Sierra Madre Municipal Code Art. II Design and Construction

A. No person other than the person specifically excepted by subsection C of this section shall construct or cause to be constructed, alter or cause to be altered any public sewer, main-line sewer, house connection sewer or other similar appurtenance in the city without first obtaining a sewer construction permit from the director.

B. A sewer construction permit shall expire one year from the date of issuance, except when the plans were approved in accordance with an agreement either with another governmental agency, or with the city in accordance with Title 16.

C. No sewer construction permit shall be required permits of contractors constructing public sewers and appurtenances under contracts awarded by the city and entered into under proceedings had or taken pursuant to any of the special procedure statutes of this state providing for the construction of sewers and the assessing of the expense thereof against the lands benefited thereby, or under contracts between the contractor and city.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. Any person requiring a sewer construction permit shall make written application to the director.

B. The director shall provide printed application forms for the permits required by this chapter, indicating thereon the information to be furnished by the applicant. The director may require, in addition to the information furnished by the printed form, any additional information from the applicant which will enable the director to determine that the proposed work or use complies with the provisions of this chapter.

C. No permit shall be issued until the sewer connection charges have been paid as set forth in Chapter 13.08.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. No sewer construction permit shall be issued until the director has checked and approved the plans in accordance with Section 13.12.100 and the other applicable provisions of this chapter.

B. Any plans submitted for approval under the provisions of this chapter shall be prepared by or under the direction of and shall be signed by a registered civil engineer of the state of California.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. Before a sewer construction permit required by Section 13.12.070 may be issued, plans for the proposed construction shall be submitted to and approved by the director, unless the director determines that plans are not necessary.

B. After the payment of a plan check fee which shall be set by resolution, the director shall check the submitted plans for compliance with the requirements of this chapter and other applicable laws and ordinances of the county, state, or other governmental jurisdiction.

C. If plan corrections and other requirements necessary for plan approval have not been completed within one year after the checked plans are returned by the of director, it shall constitute abandonment of the work and the director shall so notify the person who has submitted the plans.

D. Approval of a sewer plan shall expire two years from the date of the approval, unless construction of the facilities has commenced

E. Resubmission of abandoned and expired plans shall be subject to new plan check fees.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. The size of main-line sewer pipe shall be determined by standards of design and the coefficients listed below, but in no case shall it be less than eight inches inside diameter.

B. The coefficient to be used for any zoned area not listed will be determined by the director based upon the intended development and use.

C. The director shall determine which of the coefficients or combination of coefficients shall be used for design, as determined by the established or proposed zoning in the study area. Any modifications to these coefficients due to topography, development or hazard areas shall be subject to the approval of the director.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A main-line sewer shall be designed to provide a minimum velocity of two feet per second for pipes flowing one-half full, except that the director may approve a gradient that will develop a lower velocity if he or she finds that a gradient that will develop a velocity of two feet per second is unobtainable.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A system of bench marks on the U.S.G.S. datum and adequate to construct the work shall be shown on the profile. The elevation of the sewer at the point where the system is to be discharged shall be shown as determined in the field from the above shown datum.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

Soil conditions of public sewers, particularly in areas known to have high groundwater tables, rock, or filled ground, shall be prospected, and the results shown on the profile, if required by the director.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

The slope of a public sewer shall be shown on the plans in feet of fall per one hundred feet of horizontal distance, expressed as a percentage. Slopes used expressed in percentages shall be divisible, without remainder, by four in the hundredth column. For example, 0.36 percent complies with this section.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

Where design considerations permit, main-line sewers shall have a straight alignment, and shall be located five feet from and on the northerly and easterly sides of the centerlines of streets or alleys, except on major or secondary highways where separate sewers shall be located in the roadway six feet from each curbline.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. The minimum depth for main-line sewers shall be seven and one-half feet.

B. Where groundwater is present, the depth for residential main-line sewers may be sufficient to provide for a house lateral with a minimum depth of at least five feet below the curb grade or centerline of street or alley grade at the property line.

C. Exceptions to the above minimum may be made only on approval of the director.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

Manhole structures shall be placed in the main-line sewer at all changes of alignment and gradient; the maximum distance between structures shall be not more than three hundred fifty feet. All structures shall be designed according to the standard drawings for structures on file in the office of the director. Exceptions to the above requirements may be made only on approval of the director.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

All substructures which will be encountered in the construction or which will be installed as part of the improvement shall be shown and designated on the plan. Large substructures which require special treatment in the design of the public sewer shall also be shown in the profile. The engineer who has prepared the plans shall submit to the director a statement that he has determined from each utility or other company having substructures in the affected area that the location and size of such structures, as shown on the submitted plans, are the same as shown upon such company's records.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. All pipe other than vitrified clay or cast iron shall first have been approved for use by the director and shall be equivalent to vitrified clay or cast iron pipe in strength, effectiveness, durability and safety in accordance with the use intended.

B. Before approving any pipe, the director may require satisfactory proof that such pipe is suitable for use, including actual tests performed by an independent and approved testing laboratory at no expense to the city.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. Vitrified clay pipe for main-line sewers shall be constructed of the class designated as extra-strength pipe.

B. Sewer pipe installed under a conduit or other structure, or at depths greater than twenty feet or in other locations where the director determines that additional protection is required, shall be reinforced with a concrete cradle, or encased in concrete, or reinforced by other approved means which will protect the pipe to the same extent.

C. Sewer pipe installed in streets or public easements with the top of the pipe less than four feet below the surface, as determined during construction or indicated on the plans, shall be encased in concrete, or other approved means to protect the pipe.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

If an existing house connection sewer is added to, or altered because of a change of use, such sewer shall be made to conform to the requirements of this chapter which apply to new construction.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

All house sewer connections, soil pipes and appurtenances thereto between the main-line sewer and the building or structure being served, now existing or hereafter constructed, shall be maintained by the owner of the property served in a safe and sanitary condition, and all devices or safeguards which are required by this code for the operation thereof shall be maintained in good working order by the owner of the property served.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

New house connection sewers shall conform to the requirements of this chapter unless otherwise covered by the Chapter 15.20 of this code.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. For each lot, a six-inch internal diameter house connection sewer shall be provided in the street, straight in alignment and grade between the main-line sewer and the property line, with minimum depths as required by Section 13.12.170, and at right angles to the mainline sewer whenever possible.

B. Exception: House connection sewers constructed in the street under the provisions of Chapter 15.20, or house connection sewers provided in the street for lots restricted to single-family residential use under the provisions of the Title 17 of this code may have an internal diameter of four inches.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. The depth of house connection sewer at the property line shall be sufficient to provide service to the lowest or farthest point to be served on the lot at a minimum grade of two percent, with the top of the pipe not less than one foot below the ground surface at any point.

B. The minimum depth for house connection sewer at the property line shall be six feet below the curb grade or the centerline of street or alley grade, except as set forth in Section 13.12.170 for locations where groundwater is present.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

All material used in any work required by this chapter shall be new, first-class material and shall conform to, and the manner of construction shall meet all the requirements prescribed by this chapter and any standards and specifications on file with the director. All such work shall be approved by the director before a certificate of final inspection will be issued.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

A. All work required by this chapter shall be subject to inspection by and shall meet the approval of the director.

B. The permittee shall notify the director at least twenty-four hours prior to the time any inspection is to be made.

C. At the time of the inspection the permittee shall have all work uncovered and convenient, and shall give the director every facility to make a thorough inspection.

D. Within ten days after the director notifies the permittee that any work is defective, either in its construction or material, the permittee shall reconstruct or remove such work and make it conform to the provisions of this chapter.

E. When it appears to the satisfaction of the director that all work done under a permit issued under this chapter has been constructed according to, and meets the requirements of, all the applicable provisions of this chapter, and that all fees and deposits have been paid, the director, if requested, shall cause to be issued to the permittee constructing such work a certificate of final inspection. Such certificate shall recite that such work as is covered by the permit has been constructed according to this chapter and that such work is in an approved condition. Prior to the issuance of the certificate of final inspection, the permittee shall convey such easements as are required to provide present and future sewer service to abutting areas and adequate access for inspection and maintenance as determined by the director. The easement document shall be in a form acceptable to the director.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)

The director may inspect as often as he or she deems necessary, every main-line sewer and house connection sewer or similar appurtenances on public or private property to ascertain whether such facilities are maintained and operated in accordance with the provisions of this code. All persons shall permit the director to have access to all such facilities at all reasonable times. No object, whether a permanent structure, or a temporary structure, or any object which is difficult of removal, shall be placed in such a position as to interfere with the ready and easy access to any such facility. Any such obstruction, upon request of the director shall be immediately removed by the violator at no expense to the city and shall not be replaced.

(Ord. No. 1292, § 1, 6-24-09)