Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1208
By Senator Truenow
13-01439A-25 20251208__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to service lateral assessment and
3 rehabilitation; creating s. 403.4156, F.S.; providing
4 a purpose; defining terms; requiring all utility
5 systems to establish and maintain a comprehensive
6 condition assessment program for service laterals
7 under their jurisdiction; providing applicability;
8 authorizing utility systems to contract the
9 assessments to certain entities; providing
10 requirements for such entities; providing requirements
11 for such assessments; requiring each service lateral
12 to be inspected on a certain cycle; providing
13 requirements for such inspections; requiring each
14 service lateral to be assigned a unique pipe
15 identification or asset identification number;
16 providing construction; requiring each inspected
17 lateral to receive a certain score; requiring certain
18 inspection data to be recorded and maintained in a
19 secure cloud-based platform; requiring data to be
20 maintained for a certain timeframe; providing
21 requirements for how condition assessment data must be
22 maintained; requiring certain lateral pipes to be
23 flagged for immediate consideration under a certain
24 program; requiring each utility system to maintain a
25 lateral monolithic repair program; providing
26 applicability; requiring the utility system to execute
27 the rehabilitation or replacement of flagged service
28 laterals using certain methods; providing for a
29 complete seal at certain points; requiring such
30 rehabilitation take place in a certain timeframe;
31 providing construction; providing for enforcement and
32 compliance; requiring utility systems to annually
33 submit specified reports to the Department of
34 Environmental Protection; providing penalties;
35 authorizing the state to establish incentive programs,
36 grants, or to match funds to support utility systems
37 in developing or enhancing their condition assessment
38 programs; providing for funding; providing an
39 effective date.
40
41 WHEREAS, numerous studies, including data from the
42 Department of Environmental Protection and Water Environment
43 Federation case analyses, indicate that a substantial percentage
44 of infiltration and inflow into wastewater collection systems
45 originates from private-side service laterals and that lack of
46 oversight and limited enforcement authority over privately owned
47 lateral segments compound this issue, and
48 WHEREAS, in the past 20 years, the state’s wastewater
49 systems have spilled or improperly discharged over 2.5 billion
50 gallons of raw or partially treated sewage into the environment
51 and a significant portion reached waterways, causing
52 catastrophic environmental damage and public health threats, and
53 WHEREAS, the state is projected to exceed 3 billion gallons
54 of sewage leakage since 2000, most of which can be traced back
55 to failing or leaky lateral pipelines, and
56 WHEREAS, excessive infiltration from deteriorated service
57 laterals frequently overloads utility treatment capacities,
58 leading to sanitary sewer overflows and environmental hazards
59 and these overflows compromise water quality, harm aquatic
60 ecosystems, and pose severe public health risks, and
61 WHEREAS, insufficient monitoring and lack of clear remedial
62 protocols for laterals have allowed structural defects and
63 infiltration and inflow sources to remain largely unaddressed,
64 and
65 WHEREAS, this act aims to rectify these deficiencies
66 through uniform inspection, public transparency, and mandatory
67 rehabilitation requirements, NOW, THEREFORE,
68
69 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
70
71 Section 1. Section 403.4156, Florida Statutes, is created
72 to read:
73 403.4156 Florida Service Lateral Assessment and
74 Rehabilitation Act.—
75 (1) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to:
76 (a) Ensure that all utility systems, public and private,
77 deploy comprehensive inspection methods to evaluate the
78 structural integrity and infiltration and inflow risks of
79 service laterals from the utility mainline connection to the
80 edge of each building structure.
81 (b) Establish minimum requirements for data collection,
82 long-term archiving, and accessible reporting, thereby enhancing
83 infrastructure reliability and protecting Florida’s water
84 resources.
85 (c) Promote complete and proper structural rehabilitation
86 of service laterals, ensuring a monolithic seal at the main
87 lateral connection point that mitigates infiltration, enhances
88 infrastructure lifecycles, ensures environmental compliance, and
89 lowers the risk of sanitary sewer overflow events.
90 (2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term:
91 (a) “CCTV lateral launch camera system” means a closed
92 circuit television inspection system capable of traversing from
93 the mainline sewer into the service lateral for the purpose of
94 visual evaluation.
95 (b) “Condition assessment program” means a structured
96 inspection, data collection, and risk evaluation methodology
97 designed to identify and prioritize structural and infiltration
98 and inflow issues in sewer laterals.
99 (c) “Monolithic repair” means pipe repair or rehabilitation
100 resulting in no joints or seams, including all points where the
101 lateral connects to the structure, the mainline, and any
102 required cleanouts, ensuring a fully sealed and continuous
103 system.
104 (d) “NASSCO LACP protocols” means the National Association
105 of Sewer Service Companies’ Lateral Assessment Certification
106 Program guidelines for standardized inspection, coding, and
107 condition rating of sewer laterals.
108 (e) “Pipeline severity score” means a composite condition
109 rating applied to each lateral pipeline after a proper
110 assessment under NASSCO LACP protocols which includes both of
111 the following:
112 1. The pipe rating index score.
113 2. The likelihood of failure score.
114 (f) “Service lateral” or “lateral” means the underground
115 sewer pipeline that connects a property or building to a
116 utility’s mainline sewer pipe. The term includes the entire
117 length of the lateral pipe from the utility system’s mainline
118 sewer to the edge of the building structure, and not just up to
119 the property line or utility easement.
120 (g) “Utility system” means a government agency, a
121 municipality, a private utility entity, or an entity under
122 contract with such agencies or entities which owns, operates, or
123 maintains sewer infrastructure in this state.
124 (3) CONDITION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—
125 (a) Every utility system operating within this state shall
126 establish and maintain a comprehensive condition assessment
127 program for all service laterals under its jurisdiction.
128 1. This paragraph applies uniformly to all utility systems,
129 regardless of public or private ownership, size, or service
130 area.
131 2. If a utility system chooses not to undertake the
132 condition assessment program assessments directly, it may
133 contract the assessments to a reputable licensed entity holding
134 either a general contractor’s license with a plumbing license,
135 or an underground utility license. All contractors and
136 technicians performing assessments must be certified by the
137 NASSCO Pipeline Assessment Certification Program, Lateral
138 Assessment Certification Program, or Manhole Assessment
139 Certification Program to ensure quality and consistency with
140 industry standards.
141 (b) Each service lateral within the utility system shall be
142 inspected at least once every 7 years.
143 1. Inspections shall include a full assessment from the
144 mainline sewer connection point to the edge of the building
145 structure.
146 2. Utilities must develop and maintain a proactive schedule
147 ensuring that 100 percent of all service laterals are inspected
148 within each 7-year cycle.
149 3. CCTV lateral launch camera systems shall be used to
150 perform all inspections.
151 4. All inspections must follow the NASSCO LACP protocols,
152 including standardized coding and condition ratings.
153 (c)1. Each service lateral must be assigned a unique pipe
154 identification or asset identification number which shall appear
155 on all corresponding condition assessment documentation and
156 inspection reports. This unique identifier must be compatible
157 with and easily integrable into any existing geographic
158 information system or asset management database maintained by
159 the utility system.
160 2. Each lateral shall receive a pipeline severity score
161 indicating any observed or potential structural defects,
162 infiltration, or inflow concerns.
163 (d) All inspection videos, reports, condition ratings, and
164 supplementary data shall be recorded and retained in a secure,
165 cloud-based platform.
166 1. Data shall be maintained for at least two full
167 inspection cycles, a minimum of 14 years, ensuring availability
168 for regulatory review and historical reference.
169 2. Condition assessment data must be maintained in a
170 publicly accessible database for properties where defective,
171 damaged, or deteriorated service laterals are identified. For
172 each property, the database shall include, at a minimum:
173 a. The property address.
174 b. The date of inspection.
175 c. The pipeline severity score.
176 d. The general condition summary.
177 e. The unique pipe identification or asset identification
178 number.
179 (e) Any lateral with a pipe rating index score above 3.5 or
180 a likelihood of failure score at or above 4 must be flagged for
181 immediate consideration under the lateral monolithic repair
182 program.
183 (f) Each utility system shall establish and maintain a
184 lateral monolithic repair program.
185 1. The lateral monolithic repair program applies to any
186 service lateral identified during the condition assessment
187 program to have a pipe rating index score above 3.5 or a
188 likelihood of failure score at or above 4. Such laterals are
189 deemed to have a detrimental effect on the utility system’s
190 capacity and are at high risk for infiltration and inflow events
191 likely to contribute to sanitary sewer overflows, environmental
192 damage, and public health threats.
193 2. Under the lateral monolithic repair program, the utility
194 system shall execute timely rehabilitation or replacement of the
195 flagged service laterals using non-disruptive trenchless
196 technology methods, thereby mitigating infiltration, restoring
197 structural integrity, and minimizing community impact and costs.
198 A complete seal at the main and lateral connection point must be
199 ensured to create a monolithic system that prevents infiltration
200 and extends asset lifecycle.
201 3. For any lateral placed into the lateral monolithic
202 repair program, rehabilitation must be completed within 12
203 months from the date the issues are discovered. The
204 rehabilitation work must be performed by a certified general
205 contractor who also holds either a certified plumbing or
206 underground utility license.
207 a. A two-way cleanout must be installed at the property and
208 utility easement line to facilitate future inspections and
209 minimize further disruptions.
210 b. A seamless, single-piece lateral connection seal must be
211 installed at the main-lateral connection point to fully close
212 the annular space. This seal may not rely on any additional
213 mechanical means such as hydrophilic gaskets.
214 c. The service lateral itself must be rehabilitated to
215 create a fully monolithic system from the mainline sewer to the
216 structure, bonded to the host pipe for maximum structural
217 durability and longevity. All materials used shall have a
218 minimum life expectancy of 50 years and comply with American
219 Society for Testing and Materials standards governing cured-in
220 place pipe in alignment with the Florida Building Code.
221 (4) ENFORCEMENT, COMPLIANCE, REPORTS.—
222 (a) The department or any successor agency shall implement
223 and enforce this section.
224 (b) Utility systems shall submit annual compliance reports
225 to the department detailing progress toward meeting inspection
226 schedules, summary of condition findings, and any follow-up
227 actions, particularly under the lateral monolithic repair
228 program, for at-risk laterals.
229 (5) PENALTIES.—
230 (a) Utility systems found to be noncompliant with any
231 provision of this section may be subject to administrative
232 fines, notices of violation, or other enforcement measures
233 deemed appropriate by the department.
234 (b) Continued noncompliance may result in escalated
235 penalties, including, but not limited to, suspension of certain
236 operational permits and eligibility for state funding or grants.
237 (6) INCENTIVES.—The state may establish incentive programs,
238 grants, or matching funds to support utility systems in
239 developing or enhancing their condition assessment programs and
240 monolithic repair efforts.
241 (7) FUNDING.—State or local funds allocated for
242 environmental preservation or protection of water quality may be
243 applied to this program in order to expedite sewer system
244 improvements and reduce infiltration and inflow impacts.
245 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.