Florida Senate - 2022 SB 608
By Senator Brodeur
9-00523-22 2022608__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to sanitary sewer lateral inspection
3 programs; amending ss. 125.569 and 166.0481, F.S.;
4 defining the term “continuous monolithic pipe system”;
5 authorizing counties and municipalities, respectively,
6 to access sanitary sewer laterals within their
7 jurisdiction for specified purposes; requiring
8 counties and municipalities to notify private property
9 owners within a specified timeframe if the county or
10 municipality intends to access the owner’s sanitary
11 sewer lateral; providing that counties and
12 municipalities that establish programs are legally and
13 financially responsible for all work done; requiring
14 counties and municipalities that establish programs to
15 consider economical methods for the counties and
16 municipalities, rather than the property owners, to
17 complete such work; authorizing a program established
18 by a county or a municipality to evaluate and
19 rehabilitate sanitary sewer laterals on residential
20 and commercial properties to use state or local funds
21 allocated for environmental preservation or the
22 protection of water quality; providing an effective
23 date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Section 125.569, Florida Statutes, is amended to
28 read:
29 125.569 County sanitary sewer lateral inspections
30 inspection programs for counties.—
31 (1) As used in this section, the term:
32 (a) “Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
33 without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
34 connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
35 (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
36 pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
37 maintained and repaired by the property owner.
38 (2) A county may access any sanitary sewer lateral within
39 its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair, recondition, or
40 replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
41 (3) By July 1, 2022, Each county is encouraged to establish
42 an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary sewer
43 laterals on residential and commercial properties within the
44 county’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce extraneous flow
45 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a minimum, the program
46 may do all of the following:
47 (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
48 deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
49 commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the county. If
50 a county identifies a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
51 sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program to eliminate
52 extraneous flow, the county:
53 1. Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
54 mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
55 within 14 days after receiving the notice, the county intends to
56 access the owner’s property to address the defective, damaged,
57 or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must identify
58 the issue, inform the property owner that he or she will be
59 indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and provide
60 a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the project,
61 including start and completion dates.
62 2. Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
63 property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
64 access the sanitary sewer lateral, the county must ensure that
65 the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
66 after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
67 sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
68 a. Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
69 connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
70 installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
71 system by a Florida-licensed plumber; and
72 b. Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
73 camera system conducted by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
74 Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment and Certification Program
75 (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
76 and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
77 describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
78 system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
79 the structure.
80 (b) Consider economical methods for the county a property
81 owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
82 sanitary sewer lateral.
83 (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
84 to store information concerning properties where a defective,
85 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
86 identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
87 not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
88 persons the county notified concerning the faulty sanitary sewer
89 lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
90 (d) Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
91 environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
92 Section 2. Section 166.0481, Florida Statutes, is amended
93 to read:
94 166.0481 Municipal sanitary sewer lateral inspections
95 inspection programs for municipalities.—
96 (1) As used in this section, the term:
97 (a) “Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
98 without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
99 connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
100 (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
101 pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
102 maintained and repaired by the property owner.
103 (2) A municipality may access any sanitary sewer lateral
104 within its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair,
105 recondition, or replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
106 (3) By July 1, 2022, Each municipality is encouraged to
107 establish an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary
108 sewer laterals on residential and commercial properties within
109 the municipality’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce
110 extraneous flow from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a
111 minimum, the program may do all of the following:
112 (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
113 deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
114 commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the
115 municipality. If a municipality identifies a defective, damaged,
116 or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program
117 to eliminate extraneous flow, the municipality:
118 1. Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
119 mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
120 within 14 days after receiving the notice, the municipality
121 intends to access the owner’s property to address the defective,
122 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must
123 identify the issue, inform the property owner that he or she
124 will be indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and
125 provide a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the
126 project, including start and completion dates.
127 2. Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
128 property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
129 access the sanitary sewer lateral, the municipality must ensure
130 that the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
131 after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
132 sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
133 a. Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
134 connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
135 installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
136 system by a Florida-licensed plumber; and
137 b. Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
138 camera system conducted by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
139 Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment and Certification Program
140 (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
141 and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
142 describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
143 system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
144 the structure.
145 (b) Consider economical methods for the municipality a
146 property owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or
147 deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral.
148 (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
149 to store information concerning properties where a defective,
150 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
151 identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
152 not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
153 persons the municipality notified concerning the faulty sanitary
154 sewer lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
155 (d) Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
156 environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
157 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.