921.04 SEWER UTILIZATION PERMITS AND CHARGES.

   (a)    Schedule for Payment of Charges.

      (1)   Except in the case of property owned by the City, no person, corporation, partnership or association whatsoever shall connect any building, apartment, living unit or other structure, either directly or indirectly with a sanitary sewer main in the City which is owned or maintained by the City without first securing a permit for such purpose in a form prescribed by the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection and without first depositing in cash, or by certified check payable to the City, a sanitary sewer utilization charge. Payment of sewer utilization charges are subject to available sewer plant capacity. That is, no sanitary sewer utilization charges will be accepted, regardless of when the final plat was approved, unless sufficient sewer treatment plant capacity exists.

         A.   All money received by the City from utilization charge shall be placed in the fund called "Sanitary Sewer Improvement and Expansion Fund".

    (b)   Utilization Charges for Lateral Tie-Ins. The following utilization charges shall be assessed against any person or entity making or causing to be made a lateral connection into the City’s sewer works:

      (1)   A single family residence shall be considered to represent the utilization of one unit plant capacity and such unit shall pay the following charges;

         A.   $9,556.00 sanitary sewer utilization fee, unless otherwise agreed by Council.

         B.   Local fair share sewer line charge of $129.00 per linear foot of front property or if the construction of the main sewer line serving the property was within three years of the date of assessment, and the cost of actual construction was less than $94.50 per linear foot, then the lower cost will be assessed. This assessment is made if the sewer line exists and the sewer line has not been previously assessed to the property or installed at a developer’s expense.

            (Ord. 2008-222. Passed 12-15-08; Ord. 2012-157. Passed 12-3-12; Ord. 2013-135. Passed 12-16-13; Ord. 2014-164. Passed 12-15-14; Ord. 2016-149. Passed 12-19-16; Ord. 2017-185. Passed 12-18-17; Ord. 2018-155. Passed 12-17-18; Ord. 2020-145. Passed 11-9-20; Ord. 2021-150. Passed 11-8-21; Ord. 2022-185. Passed 11-7-22; Ord. 2023-158. Passed 11-6-23; Ord. 2024-148. Passed 10-28-24.)

      (2)   Unless verifiable usage data actually exists, utilization charges for connection of all other dwelling units, commercial entities, industrial or other structures or activities shall be calculated according to the following schedule:

Building Usage	Note	PlantCapUnit	Per
Apartments
One-bedroom		0.6250	Apartment
Two-bedroom		0.7500	Apartment
Three-bedroom		0.8750	Apartment
Four-bedroom		1.0000	Apartment
Assembly Halls		0.0050	Seat
Barber Shop - Beauty Parlor		1.0000	Barber Chair
Bowling Alleys (no food service)		0.1875	Bowling Lane
Churches (small)		0.0075	Sanctuary Seat
(Large with kitchen)	(A)	0.1750	Sanctuary Seat
Condominiums		1.0000	Each
Country Clubs		0.1250	Member
Dance Halls		0.0050	Person
Drive-in Theaters		0.01250	Car Space
Factories-sanitary discharge only
no showers		0.0625	Employee
with showers		0.0875	Employee
Factories - industrial waste discharge	(E)
Food Service Operations
Ordinary restaurant (not 24-hour)	(B)	0.1750	Seat
24 hour restaurant	(B)	0.2500	Seat
Banquet rooms	(B)	0.1250	Seat
Restaurant along freeway	(B)	0.5000	Seat
Tavern very little food service	(B)	0.1750	Seat
Curb service (drive-in)	(B)	0.2500	Car Space
Vending machine restaurant	(C)	0.2500
Hospitals - no resident personnel	(A)	0.7500	Bed
Institutions - resident	(A)	0.2500	Person
Motels		0.2500	Room
Nursing and rest homes	(A and C)	0.3750	Patient
		0.2500	Resident Employee
Office building		0.0500	Employee
Schools
Elementary	(A)	0.0375	Pupil
Junior and senior high	(A)	0.0500	Pupil
Service stations
1 bay- grease interceptor required		2.5000	Service station
Domestic waste only		2.0000	Service station
Shopping center (no food service or laundries)		0.0005	Square foot of floor space
Swimming pools
Average		0.0125	Swimmer (design load)
With hot shower		0.0175	Swimmer (design load)
Trailer parks
Single-wide trailers		0.5000	Single-wide trailer
Double-wide trailers		1.0000	Double wide trailer
Travel trailer dump station (holding tank to be pumped out and hauled away)
Travel trailer parks and camps		0.3125	Trailer or tent space
Vacation cottages		0.1250	Person
Youth and recreation camps		0.1250	Person
Others not covered above	(E)

In the event that verifiable usage data from that, or a similar entity is available, the utilization charges for all other dwelling units, commercial entities, industrial or other structures or activities shall be calculated from that data instead of the above table. The City reserves the right to add additional utilization charges pursuant to Section 921.04(d).

   NOTES:

   (A)   Food service waste included but without garbage grinders.

   (B)   Aeration tanks for these require forty-eight hour detention period.

   (C)   If garbage grinder is used, capacity of plant shall be doubled.

   (D)   Truck stop parking areas will require consideration for treatment of runoff.

   (E)   Charge to be determined by dividing anticipated daily gallonage discharge rate by 400. May be increased for type of waste which will increase effective plant capacity requirement.

   (c)    Utilization Charges for Additions, Remodeling or Increased Usage which Result in Increased Sewage Load and Charges for Exceeding Capacity Pursuant to Agreement. The City shall assess additional Sanitary Sewer Utilization charges for commercial and industrial entities as follows:

      (1)   An additional utilization charge shall be assessed against any person or entity who increases the sewage load of the City's sewer system through additions or remodeling or modification of an existing multi-family, commercial or industrial use or structure, including increased usage through longer operating hours. Determination as to whether the modification, addition or longer operating hours will result in an increased sewage load and the amount of the utilization charge to be assessed shall be made by the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection after giving notice and an opportunity for a hearing to the person or entity to be assessed. The amount to be assessed shall be based upon the anticipated units of additional sewage load using EPA guidelines and the City's current per unit utilization charge rates. When the City has entered into an agreement with any person or entity for utilization of capacity in the City's sewage system and such agreement specifies the expected capacity to be utilized in terms of either gallons of sewage per minute or gallons of sewage per day, it shall be unlawful for such person or entity to exceed the expected capacity at any time. In the event that such capacity is exceeded the person or entity shall cease and desist immediately upon notice by the City and shall pay the City for the excess sewage which has entered the City sewage system at the rate of fifty-seven cents ($0.57) per one thousand gallons.

      (2)   For commercial and industrial entities charged for sanitary sewer utilization fees in 1998 and subsequent years, the city has established a database detailing usage and fees paid. The database record has been established for each entity. The City reserves the right to monitor the entity each year for metered water usage or metered sanitary sewer usage. If the average daily usage for the “highest use calendar quarter”, [i. e. calendar quarter - - January through March, April through June, July through September, October through December], is higher than the “estimate paid”, the City shall assess an additional utilization fee. The additional sanitary sewer utilization fee will be calculated using the unit price that was established and designated as the “base charge” in the database record. The database record will be updated to reflect the additional usage and the additional utilization fee charged.

      (3)   Any commercial or industrial entity which paid a sanitary sewer utilization fee prior to 1998, and is planning an addition to their building structure, remodeling, or any action requiring a building permit shall contact the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection. The City will determine an “estimated” sanitary sewer flow for the “change”, establish a database for the entity, and charge the entity the appropriate sanitary utilization fee. Thereafter the entity shall fall under the provisions of the paragraph 921.04(d)(1).

    (d)    Permits. No person or entity shall make or cause to be made a lateral connection into the City’s sewer system or make or cause to be made a modification or addition to an existing multi-family, commercial or industrial use of a structure which results in or would be likely to result in an additional sewage load to the City’s sewer system, including increased usage through longer operation hours without first obtaining a permit therefor from the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection.

   No sewer connection permit hereunder shall be issued if there is no existing building which will be serviced by the connection or if no building permit for a building which will be serviced by the connection has been applied for.

   No sewer connection permit hereunder shall be issued for any location outside the geographical borders of the City of Aurora unless and until it has been approved by City Council by Ordinance considered and adopted by it.
(Ord. 2003-147. Passed 10-13-03.)

   (e)   Permit and Inspection Fees. The applicant for a permit shall pay a permit fee of thirty dollars ($30.00) per connection and an inspection fee of $41.00 per hour, per inspection related to issuance of the permit.
(Ord. 2008-058. Passed 5-12-08.)

   (f)   Costs Borne by Owner. All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the City from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

   (g)    Separate Sewer Requirements. A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building, except that where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.

   (h)   Use of Old Building Sewers. Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection, to meet all requirements of this chapter.

   (i)    Compliance with Regulations. The size, slope, alignment and materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench, shall all conform to the requirements of the Building Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City. In the absence of Building Code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF) Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.

   (j)   Building Sewer Elevation. Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building shall be lifted by approved means and discharged to the building sewer.

   (k)   Storm Water Connection Prohibited. No person shall make a connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or ground water to a building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sewer.

   (l)   Building Sewer Connection Requirements. The connection of a building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the Building Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City or the procedures as set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection.

   (m)   Building Sewer Inspection. The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Director or his representative.

   (n)   Excavations Guarded. All excavations for building sewer installations shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property, disturbed in the course of work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the City.

   (o)   Discharging from Tank Truck. The Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection may issue permits to persons or institutions which transport sewage by truck and place it in the City's sanitary sewer system. All such persons or institutions shall pay a connection charge calculated pursuant to this section and deposit suitable financial guarantees with the City as established by the Director of Engineering, Utilities and Inspection to ensure payment of sewer billings.

   (p)   Waiver of Sanitary Sewer Utilization (Connection) Charges.

      (1)   The payment of any sanitary sewer utilization (connection) charge is hereby waived for any owner of any existing home who abandons the septic system currently serving that home in favor of connecting to the City’s sanitary sewer wastes water disposal system.

      (2)   Owners of current homes wishing to take advantage of this benefit will be required to absorb all other costs involved in the connection, including all costs of extending the City’s sanitary sewer waste water disposal system to their homesite, all costs associated with installation of sewer laterals, inspection charges, changes in plumbing, as well as and will, upon connection to the City’s sanitary sewer waste water disposal system, abandon their septic system and pay all costs associated with the abandonment of that system.

         (Ord. 2003-147. Passed 10-13-03; Ord. 2003-187. Passed 12-1-03.)