No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Department of Sanitation.
There shall be three classes of building sewer permits: for residential service, for duplex or commercial service and for service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In any case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the Town. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Superintendent. A permit and inspection fee as set by resolution of the Town Board from time to time shall be paid to the Town at the time the application is filed.
[Amended 6-17-2003 by L.L. No. 4-2003; 12-10-2024 by L.L. No. 1-2025]
A.
Purpose. The Town Board finds:
(1)
The Town's sanitary sewer system, including treatment facilities, pump stations, and related appurtenances, provides substantial benefit to the health, safety and welfare of the community and, in particular, to properties that are benefitted by the sanitary sewer system.
(2)
The sewer system is funded by fees charged to properties in the sewer district that provide financial support for operations and maintenance and the cost of capital improvements. New users to the sanitary sewer system will benefit from the prior investments in the sanitary sewer system.
(3)
The Town needs to develop a capital fund that can be used for the replacement of equipment and any necessary expansions. To allocate equitably such costs to the new and expanded users, this section imposes a fee on new connection and expansion of existing connections that approximates the cost to the sewer district.
B.
All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the Town from any cost or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
(1)
The owner shall pay to the Town at the time of the issuance of a building permit, a one-time fee, with the fee amount established by resolution of the Town Board. The fees may be modified from time to time by the Town Board as necessary to ensure adequate funding is available for the long-term capital needs of the sanitary sewer system. The fees collected shall be used for the past, present and future costs related to the construction, maintenance and improvements of the sanitary sewer system of the Town of Guilderland, including the treatment plants, pump stations, and sewer main system.
(2)
No obligation. Nothing in this article constitutes a reservation of capacity in the sanitary sewer system prior to payment of the required fees.
C. AFFORDABLE HOUSING BEDROOM SENIOR HOUSING SUBSIDIZED SENIOR HOUSING
Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
Bedroom(s) that are reserved for residents that meet income-based requirements under the State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program, New York State HOME Program, and similar programs administered by the New York State Homes and Community Renewal or US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A room in a dwelling unit with a door for privacy, smoke detector, closet, and NYS Building Code compliant egress window.
Bedroom(s) in a facility for residents over the age of 55 years and/or disabled residents.
Bedroom(s) in a facility for residents over the age of 55 years and/or disabled residents and financed under Section 202 of the Housing Act, 12 U.S.C. § 1701q, as amended, and similar programs administered by the state or US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
D.
This section shall take effect upon filing with the NYS Secretary of State, but will not apply to any and all subdivisions or building lots that have already received final approval as of this date.
A.
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.
B.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Superintendent, to meet all requirements of this chapter.
A.
The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, joining, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the Town. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.[1]
B.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
C.
No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
D.
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the Town or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, the ASTM and the WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the Superintendent before installation.[2]
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Superintendent or his representative.
All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately sheeted and guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the Superintendent.