Mono County Municipal Code Ch. 14.08 Public Sewer Connections

The board of supervisors of the county declares and finds that it is necessary to establish a mandatory sewer connection regulation for the removal of sewage in those areas in the unincorporated area of Mono County where public sewers are available in order to promote and protect the public welfare, safety, peace, comfort, convenience and general welfare, and thereby obviate the danger to the public safety and welfare arising from placement of sewage upon individual parcels of property.

(Ord. 409 § 1, 1971.)

As used in this chapter:

A. "Availability of a public sewer" means a public sewer which has been constructed and is available for use in any public street, alley or right-of-way within two hundred feet of the first unit, plus fifty feet for each additional unit, to be measured along such public street, alley or right-of-way from the nearest point on the premises to the sewer. For the purposes of this chapter, the number of units computed includes all units developed on contiguous property held under one ownership.

A public sewer shall also be deemed available where it is located within one hundred feet of a block or contiguous blocks and when each block has on-site improvements upon premises comprised of more than fifty percent of the street frontage measured along either side of any one block;

B. "Block" means property facing on both sides of any street between the next intersecting streets or between the terminus of a street and an intersecting street;

C. "Premises" means all contiguous property under one ownership at the time of the last equalized assessment roll or which thereafter becomes under one ownership at the time of application for a permit, as provided in Section 14.08.040, any part of which is developed to be used as an occupancy, business, public gathering or meeting place;

D. "Unit" means any dwelling unit, apartment unit, guestroom, residential trailer coach, each one thousand square feet of gross floor area or fraction thereof of a commercial building or building for similar use, and ten thousand square feet of net land area or fraction thereof devoted to an industrial, institutional or similar use.

(Ord. 409 § 2, 1971.)

A. Every building or structure in which plumbing fixtures are to be initially installed and every premises having existing piping installed thereon which conveys sewage or other liquid waste to an approved point of disposal shall be connected to the public sewer, if it is available.

B. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, buildings or structures connected to a septic tank or cesspool at the time a public sewer becomes "available" shall be connected to the public sewer within one hundred eighty days after the sewer becomes available, and written notice thereof given by the county; provided that if the health officer determines the continued use of the septic tank or cesspool will create a health menace, the property shall be connected within the time specified by the health officer.

C. No person shall cause, suffer or permit the disposal of sewage or other liquid wastes into any drainage system on any lot which is not connected to a public sewer when such connection is required by this section.

(Ord. 409 § 3, 1971.)

A. No permit shall be issued for the installation, alteration or repair of any private sewage disposal system, or part thereof, on any lot for which a connection with a public sewer is available.

B. No person shall connect any lot to any public sewer or house branch sewer without a permit from the appropriate official.

C. No sewer connection permit shall be issued by the appropriate official until all applicable fees have been paid.

D. Persons applying for permits under this chapter shall pay a fee in an amount set by resolution of the board of supervisors, not to exceed the county's cost of administering this chapter.

(Ord. 99-10 § 11, 1999: Ord. 409 § 4, 1971.)

A. The health officer may grant an administrative exception to the requirement of a public sewer connection if he determines that any one of the following conditions exist:

1. A city or public agency requires annexation as a condition precedent to connection to a public sewer;

2. The public agency requires unreasonable conditions as a condition precedent to connection to the public sewer. Rates shall not be considered;

3. Physical conditions between the public sewer and the premises make it impractical to connect to the public sewer;

4. Where the premises are served by a private water system and:

a. The unit density for dwelling units is less than one thousand square feet, or

b. The density of fixture units as defined by the International Conference of Building Officials Plumbing Code, 1979 Edition, for improvements for industrial, commercial, institutional or similarly used premises is less than one per six thousand square feet of premises;

5. The premises are within any block where a public sewer connection is required within one year; provided such exception shall expire at such time as the public sewer is extended to serve the units within the block.

B. If the health officer determines that none of the above conditions exist, the property owner may appeal his decision within thirty days to the board of supervisors, who shall conduct a hearing thereon. The decision of the board shall be final.

C. Any administrative exception granted under this section after the effective date of amendment shall have a duration of five years and the property owner shall, at the conclusion of said five years, be required to comply with the permit requirements of this section, or, if unable to do so, reapply for the exception available under this section.

(Ord. 84-409-A § 1, 1984: Ord. 81-493 § 16, 1981; Ord. 409 § 5, 1971.)