Chapter 4.32 — SEWER SERVICE CHARGES

Unless the context otherwise indicates, terms used herein have the following meanings:

(a)

Additional Definitions. For the purpose of this chapter additional terms shall have the meaning indicated in chapter 1 of the last edition, and any revision thereof, of the "Western Plumbing Officials Uniform Plumbing Code," by the Western Plumbing Officials Association, copies of which are on file in the office of the Director of Public Works.

(b)

Board shall mean the Board of Supervisors of the County.

(c)

County shall mean the County of San Mateo, State of California.

(d)

Customer shall mean owner or owners of real property for which the district is providing sewer service.

(e)

District shall mean the following County sewer maintenance (C.S.M.) or County sanitation districts (C.S.D.):

Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District

Crystal Springs County Sanitation District

Devonshire County Sanitation District

Emerald Lake Heights Sewer Maintenance District

Kensington Square Sewer Maintenance District

Oak Knoll Sewer Maintenance District

Scenic Heights County Sanitation District

Harbor Industrial Sewer Maintenance District

Fair Oaks Sewer Maintenance District.

(f)

Residential Unit. The following residential establishments shall be deemed to have the following number of residential units:

Single Residential Dwelling, designed for occupancy by one family only, which is not occupied by more than one family: One residential unit.

Duplex, Triplex, Apartment House, or other Multi-Residential Establishment, designed for occupancy for living purposes by more than one family, which is divided into separate housekeeping units each of which is designed for occupancy by one family: Each housekeeping unit shall be deemed to be a separate residential unit.

Auto Court, Trailer Court, Trailer Park and other like Establishment, divided into separate living units, auto spaces or trailer spaces, with or without housekeeping facilities: Each room or suite of rooms, or each auto or trailer space, which is designed to be occupied for living purposes by Persons living separately from others, shall be deemed to be a separate residential unit.

Lodging House, Rooming House, Dormitory, Rest Home or other Establishment, other than those hereinabove specified in subparagraphs 1, 2 and 3, which is occupied, or designed, intended or arranged for occupancy, for residential purposes, by one (1) or more Persons to whom rooms are rented or otherwise made available for sleeping purposes, without separate housekeeping facilities for each room or suite of rooms: Each six (6) beds, or part of six (6), shall be deemed to be a separate residential unit (for which purpose a double bed shall be deemed to be two (2) beds). If separate housekeeping facilities are accorded any room or suite of rooms, each room or suite of rooms shall be deemed a separate residential unit.

(g)

Residential Unit Equivalent. A residential unit equivalent shall be defined as the estimated number of residential units that would equal the sewage flow, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (SS) loading delivered to the sanitary sewer system by commercial or industrial customers. For the purpose of this chapter of the code, all parcels of property not classified as in paragraph (f) above, shall be charged for sewage service on the basis of residential unit equivalents. To determine the number of residential unit equivalents for flow (V1/VR) the metered or estimated volume of domestic water, in gallons, delivered to a parcel for a twelve (12) consecutive month period is divided by the product of two hundred twenty (220) gal/day times three hundred sixty-five (365) days. The number of residential unit equivalents for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (SS) shall be determined by dividing the metered rate or district assigned rate by two hundred seventy-five (275) mg/l (BOD) and three hundred (300) mg/l (SS) respectively. Upon proper application and substantiation by the owner of the parcel, the Director of Public Works may modify the number of residential unit equivalents so calculated due to the fact that a substantial amount of the domestic water delivered to the parcel does not enter the sanitary sewer system. For the purpose of this chapter of the code, the residential unit equivalents (flow, BOD and SS) shall be utilized as indicated in section 4.32.020 to determine the charge for sewage services for parcels identified as commercial and industrial.

(h)

Report shall mean the report referred to in section 5473 of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California.

(i)

Sewer Service Charges shall mean fees, tolls, rates, rentals or other charges for services and facilities furnished in connection with the district's sanitation or sewerage system.

(j)

Basis of Charge. The basis of the annual sewer service charge is the establishment of a flat rate for residential customers and a rate for non-residential customers, computed to reflect costs of collection, treatment and disposal of sewage. In no event shall any customer be charged less than the annual residential customer flat rate charge.

(Prior code § 4155.0; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74; Ord. 2368, 06/15/76; Ord. 2846, 07/12/83)

Sewer Service Charges are hereby prescribed for each residential unit or residential unit equivalent per connection to each district's sanitary sewerage system, per year or portion thereof, as follows:

District 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28

Burlingame Hills SMD $1,982 $2,081 $2,185 $2,294 $2,408

Crystal Springs CSD $1,834 $1,879 $1,919 $1,954 $1,984

Devonshire CSD $1,680 $1,740 $1,800 $1,860 $1,920

Edgewood SMD $1,720 $1,785 $1,850 $1,915 $1,980

Emerald Lake Heights SMD $1,785 $1,855 $1,925 $1,995 $2,065

• Zone 1

Emerald Lake Heights SMD $1,785 $1,855 $1,925 $1,995 $2,065

• Zone 2

Fair Oaks SMD $1,055 $1,095 $1,135 $1,175 $1,215

Harbor Industrial SMD $685 $725 $765 $805 $845

Kensington Square SMD $1,850 $2,050 $2,250 $2,450 $2,650

Oak Knoll SMD $1,645 $1,745 $1,845 $1,945 $2,045

Scenic Heights CSD $2,395 $2,595 $2,795 $2,995 $3,195

(Prior code § 4155.1; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74; Ord. 2265, 08/27/74; Ord. 2360, 04/27/76; Ord. 2368, 06/15/76; Ord. 2658, 07/01/80; Ord. 2793, 07/06/82; Ord. 2846, 07/12/83; Ord. 2999, 06/19/84; Ord. 3040, 07/02/85;

Ord. 3112, 06/02/87; Ord. 3149, 06/28/88; Ord. 3182, 07/25/89; Ord. 3251, 07/24/90; Ord. 3331, 07/16/91; Ord. 3399, 06/16/92; Ord. 3409, 09/15/92; Ord. 3501, 06/22/93; Ord. 3728, 7/23/96; Ord. 4050, 06/26/01; Ord. 4315, 07/20/06; Ord. 4326, 08/15/06; Ord. 4377, 06/19/07; Ord. 4382, 08/07/07; Ord. 4429, 7/22/08; Ord. No. 04466, § 1, 4/28/09)

(Ord. No. 04512, § 1, 7-27-2010; Ord. No. 04577, § 1, 7-26-2011; Ord. No. 04625, § 1, 7-24-2012; Ord. No. 04668, § 1, 7-23-2013; Ord. No. 04741, § 1, 7-21-2015; Ord. No. 04760, § 1, 7-26-2016; Ord. No. 04780, § 1, 7-25-2017; Ord. No. 04802, § 1, 7-24-2018; Ord. No. 04814, § 1, 7-23-19; Ord. No. 04830, § 1, 7-21-20; Ord. No. 04849, § 1, 7-20-2021; Ord. No. 04880, § 1, 7-25-2023; Ord. No. 04892, § 1, 6-11-2024)

The sewer service charge for non-residential use shall be determined by the formula indicated in [section]

(Prior code § 4155.2; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74; Ord. 4050, 06/26/01)

The owner or occupants of any premises who by reason of special circumstances finds that the charges as set forth in section 4.32.020 are unjust or inequitable as applied to his premises, may make written application to the Board, stating the circumstances and requesting a different basis of charges for sewer services to his premises. If such application be approved, the Board may by resolution fix and establish fair and equitable rates for such premises to be effective as of the date of such application and continuing during the period of such special circumstances. The Board may on its own motion find that by reason of special circumstances said charges are unjust or inequitable as applied to particular premises and may by resolution fix and establish fair and equitable sewer service charges for such premises during the period of such special circumstances, or any part thereof.

(Prior code § 4155.3; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

Each district having a sewer service charge will use the tax roll on which general district taxes are collected for the collection of current or delinquent sewer service charges, and in such case proceedings therefor shall be had as now or hereafter provided in article 4, chapter 6, part 3, division 5, of the Health and Safety Code.

(Prior code § 4155.4; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

A written report for each district shall be prepared and filed with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, which report shall contain a description of each parcel of real property receiving such services and facilities and the amount of the charge for each parcel for the forthcoming fiscal year, computed in conformity with the charges prescribed by this code.

(Prior code § 4155.5; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall cause notice of the filing of the reports and of the time and place of hearing thereon to be published once a week for two (2) successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing in a newspaper of general circulation, printed and published in the County of San Mateo. Prior to such election for the first time, the Clerk shall mail a notice in writing of the filing of said first report proposing to have such charges for the forthcoming fiscal year collected on the tax roll and of the time and place of hearing thereon, to be mailed to each Person to whom any part or parcel of real property described in the report is assessed in the last equalized assessment roll on which general district taxes are collected at the address shown on said roll or as known to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

(Prior code § 4155.6; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

At the time of said hearing, the Board shall hear and consider all objections or protests, if any, to said report referred to in said notice and may continue the hearing from time to time.

(Prior code § 4155.7; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

Upon the conclusion of the hearing on the reports, the Board will adopt, revise, change, reduce or modify any charge or overrule any or all objections and shall make its determination upon each charge as described in said reports, which determination shall be final.

(Prior code § 4155.8; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

On or before the 10th day of August in each year following the final determination of the Board, the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall file with the Auditor a copy of said reports with a statement endorsed thereon over her signature that they have been finally adopted by the Board, and the Auditor shall enter the amounts of the charges against the respective lots or parcels of land as they appear on the current assessment roll.

(Prior code § 4155.9; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

Where any such parcels are outside the boundaries of the district, they shall be added to the assessment roll of the district for the purpose of collecting such charges.

(Prior code § 4155.10; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

If the property is not described on the roll, the Auditor shall enter the description thereon together with the amounts of the charges, as shown on the report.

(Prior code § 4155.11; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

The amount of the charges shall constitute a lien against the lot or parcel of land against which the charge has been imposed as of noon on the first Monday in March of each year. The Tax Collector shall include the amount of the charges on bills for taxes levied against the respective lots and parcels of land.

(Prior code § 4155.12; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

Thereafter, the amount of the charges shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner and by the same Person as, together with and not separately from the general taxes for the district, and shall be delinquent at the same time and thereafter be subject to the same penalties for delinquency.

(Prior code § 4155.13; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)

All laws applicable to the levy, collection and enforcement of general taxes of the district, including but not limited to those pertaining to the matter of delinquency, correction, cancellation, refund and redemption, are applicable to such charges.

(Prior code § 4155.14; Ord. 2252, 06/18/74)