O26841
City Council Meeting November 9, 2021 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER 2684 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA MODIFYING SECTION 7.04.610 OF THE SANTA MONICA
MUNICIPAL CODE TO CLARIFY SEWER CAPPING REQUIREMENTS
WHEREAS, the Water Resources Division is responsible for the operation and
maintenance of the City’s wastewater infrastructure, including over 150 miles of
wastewater collection pipes throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, to support new construction and demolition projects, Santa Monica
Municipal Code (SMMC) Section 7.04.610 details the requirement to cap sanitary sewer
lines leading to the property as a temporary mitigation method during
construction/demolition to prevent debris from entering the sewer collection system; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Water Resources Division seeks to amend this section of
code to provide clarity and include instruction for sanitary sewer lines that: 1) need to be
capped temporarily for construction and 2) shall be removed at the main sewer line if the
sewer lateral(s) are planned to be abandoned.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
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SECTION 1. Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 7.04.610 is hereby amended
to read as follows:
7.04.610 Sewer capping.
(a) When the Building Officer issues a building demolition and/or moving permit,
the scope of work for that permit shall include capping the sanitary sewer at the
property line.
(b) An owner or possessor of land shall, within five days after demolition or
removal of any structure upon the land to which a sewer is attached, cause the
sewer to be capped at the property line. The capped sewer shall not be
backfilled until inspected by the Building Officer. The capped sewer line at the
property line is temporary to help facilitate demolition or removal of the
structure only and is intended to be placed back in service once the new
structure is completed.
(c) Should the owner or possessor choose to abandon the existing sewer line and
replace it with a new sewer connection to the City’s wastewater main, the
abandoned sewer connection shall be removed from the City’s wastewater
main. The proposed work shall be inspected and approved by the Wastewater
Supervisor within the City’s Water Resources Division and the Building Officer.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such
inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary
to effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
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SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this
Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any
court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would
have passed this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause,
or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion
of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the
official newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become
effective 30 days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
JOSEPH LAWRENCE
Interim City Attorney
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Approved and adopted this 9th day of November, 2021.
_____________________________
Sue Himmelrich, Mayor
State of California )
County of Los Angeles ) ss.
City of Santa Monica )
I, Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do
hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 2684 (CCS) had its introduction
on October 26, 2021 and was adopted at the Santa Monica City Council meeting
held on November 9, 2021, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, Negrete, Davis
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: Councilmember Parra
ATTEST:
_____________________________________ _________________
Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk Date
A summary of Ordinance No. 2684 (CCS) was duly published pursuant to
California Government Code Section 40806.
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11/11/2021