Sec. 26-59.  Building sewers and connections.

 

(a)   Permit.  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 Planning and Development Department.

 

(b)   Application; permit and inspection fee (building sewer terminated in sewer main).  The owner or his or her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the city.  The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications, elevations, or other information considered necessary in the judgment of the Planning and Development Department.  An application, permit, and inspection fee for a building sewer permit as set forth in Section 2-5 of this Code shall be paid at the time the application is filed.

 

(c)   Owner liable for costs; indemnification of city.  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 city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

 

(d)   One building sewer per building.  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, courtyard or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.

 

(e)   Use of old sewers.  Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and tested by the Planning and Development Department, to meet all requirements of this article.

 

(f)   Construction standards.  The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, 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 city.

 

(g)   Elevation.  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.

 

(h)   Connection of sources of surface runoff or groundwater.  No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, interior and 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.

 

(i)    Connections to comply with technical codes.  The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the city.

 

(j)   Inspection prior to connection.  The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Planning and Development Department when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer.  The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Planning and Development Department.

 

(k)   Protection around excavations, restoration of street, sidewalk, etc.  All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately 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 work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.

 

(l)    Application: permit and inspection fee (building sewer terminated in manhole).  Termination of a building sewer in a manhole is generally undesirable but is acceptable on rare occasions.  In no event shall a building sewer be deposited into a manhole without prior written approval by the city engineer or his or her designee.  Any application to deposit a building sewer into a manhole shall be made in writing on an application form furnished by the city and accompanied by plans, specifications, elevations, or other information related to the proposed installation.  An application, permit, and inspection fee shall be paid at the time the application is filed as set forth in Section 2-5 of this Code.

 

Source:  Ord. No. 3014, § 10, 10-5-81; Ord. No. 3859, § 23, 3-16-92; Ord. No. 5135, § 17, 9-7-10; Ord. No. 5275, § 1, 12-2-13; Ord. No. 5563, § 50, 8-20-18;