(A) Any person owning a building which is used for habitation or occupancy within the corporate limits, which is accessible to a public sanitary sewer main, shall connect to the public sewer main, except when the existing building is already connected to a septic tank which is functioning without the need for repair in accordance with the requirements of the county health department. For the purpose of this section, ACCESSIBLE is defined as follows:
(1) The public sewer main is either on the lot or abutting any portion of the lot within a public right-of-way; and
(2) The closest distance of the public sewer main to any portion of the building is 200 feet or less.
(B) A sewer connection for service to a building shall be made by the POTW, or as authorized by the POTW Director, at the expense of the owner/user. The extension, repair, or replacement of the building sewer from the sewer connection to the building shall be made under an approved building code permit in accordance with all applicable codes and at the expense of the owner or user. The maximum allowable infiltration for a building sewer is 100 gallons per day/inch-diameter/mile. The POTW may require repairs or replacement of an existing building sewer in order to meet the same infiltration allowance requirements as specified for new building sewers and connections.
(C) Where no sanitary sewer main is accessible, a property owner or developer may propose the extension of new sewer mains to serve property which would then be connected to the existing POTW. Such extensions of public mains shall be provided in accordance with the city Water and Sewer Extension Policy as adopted by the City Council and shall meet the applicable technical requirements of Title 15A: 02H .0200 of the North Carolina Administrative Code, City of Monroe Sanitary Sewer Design Standards, and City of Monroe Standard Specifications for Sanitary Sewers.
(D) Where no sanitary sewer main is accessible, a septic tank may be installed, after obtaining all applicable permits. Septic tank installation shall be in accordance with the standards and requirements of the State Department of Health, applicable county health regulations, and all building and plumbing codes.
(E) Separate and independent sewer connections shall be provided for every building with the below exceptions:
(1) Where one building stands at the rear of another on the same land parcel, and no reasonable access to a sewer main is available to the rear building except under the front building, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and be considered as one building sewer to one sewer connection so long as all applicable codes are met, and with the prior approval of the POTW Director.
(2) Multiple buildings under single ownership on a single property may be connected to a private sewer main to which individual building sewers are connected when approved by the POTW Director in accordance with the city's Water and Sewer Extension Policy, provided that all permits required by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources are obtained and complied with. Separate buildings on separate properties found to be connected to the same service connection may at the discretion of the POTW Director be ordered to install separate building connections at the owner's expense.
(F) An old sewer connection or building sewer may be used to serve a new building only when found on examination and test by the POTW to meet all requirements of this chapter.
(G) Wherever 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 flow to the sewer connection, domestic sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the sewer connection at the expense of the owner/user.
(H) The city must review and approve all sewer connections from a new building or expansion or modification of an existing building to the sanitary sewer main, regardless of origin, if the wastewater is to be treated by the city's POTW, except residential connections to other governmental agencies’ existing sewerage collection systems. All sewers and connections approved by the city shall be properly designed and constructed in accordance with such guidelines as published by the Environmental Protection Agency (reference 40 CFR, section 35.92704 or as revised).
(Ord. passed 6-22-94; Am. Ord. O-1996-11, passed 5-7-96; Am. Ord. O-1997-38, passed 9-16-97; Am. Ord. O-2001-05, passed 1-16-01; Am. Ord. O-2008-11, passed 3-18-08; Am. Ord. O-2013-13, passed 5-21-13)