Who pays for the sewer lateral in Woodside, CA

Who is responsible for which part

A cleanout at the property line decides this one. The Town maintains the run between that cleanout and the public sewer where a conforming one has been installed; without it the owner has the whole length, building to main. Every building sewer in Woodside is required to have one.

Woodside

The run between the property-line cleanout and the public sewer, where such a cleanout exists. Section 51.046(E) provides that "if a cleanout meeting the requirements of division (D) of this section has been installed, the Town will maintain the building sewer between the cleanout and the connection with the public sewer". Will, not may: this is a duty the Town takes on, and the only thing conditioning it is the cleanout.

The property owner

Everything from the building to the cleanout at the property line, and everything beyond it where no conforming cleanout exists. Section 51.046(E) makes the property owner "solely responsible to maintain the building sewer and related wastewater facilities between the building and the connection with the public sewer", before the proviso narrows it. Section 51.046(B) adds that "all costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner", and that the owner indemnifies the Town against loss occasioned by that installation.

What decides which applies

An approved cleanout at the property line, which section 51.046(D) requires of every building sewer: "every building sewer shall have an approved cleanout which shall be provided and installed at the property line of the premises in accordance with the applicable Plumbing Code and the Town standard specifications". Where one exists the Town's duty begins there. Where one does not - an older connection, or a cleanout that has been paved over or lost - section 51.046(E) leaves the property owner "solely responsible to maintain the building sewer and related wastewater facilities between the building and the connection with the public sewer", which is the whole length including the part under the road. So the first thing worth establishing before anybody quotes for the work is whether this property has a cleanout at its line and whether it can be reached. ALSO WORTH CONFIRMING WHO COLLECTS. West Bay Sanitary District serves areas of Woodside as well as the Town's own system, and section 51.046(E) is a promise about "the public sewer" the Town operates. The two authorities agree on the default - the District also puts the whole side sewer on the owner - and they differ on the proviso, because the District says it "may" clear a blockage beyond a conforming cleanout where the Town says it "will maintain". An address served by the District should be confirmed with the District.

Checked 2026-09-21

What is required

• When you askPermit

  Woodside Municipal Code section 51.046(A) provides that "no unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or openings into, nor shall they use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Town and paying all fees and connection charges required by this Code and the Town schedule of fees and charges". Section 51.046(G) adds that the work is inspected before it is closed: "all building sewers and the connection of such sewers to the Town wastewater facilities shall be inspected and tested prior to the time physical connection is made", with the applicant giving "at least 48 hours advance notice to the Town's engineering representative that the building sewer is ready for inspection".

  What to do: Ask the Town for the connection permit fee and any charges from the schedule before accepting a quotation, and check that the quotation allows for the 48 hours' notice and the inspection before backfill. If the property has no cleanout at the property line, ask what installing one would cost at the same time - section 51.046(E) makes that cleanout the difference between the Town maintaining the run to the main and you maintaining it.

  Why this matters▸▾

  The verbs reach a repair and not only a new connection: the section bars uncovering, altering or disturbing a public sewer as well as making a connection to one, so a Woodside owner opening an existing connection needs the permit as much as a new build does. Two of the conditions cost money and neither is a published figure. Section 51.046(B) puts "all costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer" on the owner and has the owner indemnify the Town "from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation". And the fees are set by "the Town schedule of fees and charges" rather than by the code, so the amount has to be asked for. The 48-hour notice is a schedule a contractor has to work to: the trench cannot be closed until the Town has looked at it.

  In force since 1994-07-12 · Checked 2026-09-21

  Woodside Municipal Code section 51.046, Building sewers and connections

  Also quoted:

  • Woodside Municipal Code chapter 51, Sewers

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction

Woodside (municipality)

Sewer service

• West Bay Sanitary District (collection)
• Which provider serves a particular address depends on where it is. Look up an address to resolve it.