On Feb. 3, 2020, City Council adopted an amendment to the Sewer Lateral Ordinance (Municipal Code 7.38.432) to help reduce sanitary sewer overflows.

Pipes that carry wastewater from private buildings out to the sewer mains can get damaged or become defective, making stormwater and groundwater seep into private sewer laterals which then gets carried into the citywide sewer collection system. Too much wastewater, stormwater, and groundwater can cause sanitary sewer overflows on our streets creating a public health hazard for residents, and destroy the water quality in the City’s creeks and lagoons.

2020 Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance Update

Effective Dec. 1, 2020, the revised private sewer lateral ordinance has four event triggers that require a property to conduct a sewer lateral inspection per Municipal Code Section 7.38.432(c)(1):

• Sale of real property
• Building permits for additions, alterations, and/or remodel to property of valuation greater than or equal to $90,000 as set by City Council Resolution No. 11 (2020)
• Sewer lateral backup or blockage resulting in a sanitary sewer overflow for commercial or multifamily residential buildings
• Sewer class change as defined by SMMC Section 3.54.020

If any of the four triggers listed above apply to your property, then a sewer lateral inspection is required unless one of the following exceptions is met per Municipal Code Section 7.38.432(c)(2):

• Within the past 5 years, an inspection was performed that either (1) needed no repairs or (2) had required partial repairs which have subsequently been completed.
• Within the past 25 years, a sewer lateral was completely replaced and received final sign off through a City permit.
• Building permits due to emergency repairs or restoration