Cathedral City Municipal Code Ch. 8.50 Sewer Connections

The purpose of this chapter is to assure continued protection and high quality of the water resources available in the city by requiring newly constructed buildings and structures with plumbing facilities to connect to an available public sewer system prior to issuance of a temporary or final certificate of occupancy and all existing buildings and structures with plumbing facilities to connect to an available public sewer prior to the time of sale or transfer of ownership or prior to January 1, 2012, whichever shall occur first.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

For purposes of this chapter:

"Available public sewer system"

means any public sewer under the control of desert water agency or the Coachella Valley water district or any other public agency providing sewer connection services within the city. The public sewer is considered available when such public sewer is located less then two hundred feet (60.8 m) from any proposed building or exterior drainage facility on any lot or premises which abuts and is served by such public sewer.

"Chief building official"

means the city's chief building official or his or her designee.

"Certificate of compliance"

means the document that is recorded on a property which releases the "notice of sewer connection requirement," and stipulates that said property has been lawfully connected to a public sewer system pursuant to this chapter.

"Certificate of exception"

means the document that is recorded on a property which exempts the owner from the mandatory sewer connection upon the sale or transfer of ownership requirement set forth in this chapter.

"Notice of sewer connection requirement"

means the document that is recorded on a property indicating that prior to sale or transfer of ownership or January 1, 2012, whichever occurs first, said property shall be lawfully connected to an available public sewer system.

"Sale or transfer of ownership"

as applied to property that is subject to the provisions of this chapter shall mean to include a change of ownership pursuant to a sale for any monetary amount, or a trade for any other real or personal property, but shall not include transfer of title resulting from (i) foreclosure of any security interest, (ii) termination of any owner's interest in the property due to death or dissolution of marriage, or (iii) donation or gift of property from the record owner(s) to any other person.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

All buildings and structures with plumbing facilities constructed on or after the effective date of this chapter shall be connected to an available public sewer system prior to issuance of a temporary or final certificate of occupancy, or any other permit, license, or certificate that authorizes or purports to authorize the occupation of any such building or structure.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

Except as exempted elsewhere in this chapter, all buildings and structures with plumbing facilities that have been issued a certificate of occupancy or its equivalent or have been otherwise occupied on or before the effective date of this chapter shall be connected to an available public sewer system prior to the sale or transfer of ownership of said building or structure or prior to January 1, 2012, whichever event occurs first.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

A. No permit shall be issued and no permission shall be granted to install a septic tank, seepage pit and/or cesspool for any building or structure that is required to connect to an available public sewer system unless an exemption is provided pursuant to this chapter.

B. No permit shall be issued and no permission shall be granted to enlarge, repair, replace, relocate, move, or otherwise alter an existing septic tank, seepage pit and/or cesspool for any building or structure that is required to connect to an available public sewer system unless an exemption is provided pursuant to this chapter.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

A. The chief building official shall record with the Riverside County recorder's office for each parcel, as may be identified by a duly adopted city council resolution, a notice of sewer connection requirement that places the respective property owner on notice that an available public sewer system requires the building or structure on the subject parcel to be connected to an available public sewer system pursuant to this chapter. The copy of said notice shall be mailed to all owners of property upon which a notice has been recorded.

B. Failure to record a notice of sewer connection requirement as set forth in this section shall not relieve any property owner from having to comply with the mandatory sewer connection requirements set forth in this chapter.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

A. A property owner may request the recordation of a certificate of compliance with this chapter's sewer connection requirements by completing an application provided by the city and submitting it with the requisite information and application fees to the building division for the chief building official's review and consideration.

B. If the chief building official determines from a completed application that a particular parcel has come into compliance with the provisions of this chapter, the chief building official shall record with the Riverside County recorder's office a certificate of compliance for the subject parcel.

C. The recording of a certificate of compliance by mistake or in error for any reason whatsoever shall not relieve the respective property owner from having to comply with the mandatory sewer connection requirements set forth in this chapter.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

A. A property owner may request the recordation of a certificate of exemption from certain sewer connection requirements of the chapter by completing an application provided by the city and submitting it with the requisite information and application fees to the building division for chief building official's review and consideration.

B. An exception from the mandatory sewer connection upon the sale or transfer of ownership requirement set forth in Section 8.50.040 may be provided if the chief building official determines that any of the following circumstances exists:

1. The subject of the sale or transfer of ownership is a single condominium or timeshare unit that shares a common septic system with at least three other units located within the same building or structure.

2. The subject of the sale or transfer of ownership involves a situation wherein the subject building or structure is located below the flow line of the available public sewer line.

3. The cost of the sewer connection is equal to or exceeds one-third of the assessed value of the real property and improvements and the subject septic system is less than twenty years old.

C. If the chief building official determines from a completed application that a particular parcel is exempt from a particular provision of this chapter, the chief building official shall record with the Riverside county recorder's office a certificate of exemption for the subject parcel.

D. The recording of a certificate of exemption by mistake or in error for any reason whatsoever shall not relieve the respective property owner from having to comply with the mandatory sewer connection requirements set forth in this chapter.

E. None of the exemptions provided in this section shall relieve a property owner from having to comply with any other mandatory sewer connection provision set forth in this chapter including without limitation the 2012 mandatory sewer connection requirement set forth in Section 8.50.040.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

The use or occupation of any building or structure not connected to a sewer as required by this chapter is unlawful and shall constitute a public nuisance which shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 13.80.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

A violation of Section 8.50.100 of this chapter by any person responsible for committing, causing or maintaining such violation shall constitute an infraction violation which shall be subject to the provisions set forth in Chapter 13.65, including, but not limited to, the imposition of any and all criminal penalties set forth therein.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

Any person convicted of an infraction shall, for each separate violation of this chapter, be subject to: (a) a fine in an amount not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars for a first conviction of an offense; (b) a fine in an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars for a second conviction of the same offense within a twelve month period of the date of the first offense; and (c) a fine in an amount not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars for the third conviction of the same offense within a twelve month period of the date of the first offense. The fine for a fourth and subsequent convictions of the same offense within a twelve month period of the date of the first offense shall be one thousand dollars.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

In lieu of issuing an infraction citation, the city may issue an administrative citation, pursuant to Chapter 13.58, to any period responsible for committing, causing or maintaining a violation of Section 8.50.100 of this chapter. Nothing in this section shall preclude the city from also issuing an infraction citation upon the occurrence of the same offense on a separate day.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

Note: Former § 8.50.135, adopted by Ord. 572, was repealed by Ord. 892, 10/22/2025.

A violation of Section 8.50.100 of this chapter by the holder of a validly issued city permit and/or city license shall constitute grounds for modification, suspension and/or revocation of said permit and/or license pursuant to the provisions set forth in Chapter 13.150.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

Nothing in this chapter shall preclude the city from pursuing the remedies provided by Chapter 13.140, including but not limited to, as applicable, denial or revocation of certificates of occupancy, issuance of a stop work orders and injunctive relief.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)

This chapter shall not apply to the following:

1. Mobile home parks.

2. Existing apartment developments, condominium projects or timeshare developments consisting of more than five dwelling units on any one parcel of land.

3. Any other residence, building structure or development on a single parcel of land where sewer is not available.

(Ord. 572 § 1, 2002)