Who pays for the sewer lateral in West Covina, 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
West Covina puts the city-tree question in its ordinance. Where "it is verified by the city that damage or blockage of that portion of a house sewer connection between the public mainline and the street right-of-way (within a public street and/or parkway) occurred due to a city authorized and owned tree, the city will assume the cost of repairs for that portion of the house sewer connection." The limit is in the next sentence: for "the other portion of the house sewer connection between the street right-of-way line and the house being served, the owner of the property served is responsible for the total cost of the repairs".
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
West Covina: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on
Who is responsible for which part
The whole run from the main to your building is yours to maintain, with one exception that West Covina writes into the ordinance rather than onto a department's web page. Where the city verifies that damage or blockage between the main and the street right-of-way "occurred due to a city authorized and owned tree, the city will assume the cost of repairs for that portion". Beyond the right-of-way line, towards your house, "the owner of the property served is responsible for the total cost of the repairs for that other portion".
- The property owner
- Everything between the City's main and the building. Section 23-114 requires that "all house sewer connections, industrial connection sewers and appurtenances thereto between the mainline public sanitary sewer and the facility being served, now existing or hereafter constructed, shall be maintained by the owner of the property served in a safe and sanitary condition", and that the devices and safeguards the article requires "shall be maintained in good working order by the owner of the property served".
What else is worth knowing
Sources
West Covina Municipal Code, Chapter 23 Utilities, Article II Sewers and Sewage Disposal, Division 5 House Connection SewersWhat the rules say
Most relevant if you have a backup or blockage
West Covina puts the city-tree question in its ordinance. Where "it is verified by the city that damage or blockage of that portion of a house sewer connection between the public mainline and the street right-of-way (within a public street and/or parkway) occurred due to a city authorized and owned tree, the city will assume the cost of repairs for that portion of the house sewer connection." The limit is in the next sentence: for "the other portion of the house sewer connection between the street right-of-way line and the house being served, the owner of the property served is responsible for the total cost of the repairs".
What to do: If a city street tree stands over the line between your property and the main, tell the City before the repair starts, not after, and ask for the damage to be verified while the trench is open - verification by the city is one of the conditions in the sentence. Have your plumber photograph the pipe in place, note where the break sits relative to the right-of-way line, and record whether roots entered through an existing break or caused it. Quote section 23-114 when you call; it is the City's own ordinance and it names the outcome.
West Covina Municipal Code, Chapter 23 Utilities, Article II Sewers and Sewage Disposal, Division 5 House Connection SewersWhy this matters
Other cities' tree-root rules can work against you: Salinas presumes root intrusion was caused by bad installation and makes the owner repair it at no cost to the city, and Pomona allows an exception it calls rare, on a web page rather than in its code. West Covina's is an ordinance and it says the city "will assume the cost". What decides whether it reaches your repair is evidence, and evidence is what disappears first: which tree, which stretch of pipe, and whether the roots caused the break or followed it are all visible while the trench is open and unanswerable once it is filled in. Note too which stretch is covered. The City's half of the sentence stops at the right-of-way line; everything from there to your house is expressly yours, in the same section.
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
- West Covina (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
2 of the 8 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 West Covina in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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