(a) No person shall construct a building without connecting such building
to a public sewer, unless an exemption is granted by this chapter,
the city manager or the city council.
(b) Exemptions.
(1) Buildings constructed without plumbing and thereafter utilizing no
plumbing are exempt.
(2) An exemption may be granted by the city engineer in any case where
the development involves a single-family dwelling on a lot of record
and the distance from the lot line to the public sewer is greater
than 500 feet. Although such an exemption is granted, the maximum
residential connection fee shall be paid prior to the issuance of
a building permit. At the time of eventual connection of a dwelling
given initial exemption under the terms of this subsection, any portion
of the maximum residential connection fee that has been paid which
is found to exceed the sewer connection fee schedule of charges currently
applicable at the time to residences shall be refundable.
(3) An exemption may be granted by the city manager in any case where
unusual topographical or other terrain conditions exist which make
the connection to the public sewer impractical, unreasonable, unfeasible
or impose extreme economic hardship upon the property owner if he
or she is required to connect such building to the public sewer system.
It shall be the responsibility of the applicant for such exemption
to provide to the city manager such as data or proof as the manager
deems necessary, including, but not limited to, engineering cost estimates
and feasibility reports, to substantiate any such application.
(4) In any case where an exemption cannot be granted pursuant to subdivisions
(2) or (3) of this subsection, an exemption may be granted by the
city manager whenever the city council has by resolution or ordinance
declared that the city's central sewage treatment facilities are incapable
of serving the area involved. A condition of any such exemption shall
be that the maximum sewer connection fee (otherwise applicable) shall
be paid at or prior to the time of issuance of building permit(s).
A further condition shall be that there be installed (at the usual
time this would otherwise occur incidental to development) all sewerage
lines, laterals, mains and facilities which would otherwise be needed
or required were the development to be connected to a public sewer,
except that the same shall not be physically connected to the public
system until the city has given notice at a later time that this will
be done. The capping off of the said "dry" lines and facilities, and
distances such lines and facilities shall be kept from the public
mains, shall be as reasonably prescribed by the city engineer.
(5) Any exemption granted under the provisions of this section shall
require that during the exemption period, the building or development
involved shall be properly and adequately sewered with a private sewer
system designed, constructed, installed, and maintained to standards
approved by the city engineer and the Riverside County health department,
and additionally in the case of developments of five or more units,
to standards and technical requirements prescribed after review by
the Desert Water Agency and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
An additional condition to the granting of any exemption pursuant
to subdivision (2) or (4) of this subsection shall be the recording
of a covenant running with the land that, within one year after official
notice, in the case of subsection (2) exemptions, that an operating
public sewer has been completed within 500 feet of the permittee's
lot line, or within 90 days after official notice, in the case of
subsection (4) exemptions, that the central treatment facilities are
capable of serving the area, the permittee (or then owner of record)
will extend the private lines the necessary distance and connect to
the public system. Any such covenant shall also contain an appropriate
and reasonable commitment that the permittee (and successors in interest)
will cooperate and participate in any future assessment district proceeding
designed to provide adequate public sewerage mains and facilities
to serve the area in which the permittee's land is located.
(Ord. 982 § 1, 1974; Ord. 1001 § 1, 1975; Ord. 1084 § 1, 1979; Ord. 2088, 11/9/2023)
(a) All buildings existing, or for which a building permit has been issued,
before January 1, 1975, with plumbing of any kind shall be connected
to a public sewer on or before December 31, 1983, unless an exemption
is granted by this chapter or by the city council.
(b) Exemptions.
(1) Buildings constructed without plumbing and thereafter utilizing no
plumbing are exempt.
(2) An exemption may be granted by the city council in any case (in the
sole judgment of the council) as to an existing building where unusual
topographical or other terrain conditions exist which make the connection
to the public sewer impractical, unreasonable, unfeasible or impose
extreme economic hardship upon the property owner if he is required
to connect such building to the public sewer system. It shall be the
responsibility of the applicant for such exemption to provide to the
city council such data or proof as the council deems necessary, including,
but not limited to, engineering cost estimates and feasibility reports,
to substantiate any such application.
(3) Any exemption granted under the provisions of this section shall
require that the exempt building shall be properly and adequately
sewered with a private sewer system designed, constructed and installed
to standards approved by the city engineer.
(4) Existing buildings with private sewage disposal systems previously
exempted from connection to the public sewer under this chapter shall
be required to connect to the public sewer when public sewer is available
within 500 feet of the property to be served and either of the following
conditions occurs: (i) the private sewer system fails, or (ii) expansion
or reconstruction of the private sewer systems is necessary, provided
no conditions for exemptions contained in this chapter have been met.
(Ord. 982 § 1, 1974; Ord. 1630 § 1, 2003)
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no permit, approval
or entitlement shall be issued for the construction of any building
on any lot or any parcel of land unless the plans and specifications
show connection(s) to a public sewer, and the permit, approval or
entitlement so requires.
(Ord. 982 § 1, 1974)
The use or occupation of any building not connected to a sewer
as required by this chapter is unlawful and a public nuisance.
(Ord. 982 § 1, 1974; Ord. 1205 § 2, 1983)