(1) Plumber to Make Connections. Any installation of a private sewer and its connection to a public sewer shall be made by a competent plumber with experience in laying drain and sewer pipes.

(2) Permit for Connection. Any person desiring to make a connection with the sewer system shall first file with the clerk an application therefor, on blanks furnished by the city, setting forth the location and description of the property to be connected with the sewer system and for what purpose the sewer is to be used.

(3) Permit Fee. The person who makes the application shall pay the clerk to cover the cost of issuing the permit and supervising, regulating, and inspecting the work.

(4) Inspection. All connections with the sanitary sewer system before being covered shall be inspected and approved, in writing, by the superintendent. As soon as all pipe work from the public sewer to inside the building has been completed, and before any backfilling is done, the superintendent shall be notified and he shall inspect and test the work as to workmanship and material. No sewer pipe laid underground shall be covered or trenches filled until after the sewer has been so inspected and approved. If the superintendent refuses to approve the work, the plumber or owner must proceed immediately to correct the work.

(5) Connection Deadline. All approved connection permits shall require the owner to complete construction and connection of the building sewer to the public sewer within 30 days from the approval of the permit.

(6) Extension of Time. When, in the judgment of the superintendent, a property owner on application has made sufficient showing that due to conditions beyond his control or peculiar hardship, the period of time set forth for the completion of the connection shall be inequitable or unfair to him, an extension of time within which to comply with the provisions herewith may be granted.

(7) Old Building Sewers. Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the superintendent, to meet all requirements of this chapter.

(8) Preparation of Basement or Crawl Space. No connection for any residence, business or other structure with any sanitary sewer shall be made unless the basement floor is poured, or in the case of a building with a slab or crawl space, unless the ground floor is installed with the area adjacent to the foundation of such building cleared of debris and backfilled. The backfill shall be well compacted and graded so that the drainage is away from the foundation. Prior to the time the basement floor is poured, or the first floor is installed in buildings without basements, the sewer shall be plugged and the plug shall be sealed by the superintendent. Any accumulation of water in any excavation or basement during construction and prior to connection to the sanitary sewer shall be removed by means other than draining into the sanitary sewer.

(9) Watercourse Crossings. No sewer connection shall be laid so that it is exposed when crossing any watercourse. Where an old watercourse must of necessity be crossed and where there is any danger of undermining or settlement, cast iron soil pipe or vitrified clay sewer pipe thoroughly encased in concrete shall be required for such crossings. Such encasement shall extend at least six inches on all sides of the pipe. The cast iron pipe or encased clay pipe shall rest on firm, solid material at either end.

(10) Sewer Taps – Wyes. Connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall be made at the “Y” branch, if such branch is available at a suitable location. If no properly located “Y” branch is available, the property owner shall at his own expense install a “Y” saddle with mortar in the public sewer at the location specified by the superintendent.

(11) Alignment and Grade. All four-inch building sewers shall be laid to a straight line and at a grade of not less than one-fourth inch per foot. A six-inch building sewer may be laid at a grade of not less than one-eighth inch per foot. Any deviation in alignment or grade shall be made only with the written approval of the superintendent.

(12) Pipe Specifications. Building sewer pipe shall be free from flaws, splits, or breaks. Materials shall be as specified in the State Plumbing Code except that the building sewer pipe, from the property line to the public sewer, shall comply with one of the following requirements:

(13) Jointing. Fittings, type of joint, and jointing material shall be commensurate with the type of pipe used and subject to the approval of the superintendent, subject to the following specific requirements. Jointing in vitrified clay pipe sanitary sewers shall be of the O-ring or plastic jointing known as A.S.T.M. C-425 Types I and III, flexible compression joints. Cast iron pipe shall be lead jointed, properly swagged tight, or installed with approved gaskets.

(14) Sewage Lifts. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer.

(15) Property Owner’s Responsibility. All costs and expenses incident to the installation, connection and maintenance of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer. [Code 1975 § 3-3.0113.]