(Amended by Ord. No. 179,073, Eff. 9/23/07.)
Not more than one lot shall be connected to any one house connection sewer except as provided below.
Exception 1: On a case by case review, the City Engineer shall have the authority and discretion to grant an exception to the above requirement where a single house connection to the City’s sewer serves multiple structures on an individual lot or parcel and that lot or parcel is being or has been split. In granting an exception the City Engineer may allow the continued use of the original house connection to the sewer for the structures that now exist on more than one lot due to the lot or parcel split, provided that all the following conditions are met:
a. There are four or fewer structures connected to the City’s sewer by the single house connection.
b. The structures on the split lot cannot be reasonably connected to an existing available sewer due to the physical limitations of either the lot or the existing available sewer.
c. There is not physical space available or agreement from the downstream property owner(s) to place one or more additional house connections from the upstream split lots or parcels in an easement on the downstream portions of the original lot or parcel to allow for individual connections to the City’s sewer.
d. The existing house connection sewer has been inspected by closed circuit television (CCTV) and if any damage to the existing shared house connection was revealed by this inspection, that damage has been repaired to the satisfaction of the Bureau of Sanitation Wastewater Collection Systems Division.
e. All property owners using this shared house connection sewer sign and record reciprocal agreements with the County Recorder providing that all properties using the shared house connection sewer are mutually responsible for its full maintenance and repair and that the City shall be held harmless for its approval to allow multiple lots or parcels to be connected to the City’s sewer via a single house connection.
Exception 2: On a case by case review, the City Engineer shall have the authority and discretion to grant an exception to the above requirement in the case of a new Small Lot Subdivision as defined in Sections 12.03, 12.09, 12.12.1, 12.21 and 12.22 of this Code. The City Engineer may allow a new individual house connection sewer to serve more than one lot or parcel subject to the following conditions:
a. The size of the new shared house connection sewer for the Small Lot Subdivision shall be determined by the Bureau of Engineering and be included in the approved conditions for the subdivision.
b. A sewer maintenance hole shall be required on the mainline sewer in the street adjacent to the small lot subdivision property, if the size of the house connection will not permit a standard “wye” connection to the City’s main line sewer.
c. A Homeowners Association Agreement or Maintenance Agreement for all subdivided lots or parcels in the Small Lot Subdivision that are connected to the shared sewer house connection shall be created and run with each lot or parcel in perpetuity. This Agreement shall: include common shared maintenance responsibility for the shared house connection sewer among all lots or parcels served by the shared sewer house connection; bind all the property owners and successors in interest of the subject lots or parcels to the agreement; indemnify and hold harmless the City of Los Angeles for granting the owners of the multiple lots or parcels the right to construct and/or connect to the shared house connection sewer; and the Agreement shall be filed with the Los Angeles County Recorder and be binding on all lots or parcels connected to the shared house connection sewer.
Notwithstanding the above, the City Engineer shall maintain the exclusive authority and discretion to deny a request of any applicant for a shared sewer connection, even if the applicant has met all of the above requirements for either Exception 1 or 2, if the City Engineer believes it is in the best interest of the City to do so. If an applicant meets all of the required criteria for a shared house connection and the City Engineer denies the request in the best interest of the City, that decision may be appealed to the Board of Public Works. The finding of the Board shall be final.