(a) Each parcel of property and each house, building or dwelling unit of separate ownership shall be provided with its own service line and meter. This policy also pertains to townhouse, condominium and/or mobile home projects wherein each owner shall have a separate meter, although a common association may have a meter(s) for irrigation, recreation and/or pool purposes, or other purposes. More than one meter may be permitted to a building where judged necessary, such as a commercial building housing various users. The requirement for each separate ownership unit to have its own separate meter shall also pertain to condominium conversion projects, unless an exemption is requested by the applicant and approved by the Public WorksDepartment Where this provision is exempted the plant investment fee due the City shall be as set by Council action. Unless otherwise approved by the Public Works Department, separate buildings within a commercial or industrial project shall have separate meters. A non-residential condominium shall have a minimum of two separate meters, one solely for determining the volume of common area irrigation or landscaping water used, and the other solely for determining the volume of domestic water used within the building or buildings. Additional irrigation and/or domestic meters may be installed, if approved or required by the Public Works Department. Applicable fees for water shall be charged based on the size of each of the meter(s) installed as set by Council action.
(b) When property provided with a service connection is portioned, split or otherwise divided, the existing service connection shall be assigned to the lot or parcel nearest the meter unless the City at its option decides to have it relocated to the other parcel. Additional meter(s) shall be installed to the other parcel(s) or building(s).
(c) A service connection (meter) shall not be used to supply adjoining property of a different owner or to supply property of the same owner on opposite sides of a public street or alley.
(d) All irrigation meters require payment of a plant investment fee, regardless of whether or not a public agency is or may become the eventual owner of the meter. For industrial projects and selected commercial projects, the Public Works Department may require that the outside water use (irrigation) be metered separately from the use within the buildings.
(e) A separate water meter shall be installed to measure the volume of water used exclusively for landscape purposes where the water service connection serves property with more than five thousand (5,000) square feet of irrigated landscape. This requirement for a separate meter shall apply to property where water service has not been previously provided.
(Ord. 1516-NS, eff. June 5, 2009)