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A. Plan Review and Inspection of Sewer Line Extensions and Building Sewers. The Department shall require the applicant to submit a Sewer Facility Plan for any new construction or extensions of private or public sewer facilities and/or connections to the public sewer system.

The Sewer Facility Plan shall conform to the most current Pierce County Sewer Standards.

At the time of submittal of the Sewer Facility Plan for review, the applicant shall pay the required Plan Review fees as prescribed in PCC 2.05.040. If, after review of the Sewer Facility Plan, the Department finds that additional Plan Review fees are required, the applicant shall pay said additional Plan Review fees prior to approval of the Sewer Facility Plan.

Prior to issuance of a permit to construct improvements in accordance with said approved Sewer Facility Plan, the applicant shall pay the required Inspection fees as prescribed in PCC 2.05.040. Inspection of construction shall be made by the Department to ascertain that the installation meets all the requirements of the approved Sewer Facility Plan and Pierce County Sewer Standards. Approval by the Department shall be required prior to connection to the public sewer system.

B. Required Contractor Registration for Sewer Line Extensions and Building Sewers. To assure proper construction in the connection of any building sewers or sewer line extensions, no person may construct, install, repair, reconstruct, excavate, or connect a building sewer or sewer line extension to the public sewer system unless the person is a sewer contractor holding a valid unsuspended current Certificate of Registration issued by the Department of Labor and Industries of the State of Washington pursuant to Chapter 18.27 RCW. The registered sewer contractor shall also be registered with the Department and licensed in construction general or as a specialty sanitation systems or side sewer contractor and shall have filed with Pierce County a currently valid Street Obstruction Bond. Any contractors that violate any portion of this Sewer Code may be suspended or barred from the Department's registration list for a period of time to be determined by the Director.

1. A Sewer Service Permit may be granted to the owners of a mobile home park to perform the connection of a mobile home and/or the disconnection (capping) of a mobile home when the connection and/or disconnection will be made to or from an existing standpipe without excavation and with the footprint of the mobile home. Any mobile home park owner that is found to have connected or disconnected any mobile homes without the proper permits may be required to hire a registered sewer contractor to perform any sewer work.

C. Private Operation of Pumping Facilities. Pumping facilities installed on private property by and at the expense of a property owner shall be owned, operated, and maintained by the property owner. No pumping facility will be permitted to serve more than three separate dwelling units (or 3 REs) unless it contains two pumps. The private pumping facility and force main will be permitted to serve only those structures located on a single parcel of property.

The Sewer Facility Plan for the pumping facilities must be prepared by a registered professional engineer and must be submitted to the Department for review and approval. Department approval of the pumping facilities shall not guarantee that the pumping facility will operate as designed.

The Department shall not accept for review the Sewer Facility Plan for any pumping facility prior to the payment of the plan review fee outlined in this Sewer Code.

D. Building Sewer for Each Building – Exceptions. No more than one building shall be connected to a single building sewer unless said connection is approved in writing by the Director in response to a Waiver Request Application, except as follows:

1. One single-family (detached) building or duplex building and an accessory structure may be connected to the same building sewer if they are located on the same parcel.

2. All dwelling units of a single-family (attached) building may be connected to the same building sewer if they are located on the same parcel and building sewer is at least six inches in diameter from the sewer main to the point of common connection.

3. One single-family (detached) building or duplex building and one single-family (detached) building or duplex on a separate parcel may be connected to the same building sewer if a perpetual reciprocal easement, mutual maintenance agreement, and covenant running with the land have been signed by all affected property owners and recorded with the Pierce County Auditor's Office, and the building sewer is at least six inches in diameter from the sewer main to the point of common connection.

    The exceptions listed above shall not be construed as a waiver of any other Section of the Sewer Code.

E. Mutual Maintenance Agreement and Easement. If it is determined that a special condition(s) requires more than one separately owned building or structure to be served by an existing or proposed single building sewer or private collector line, the owners of the properties must enter into a Perpetual Reciprocal Easement, Mutual Maintenance Agreement and Covenant Running With The Land. This agreement shall include perpetual mutual easements for the private sewer facilities and provisions for mutual maintenance and access purposes. This agreement shall be signed by the property owners to be served by the private facility and recorded with the Pierce County Auditor's Office with a copy furnished to the Department prior to the issuance of a permit for the approval of the building sewer or private collector line.

F. Reuse of Old Building Sewers. Old building sewers, including septic tank lines, may be reused only when they are found on examination and test by the Department to meet all current requirements of this Sewer Code. This examination and test shall be at the applicant's expense.

G. Protection of Excavations and Restoration of Public Property. All excavations for building sewer or sewer line extension installations shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights in accordance with Pierce County Sewer Standards and local regulations 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 to original condition or better.

H. Backwater Valve Requirement. As a prerequisite for connecting to the public sewer system, the Department shall require the property owner of any structure having a plumbing drain located below the rim elevation of the nearest upstream manhole, or as required by the Department, to install an approved backwater valve to prevent wastewater from backing into the structure.

I. Information from the County. The property owner shall be responsible for obtaining from the Department the approximate location and elevation of the side sewer wye, tee, or stub at the point of connection and, in the case of new construction, for planning the building and plumbing outlet to provide adequate slope for connecting the building sewer to the side sewer stub. The property owner shall be responsible for determining the available grade between plumbing outlet and the side sewer wye, tee or stub. All Department-supplied information shall be field checked by the property owner or the owner's representative prior to design and construction. The County is not liable for inaccurate information provided to the Department by others.

J. Conveyance of Sewers to the County. Any sewer constructed in a public right-of-way or sewer easement area shall be dedicated to the County and thereafter shall be considered a public sewer facility under the jurisdiction of the County subject to acceptance by the Department and provided that:

1. All charges, inspection fees, and other payments due to the County as provided for in this Sewer Code shall be paid and, if applicable, legal documents shall be executed dedicating and acknowledging sewer easements for all portions of the facility located on private property. The cost of all aspects of the conveyance shall be at no cost to the County;

2. At the discretion of the Director, a sewer to be constructed in a private road may be required to be conveyed to the County. The property owner(s) of record of the private road(s) (for all new short plats, formal plats and large lot subdivisions) shall grant a perpetual easement to the County for the right of immediate entry and continued access for the construction, improvement, maintenance and repair of sewer and water facilities;

3. Prior to the Department accepting such a conveyance, the property owner and/or developer shall certify that the facility, as constructed, complies with Pierce County Sewer Standards as required under PCC 13.04.020 and other applicable Sections of this Sewer Code; and

4. Upon completion of installation, the sewer facility shall be conveyed to the County free and clear of all liens or encumbrances.

K. Disconnection of Building Sewer and Sewer Line Extensions. No building or structure may be disconnected from a building sewer and no building sewer or sewer line extension may be disconnected from the public sewer system for any reason without prior written notification to, and approval by, the Director. No approval shall be given unless the disconnection is lawful under this Code and other applicable laws, and satisfactory protection is given by the owner or his contractor to the public sewer system including, but not limited to, the satisfactory capping of the building sewer.

L. Performance and Maintenance Bonds. Any owner or developer who constructs any sewer facilities pursuant to this Sewer Code shall furnish to the County a performance bond naming the County as beneficiary or payee in a minimum amount of 100 percent of the value of the improvements to be constructed within the existing public rights-of-way and easements dedicated to the County. Said performance bond in a penal sum equal to a minimum of the amount described above shall be conditioned upon the performance by the owner of all undertakings, covenants, terms, conditions, and agreements, and upon the prompt payment by the owner to all persons supplying labor and materials for the completion of the work. Such bond shall be executed by the owner and a corporate bonding company licensed to transact such businesses in the State of Washington and approved by the Pierce County Finance Department.

The performance bond shall be replaced after the construction is completed and accepted by the Department for operation with a maintenance bond equal to the greater of $5,000.00 or 10 percent of the value of improvements of that which is to be dedicated to the County. The maintenance bond shall insure against defects appearing or developing in the material or workmanship within a period of up to two years after acceptance for operation. At the end of the guarantee period, the bond shall be released provided no latent defects have been discovered on the project. The expense of the bond shall be borne by the owner. If at any time a surety on any such bond is declared bankrupt or loses its right to do business in the State of Washington, the owner shall substitute an acceptable bond (or bonds) in such form and sum and signed by such other surety or sureties as may be satisfactory to the County. The premiums on such bonds shall be paid by the owner.

(Ord. 2018-99s § 1 (part), 2018; Ord. 2017-68s § 2 (part), 2017; Ord. 2017-12s § 2 (part), 2017; Ord. 2013-25s § 2 (part), 2013)