Private Sewer Lateral Compliance Policy

Effective October 1, 2006

Under federal law, the City of Berkeley must reduce the amount of water flowing into its sewer system.  Half of the water that enters the City's sewer during wet weather comes from private property sewer lines, downspouts and yard area drains.  To protect the water quality of our creeks, watersheds and the San Francisco Bay, the City recently passed Ordinance No. 6924-N.S. amending Ordinance No. 6914-N.S. which established Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 17.24 about private property sewer lines.

You may be affected by this new law if you are planning to either:

• Sell property with an escrow you expect to close on or after October 1, 2006; or 
• Start a remodeling project that costs more than $100,000 or costs more than $50,000 and involves replacing or relocating two or more plumbing fixtures (see page 4 of the Compliance Guide). 

After October 1, 2006, you must comply with certain requirements and obtain Sewer Lateral Certificates in order to proceed with property sales that close on or after this date, and remodeling projects that meet these thresholds. 

Do You Comply?  The City will issue a Sewer Lateral Certificate at no charge if you can provide one of the following: 

• Evidence that the private sewer lateral is less than 20 years old; or 
• A signed copy of a Private Sewer Lateral permit or relevant permits for a FULL replacement of the upper lateral within the last 20 years. 

If you do NOT comply or have questions about this new law, please follow the links below for more information.

• Compliance Guide (.pdf)

  Compliance Guide Appendices (.pdf) 

  • S1: Standards and Requirements for Closed Circuit Television Surveys
  • S2: Standards for Obtaining Sewer Lateral Certificate Based on Repairs
  • S3: Guidelines for Permits and Inspections for Replacement of Sewer Laterals
  • F1: Plumbing Sewer Lateral Checklist
  • F2: Engineering Permit Application
  • F3: Sample of Properly Completed Application for Sewer Lateral Certificate
  • F4: Sample of Sewer Lateral Certificate
  • F5: Declaration of Sewer Lateral Escrow Deposit
  • F6: Sample of Private Sewer Lateral Deficiency Report
    
  • Application for Private Sewer Lateral Certificate
  • CCTV Sanitary Sewer Report
  • Escrow Refund Claim Form
  • Claim For Refund Procedures (.pdf)

• Brochures
  • Selling Your Property (.pdf)
  • Remodeling Your Property (.pdf)
  • FAQs - Questions and Answers for Property Owners, Contractors and Realtors (.pdf)
• Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 17.24 (.pdf)   

Documents in .pdf format require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.  Download a free copy from Adobe's website:  

You may also contact the following City staff for information: 

General Questions - (510) 981-6423 

Technical Questions - John Hershberger, (510) 981-6338, jhershberger@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Overall Program Questions - Adadu Yemane, (510) 981-6413, ayemane@ci.berkeley.ca.us 

TDD (510) 981-6903