Florida Senate - 2023 SB 1420
By Senator Rodriguez
40-00542-23 20231420__
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 jurisdictions 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; specifying requirements for such
12 notification; providing that counties and
13 municipalities that establish evaluation and
14 rehabilitation programs are responsible for all work
15 done on private property; requiring counties and
16 municipalities to ensure property is restored to pre
17 work condition; specifying requirements for counties
18 and municipalities repair work; requiring counties and
19 municipalities that establish programs to consider
20 economical methods for the counties and
21 municipalities, rather than the property owners, to
22 complete such work; authorizing a program established
23 by a county or a municipality to evaluate and
24 rehabilitate sanitary sewer laterals on residential
25 and commercial properties to use state or local funds
26 allocated for environmental preservation or the
27 protection of water quality; providing that counties
28 and municipalities may establish and implement
29 alternative evaluation and rehabilitation programs to
30 identify and reduce extraneous flow from leaking
31 sanitary sewer laterals; providing an effective date.
32
33 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
34
35 Section 1. Section 125.569, Florida Statutes, is amended to
36 read:
37 125.569 County sanitary sewer lateral inspections
38 inspection programs for counties.—
39 (1) As used in this section, the term:
40 (a) “Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
41 without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
42 connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
43 (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
44 pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
45 maintained and repaired by the property owner.
46 (2) A county may access any sanitary sewer lateral within
47 its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair, recondition, or
48 replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
49 (3) By July 1, 2022, Each county may is encouraged to
50 establish an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary
51 sewer laterals on residential and commercial properties within
52 the county’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce extraneous flow
53 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a minimum, the program
54 may do all of the following:
55 (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
56 deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
57 commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the county. If
58 a county identifies a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
59 sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program to eliminate
60 extraneous flow, the county:
61 1. Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
62 mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
63 within 14 days after receiving the notice, the county intends to
64 access the owner’s property to address the defective, damaged,
65 or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must identify
66 the issue, inform the property owner that he or she will be
67 indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and provide
68 a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the project,
69 including start and completion dates.
70 2. Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
71 property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
72 access the sanitary sewer lateral, the county must ensure that
73 the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
74 after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
75 sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
76 a. Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
77 connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
78 installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
79 system by a Florida-licensed plumber.
80 b. Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
81 camera system operated by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
82 Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment Certification Program
83 (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
84 and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
85 describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
86 system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
87 the structure.
88 (b) Consider economical methods for the county a property
89 owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
90 sanitary sewer lateral.
91 (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
92 to store information concerning properties where a defective,
93 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
94 identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
95 not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
96 persons the county notified concerning the faulty sanitary sewer
97 lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
98 (d) Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
99 environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
100 (4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), a county may elect to
101 establish and implement an alternative evaluation and
102 rehabilitation program to identify and reduce extraneous flow
103 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals.
104 Section 2. Section 166.0481, Florida Statutes, is amended
105 to read:
106 166.0481 Municipal sanitary sewer lateral inspections
107 inspection programs for municipalities.—
108 (1) As used in this section, the term:
109 (a) “Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
110 without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
111 connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
112 (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
113 pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
114 maintained and repaired by the property owner.
115 (2) A municipality may access any sanitary sewer lateral
116 within its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair,
117 recondition, or replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
118 (3) By July 1, 2022, Each municipality may is encouraged to
119 establish an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary
120 sewer laterals on residential and commercial properties within
121 the municipality’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce
122 extraneous flow from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a
123 minimum, the program may do all of the following:
124 (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
125 deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
126 commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the
127 municipality. If a municipality identifies a defective, damaged,
128 or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program
129 to eliminate extraneous flow, the municipality:
130 1. Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
131 mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
132 within 14 days after receiving the notice, the municipality
133 intends to access the owner’s property to address the defective,
134 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must
135 identify the issue, inform the property owner that he or she
136 will be indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and
137 provide a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the
138 project, including start and completion dates.
139 2. Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
140 property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
141 access the sanitary sewer lateral, the municipality must ensure
142 that the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
143 after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
144 sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
145 a. Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
146 connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
147 installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
148 system by a Florida-licensed plumber.
149 b. Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
150 camera system operated by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
151 Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment Certification Program
152 (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
153 and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
154 describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
155 system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
156 the structure.
157 (b) Consider economical methods for the municipality a
158 property owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or
159 deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral.
160 (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
161 to store information concerning properties where a defective,
162 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
163 identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
164 not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
165 persons the municipality notified concerning the faulty sanitary
166 sewer lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
167 (d) Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
168 environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
169 (4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), a municipality may
170 elect to establish and implement an alternative evaluation and
171 rehabilitation program to identify and reduce extraneous flow
172 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals.
173 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.