El Cerrito, Kensington and Richmond Annex Sewer Lateral Rules

If you live in El Cerrito, Kensington, or the Richmond Annex, your sewer lateral permit doesn't come from a city. It comes from the Stege Sanitary District, which runs the sewers in all three areas. EBMUD still issues the Compliance Certificate, and has since the district joined the regional program in October 2011.

Quick facts. Certificate: EBMUD Compliance Certificate. Owner's part: the whole lateral, including the connection at the main. Permit: Stege Sanitary District, not needed for a test-only job. Contractors: must be registered with the district. Stege contact: (510) 524-4667, 7500 Schmidt Lane, El Cerrito.

You own it all the way to the main

Stege says the property owner is responsible for the entire sanitary sewer lateral, up to and including the connection at the sewer main. That's the same as Oakland. Neighboring Albany, by contrast, stops at the curbside cleanout.

When you need a certificate

The EBMUD triggers apply:

• Transfer of title, such as a sale
• Building or remodeling over $100,000
• Changing the size of the water meter

You contact EBMUD yourself to schedule the inspection. Stege no longer keeps records of certificate status, so for questions about your property, go to EBMUD at (866) 403-2683 or eastbaypsl.com.

No permit for a test only

This is the opposite of Emeryville and Piedmont. Stege requires a construction permit for any new lateral or any repair or change to an existing one. But no permit is needed for a test-only job, meaning an air or water pressure test with no changes to the lateral. If your lateral passes as-is, you deal with EBMUD alone.

When there is work, the district oversees everything outside the building foundation. Plumbing inside the building falls under the local building department: the City of El Cerrito, Contra Costa County for Kensington, or the City of Richmond for the Richmond Annex. Work in the street or sidewalk may also need a separate encroachment permit from the local agency.

Permit fees

Stege's published fees for an existing lateral are low:

• Repair or replacement of an existing lateral: $25 for the construction permit and inspection
• New sewer laterals: a $5 plan approval fee and a $150 inspection fee, plus connection fees for new residential or commercial construction

EBMUD's $407 Compliance Certificate fee is separate, and so is any city or county encroachment permit, which we haven't confirmed.

Your contractor has to be registered with Stege

Plumbing contractors have to register with the district before they can work in its area. To register, a contractor needs:

• A California license in one of these classes: A (general engineering), B (general building), C-34 (pipeline), C-36 (plumbing), or C-42 (sanitation)
• Workers' compensation, plus general and auto liability coverage of at least $1,000,000, with the district named as an additional insured
• A Cal/OSHA permit for any excavation 5 feet deep or more

Stege keeps a list of registered contractors. Before you sign a bid, check that the contractor is on it.

Remodeling? Stege sees your plans first

Building plans in El Cerrito, Kensington, and the Richmond Annex go to Stege for review and a stamp before you submit them to the city or county. You walk in with printed full-size plans, usually 3 sets, and the district turns them around in about 24 hours. No application form is needed. Large projects may need a sewer capacity study, and properties in El Cerrito's San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan area pay a capacity impact fee instead.

A no-interest loan, if you fix it before you have to

Stege offers a Private Sewer Lateral Replacement Loan of up to $30,000 at no interest, with deferred payments. The catch is timing. You only qualify if your lateral has not already triggered the regional program, so it's not for a sale, a big remodel, or a meter change. It rewards owners who replace their lateral ahead of time. How it works:

• Submit the loan application signed by the owner, with three replacement bids from qualified contractors dated within 90 days.
• District staff usually respond within a week.
• If approved, you sign and notarize a Contractual Assessment Agreement, which is recorded as a lien on the property.
• Stege pays the contractor directly, based on the lowest qualified bid, up to $30,000.
• You repay over no more than 10 years through your county property tax bill, with no prepayment penalty.

Loans are first come, first served while funding lasts.

Extensions and certificate length

Extensions come from EBMUD. A Time Extension Certificate costs $142, needs a $4,500 refundable deposit at title transfer, and gives you 180 days from its issue date. A certificate lasts 20 years after a full replacement and 7 years otherwise. If your parcel already has a valid, unexpired certificate or similar paperwork, EBMUD says it's exempt from the regional rules until that expires.

Related guides

• How to get an EBMUD Compliance Certificate, step by step
• Selling a home: who pays, the Time Extension Certificate, and exempt transfers
• What the certificate and the work cost
• Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda side by side

Other nearby cities

• Berkeley
• Alameda
• Piedmont
• Emeryville
• Albany
• Oakland