the City about the sewer connection permit alongside the building permit, and ask for the cost of the lateral installation in writing - the City's own work is charged to you, and the code says the installation stops at the property line.

  Why this matters▸▾

  "Increase the number of dwelling units" is an accessory dwelling unit, so anyone adding one in Visalia needs a sewer connection permit - a fact a homeowner reading about ADU planning rules may never meet. And the City does the digging in the street itself while the owner pays for it: the code provides that "in either case, city installation or property owner installation, all costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of a lateral sewer shall be borne by the owner", and reserves the joint to the City even where a contractor does the rest, since "the city shall be responsible for cutting wyes into existing sewers".

  In force since 2006-01-01 · Checked 2026-09-20

  Visalia Municipal Code section 13.08.210, Permit required

  Also quoted:

  • Visalia Municipal Code section 13.08.220, Installation and/or connection of lateral sewers by city

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction

Visalia (municipality)

Sewer service

Not mapped. No sewer service territory covering this area has been added, so BelowGrid cannot say who serves an individual address here.