It is unlawful for any person to make or cause to be made, a connection to a public sewer without first obtaining a sewer connection permit from the city engineer and paying the established fees as prescribed in this article for such connection.
(Prior code § 9-900; Ord. 990 § 2, 1971)
A. 
For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
1. 
"Sewer lateral" means that connecting sewer line running from the sewer main "wye" connection to the private property line and extending to the structure to which it connects.
2. 
"Sewer main" means the main line sewer, used as a trunk line or major channel of passage for transporting sewage and waste, constructed in a street, highway, alley, place or right-of-way dedicated to public use. It shall not include sewer laterals.
3. 
"Sanitary sewer overflow" ("SSO") means any overflow, spill, release, discharge or diversion of untreated sewage from a sanitary sewer systems. SSOs include: (a) Overflows or releases of wastewater that reach surface waters; (b) Overflows or releases of wastewater that do not reach surface; and (c) Sewage backups into buildings and on private property.
4. 
"Grease" means any oil, fat, or oily, fatty substance, such as but not limited to, vegetable or animal fat that turns or may turn viscous or solidifies with a change in temperature or other conditions.
B. 
All sewer laterals shall be maintained by the owner of the property served by such lateral in a safe and sanitary operating condition so that there is no seepage of waste at any point up to and including the junction of the sewer lateral and the sewer main and so that passage of waste through the lateral to the sewer main is free from stoppage and obstruction. In addition, all devices and safeguards required for the operation of sewer laterals shall be maintained in good working order.
C. 
Any sanitary sewer overflow ("SSO") resulting from a private sewer lateral blockage, or from the discharge of grease causing a blockage of the sewer main, is the responsibility of the owner of the private sewer lateral which caused the SSO. The city may incur damages from an SSO, including but not limited to, response activities by city staff. The owner of a sewer lateral which causes a SSO is liable for all such damages, including any fines imposed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board or any other regulatory agency.
(Ord. 1911 § 1, 2008)