This chapter shall be known as the "City of Lawndale Sewer Charge Code," may be cited as such, and will be referred to herein as "this chapter."
(Prior code § 20-26)
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section.
"Average flow"
means the number of gallons of sewage discharged into the public sewers during a twenty-four-hour period.
"City"
means the city of Lawndale of the state of California.
"City engineer"
means the city engineer of the city of Lawndale, or the city engineer's deputy, agent or representative.
"Council"
means the city council of the city of Lawndale.
"floor area"
means the area included within the surrounding walls of a building or portions thereof, exclusive of vent shafts and courts.
"Lot"
means any piece or parcel of land bounded, described or shown upon a map, plat or deed recorded in the office of the county recorder, or shown as a separate parcel on the last equalized assessment roll which conforms to the boundaries of such lot as shown upon such recorded map, plat or deed or roll; provided, however, in the event any building or structure or intended use covers more area than a lot as herein defined, the term "lot" shall include all such pieces or parcels of land upon which such building or structure or intended use is wholly or partly located, together with the yards, courts and other unoccupied spaces legally required for the building or structure.
"Owner"
means an individual human being, a firm, partnership, corporation, organization or anyone having an interest in any lot or parcel of land in the city.
"Peak flow"
is the instantaneous maximum rate of flow of sewage being discharged to the sewer and shall, for the purpose of this code, be determined at three times the average daily flow.
"Public sewer"
means the main-line public sanitary sewer, including any sewer or sanitary pipeline or portion thereof and any sewer main, trunk, sewer or appurtenance in a public place or sewer easement which connects, directly or indirectly, any lot or part thereof with any part of the sanitary sewer system of the city
(Prior code § 20-27)
The existing sewers in the city were constructed over the past forty years and were not designed to accommodate the increased flow of sewage from areas being developed. The overload in the sewers will be directly attributed to the volume of sewage generated and discharged by the large buildings to the system. The purpose of this code is to establish a means of providing adequate sewers which would be required for the development of the city; to establish a charge to be collected from the properties that propose to discharge to the public sewer quantities of sewage in excess of the quantity for which the system was designed; and to establish a fund in which these charges may be deposited and from which moneys will be available for the sanitary sewer reconstruction program.
(Prior code § 20-28)
A. 
Applicability. This chapter applies to all new buildings, substantially altered buildings and changes in building occupancies.
B. 
Credits.
1. 
All properties developed or redeveloped after the effective date of this chapter shall be credited with forty gallons average daily flow per one thousand square feet of lot area. In no event shall said credit be less than two hundred gallons average daily flow.
2. 
All commercial and industrial uses established after the effective date of this chapter shall be credited with a sewer connection fee equal to that of the immediate prior use of the building or property as determined by the city engineer.
3. 
Interpretation of this section shall not be construed to allow credit for both paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subsection.
(Prior code § 20-34)
A person shall not, within the city, erect, construct, enlarge or alter any building or structure or cause the same to be done without first having complied with the provisions of this chapter.
(Prior code § 20-29)
A. 
The city engineer shall determine what capacity is necessary in each public sewer to provide for the proper collection of sewage in the city.
B. 
In the event a lot in the city is to undergo development or redevelopment, and the anticipated sewage from the proposed use is found by the city engineer to exceed the capacity available in the public sewer, the building permit for such development or redevelopment shall not be issued until such time as capacity in the public sewer is available or can be made available before the building is occupied.
(Prior code § 20-31)
A. 
The size and grade of each public sewer must be such as to provide at all times sufficient capacity for peak flow rates of discharge.
B. 
In order to establish estimates of sanitary sewage at peak flow, the owner shall submit building plans and such other information as the city engineer may require on printed forms provided for the purpose.
C. 
The following table is established as a basis for computing average daily flow to the sanitary sewer:
Occupancy
Average Daily Flow
Apartment
200 gallons per dwelling unit
Assembly areas and auditorium
5 gallons for each 7 square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy
Automobile wash (automatic)
30 gallons per automobile
Bars and cocktail lounges
20 gallons for each 15 square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy
Churches
200 gallons per day per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Hospitals
500 gallons per bed
Hotels
200 gallons per room
Industry, light (no water processes)
600 gallons per day per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Laundry, automatic (public)
75 gallons per machine
Medical office
300 gallons per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Motel
200 gallons per unit
Office
200 gallons per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Restaurant
50 gallons for each 15 square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy
School:
 
Elementary
9 gallons per capita
Other
25 gallons per capita
Stand, for sale of lunches, ice cream, beverages and similar items
300 gallons per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Storage garage and warehouse
25 gallons per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Store, commercial and display
100 gallons per 1,000 square feet of floor area
All others shall be classified by the occupancy they most nearly resemble, as determined by the city engineer or computed by the city engineer in accordance with the anticipated use.
The daily flow to the sanitary sewer for a building containing mixed occupancies shall be determined by adding the peak flow characteristics of the various occupancies as set forth in the above table.
The daily flow from a room or building which is used for different occupancies at different times shall be determined by the occupancy which gives the largest peak flow.
D. 
In the event an area of occupancy in use prior to July 19, 1971, is to undergo structural innovations and such innovations shall not increase the peak flow from the lot to the sanitary sewer as it existed immediately prior to said date, the owner shall submit to the city engineer an affidavit or statement pursuant to Section 2015.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in duplicate, of the actual occupancy load prior to such date.
(Prior code § 20-32)
A. 
The applicant for a building permit shall declare all information necessary to comply with the provisions of this division and shall pay to the city engineer, at the time of issuance of a permit, a charge based on the additional peak flow created by the new construction or change in occupancy, equal to the sum of thirty-four dollars per one hundred gallons per day of additional peak flow.
B. 
The charges per said formula are as follows for the respective uses:
1. 
Each singe-family residence unit, each unit of multiple dwelling, each hotel room and each motel unit or motel apartment, two hundred four dollars per unit;
2. 
Each auditorium or assembly area, five dollars and ten cents for every seven square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy;
3. 
Each bar or cocktail lounge, twenty dollars and forty cents for every fifteen square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy;
4. 
Each church, two hundred four dollars for every one thousand square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy;
5. 
Each hospital, five hundred ten dollars per bed;
6. 
Each industrial unit where no water processes are directly involved in the industry, six hundred twelve dollars for each one thousand square feet of floor area;
7. 
Each public automatic laundry, seventy-six dollars and fifty cents per machine;
8. 
Each medical office or unit providing medical, dental or veterinarian services, three hundred six dollars for each one thousand square feet of floor area;
9. 
Each office not otherwise specifically enumerated, two hundred four dollars for each one thousand square feet of floor area;
10. 
Each restaurant, fifty-one dollars for every fifteen square feet of floor area usable for seating occupancy;
11. 
Each elementary school, nine dollars and eighteen cents per student; for all other schools, twenty-five dollars and fifty cents per student;
12. 
Each outdoor restaurant, lunch stand or lunch counter devoted to the sale of lunches, ice cream, beverages and similar items, three hundred six dollars for each one thousand square feet of floor area;
13. 
Storage garages and warehouses, twenty-five dollars and fifty cents for each one thousand square feet of floor area;
14. 
Stores and shops devoted to commercial enterprises and display purposes, one hundred two dollars for each one thousand square feet of floor area.
(Prior code § 20-33)
Money deposited in the city sewer charge fund as provided in Section 13.08.100 may be expended by the council to accomplish any lawful construction or reconstruction of sanitary sewers and as set forth in Section 5471 of the Health and Safety Code, or for such other sewer purposes as the council may lawfully authorize. All engineering costs, mileage, overhead and construction costs necessarily incurred in the construction of relief sewers shall be charged to the fund, to the extent allowed by law and as provided in Section 13.08.120.
(Prior code § 20-36)
In the event any person has paid the applicable sewer charge based on the additional peak flow created by the new construction, as provided in this chapter, and no portion of the new construction has been commenced, and the permit for such construction has been canceled or expired, such person shall be entitled to a refund in an amount equal to ninety-eight percent of the sewer charges paid by such person; provided, however, the amount retained shall not be less than ten dollars nor more than one hundred dollars if such person includes a request for such refund in his or her application for a refund.
(Prior code § 20-37; Ord. 913-02 § 47)