138-262 Building sewers and connections

Sec. 138-262. Building sewers and connections.

(a) Permit required. It shall be unlawful for any person to 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 city. Any plumber, journeyman or other authorized person who shall make a connection with any pipe leading from any public sewer to any premises for the purposes of connecting the sewer system of any residential, commercial or industrial structure to the sewer system of the city, without first having procured a permit therefor, shall be in violation of this article and punished as provided for in section 138-257.

(b) Classes of permits. There shall be two classes of permits as follows:

(1) For residential and commercial services.

(2) For service to establishments producing industrial wastes.

(c) Application; fee. For either class of permit, the owner or his or her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the city. Application shall be made to the building division of the development services department for a building permit, which permit shall include the building sewer system and that portion of the building sewer service line located within five feet of the building perimeter. Application shall be made to the director of public works for a public improvement permit for that portion of the building sewer service line extending from five feet outside of the building perimeter to the public sewer connection. The permit applications shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information requested by the city. At the time of filing the public improvement permit application, each applicant shall pay a permit fee. Such fee shall be promulgated by the director of public works in accordance with the provisions of section 2-587. The proceeds of such fee shall be used to defray the costs associated with inspections and plan reviews for building sewers and connections to the sanitary sewer system of the city.

(d) Costs and expenses. All costs and expenses incident to the installation, connection and maintenance 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.

(e) Separate sewer for each building. A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building. Except when 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 or in the case of multi-family or commercial complexes where such sewer line may be designed as part of a private internal sewer system.

(f) Existing sewers. Existing building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the general manager, to meet all requirements of this article.

(g) Construction requirements. 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 codes or applicable rules and regulations of the city.

(h) 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.

(i) Runoff drain connections prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to connect roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains, sump pumps 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. Swimming pool drains, other than backwash, shall not connect to the sanitary sewer except when authorized in writing by the general manager.

(j) Connection specifications. The connection of the building sewer to the public sewer shall conform to the specifications and regulations of the city. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the general manager before installation.

(k) Inspection. The applicant for the building and public improvement permits shall notify the public works department when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of an authorized representative of Aurora Water.

(l) Excavations. 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 property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.

(1) The owner of any building connected to the public sewer system shall retain ownership and be responsible for all maintenance and repair of the service line and all appurtenances thereto from the building served to the tap connection, including any tapping saddle on the public sewer main.

(2) The owner shall maintain the service line in a structurally sound and intact condition and shall repair or replace, at owner's expense, any portion of the service line which, in the opinion of the general manager, has become so damaged or disintegrated as to no longer convey waste flow from the building served to the public sewer system or that permits excessive infiltration of groundwater or exfiltration of wastewater. The owner shall complete such repair or replacement within the time period given by the general manager. The general manager shall establish the time to be allowed for such repair or replacement based on any statutory or regulatory requirements and the present or potential harm or risk associated with the current condition and the nature of the repair required.

(3) The city reserves the right, at the discretion of the general manager and at city expense, to make repairs or modifications to any portion of the service line located in public property or the public right-of-way when such repairs or modifications serve the operational efficiency of the public sewer system.

(4) The general manager is authorized to suspend water service to a building to facilitate the reduction or elimination of wastewater flow when the general manager finds that the use of the service line or other building sewer components in their present condition endanger the public sewer system, public or private property, the environment, or the health or safety of occupants or the public. The building owner and occupants shall be given written notice of such suspension. Notice shall include the reason(s) for the suspension and the corrective action(s) that must be taken prior resumption of water service. Monthly service charges will continue to accrue during such suspension. (Code 1979, § 39-103; Ord. No. 2023-44, § 25, 9-11-2023; Ord. No. 2023-43, § 3, 9-11-2023; Ord. No. 2010-20, § 1, 6-7-2010; Ord. No. 2005-74, § 1, 10-10-2005; Ord. No. 99-84, § 4, 11-29-1999; Ord. No. 95-53, exhibit A (§ 39-103), 9-11-1995)