What is Sewer Compliance?

The concern isn’t about sewer water leaking into the ground – it’s about rainwater getting into the sewage system. Your sewer line must be watertight so that no rainwater can seep into the sewers. When too much rainwater seeps into a sewer line, excess sewage water spills into the San Francisco Bay. The effort to keep the Bay clean is called the East Bay Regional Private Sewer Lateral (PSL) Program.

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Your sewer is in compliance if your property’s private sewer lateral has received a Compliance Certificate from EBMUD, or the City of Berkeley, Albany, Alameda, Richmond and some cities in Contra Costa County. See Pipe Spy’s “sewer responsibility” infographic for details about your responsibility for upper and lower laterals on your property. There are some exceptions, so please call Pipe Spy for up-to-date information about sewer compliance for your location.

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The process of obtaining a compliance certificate might be as simple as scheduling an inspection. Once your Pipe Spy service technician inspects your sewer, we'll let you know if we think your sewer will “pass” the compliance process without repairs. If so, we’ll simply submit the video and compliance application for you. If our camera inspection shows any potential problems, our service technician will provide you with an expert diagnosis and a free estimate for the repair or replacement of your sewer line. Once the sewer problems have been fixed, we manage the compliance certificate application process for you, keeping you informed of every step.