§ 82-195. Sewer service laterals (building sewers) and connections.

(a)

Permit required. No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections to, or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer, or appurtenances thereof, without first obtaining a written permit from the county. No connection shall be made except at a connection point approved by the county. If no connection is available, then one shall be provided by the county upon payment of the full construction cost by the applicant.

(b)

Three classes of permits. There shall be three classes of building sewer permits, for (a) residential services, (b) commercial service, and (c) service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In any case, the owner or his agent shall make application on forms furnished by the county. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the county and shall be accompanied by the necessary connection fees required by the Fulton County Sewer Charge Resolution. Approval of the permit required by this section shall not be deemed to approve of nor authorize anything not stated in the application.

(c)

Responsibility for installation and maintenance costs. All costs and expense incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer or sewer service lateral shall be borne by the owner. The building sewers or sewer service laterals up to the connection to the public sewer are the responsibility of the property owner and are not part of the sewerage system operated and maintained by the county. If there is a cleanout installed on the service lateral at the edge of the public right-of-way or county easement, under emergency conditions where public health or safety may be jeopardized, the county may assist property owners, at the owner's expense, with maintaining that portion of the service lateral between the county sewer and the cleanout. Repairs to the service lateral within the public right-of-way or county easement shall be undertaken by the county or an approved contractor and the cost shall be borne by the owner. In no way does the maintenance or repair assistance by the county exercise dominion or control of the sewer service lateral.

(d)

Multiple connections through one service lateral. A separate and independent service lateral shall be provided for every building, except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available nor can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the service lateral from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one service lateral. In cases where there are unauthorized multiple connections to a single service lateral, the county accepts no responsibility for rectifying this problem. The cost of providing separate connections in such cases must be borne by the affected property owner(s).

(e)

Use of old service laterals. Old building sewers or sewer service laterals may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, upon examination and test by the county, to meet all requirements of this article.

(f)

Compliance with other regulations; joints to be tight. The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction, the methods used in excavating, placing the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench for building sewers shall all conform to the building code, plumbing code, current county developmental standards and all other regulations of the county. In cases of conflict and in absence of other provisions, materials and procedures set forth in ASCE-WPCF manual of practice number 9 shall govern. All joints of the building sewer shall be tight and waterproof.

(g)

Elevation; artificial lifting. Whenever possible, the service lateral 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 public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be mechanically lifted and discharged to the sewer service lateral.

(h)

Connecting unpolluted wastes. No person shall make any connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected, directly or indirectly, to a public sanitary sewer.

(i)

Connection of service lateral to county sewer. The connection of the sewer service lateral into the county sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes, current county developmental standards and other applicable rules and regulations of the county. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the county before installation.

(j)

Notice, inspection, supervision of sewer service lateral construction. The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the county when the sewer service lateral is ready for inspection and connection to the county sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the county.

(k)

Protection of excavations; restoration of public property. All excavations for sewer service lateral installation 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 the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the county. Construction shall comply with the provisions of PL 91-596, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

(Res. No. 06-1167, 11-15-06)