Building sewers and connections.
Cape Coral Code of Ordinances § 19-8.1
in effect§ 19-8.1 - Building sewers and connections.
(a) No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the city.
(b) The owner or his or her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the city. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the city.
(c) All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection 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.
(d) A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer, but the city does not and will not assume any obligation or responsibility for damage caused by or resulting from any such single connection aforementioned.
(e) Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the city, to meet all requirements of this article.
(f) The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in construction shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the city. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.
(g) In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, wastewater shall be pumped to the city's wastewater collection system.
(h) No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer unless the connection is approved for purposes of disposal of polluted surface drainage.
(i) The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the city when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection and testing shall be made under the supervision of the city or its representative.
(j) All excavations for building sewer installations shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights in compliance with all OSHA requirements so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.
(k) The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the city, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and the WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gas-tight and watertight and verified by proper testing. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the city before installation.
(l) If any house sewer permits entrance of infiltration or inflow, the city may:
(1) Require the owner to repair the house sewer;
(2) Charge the owner a sewer rate that reflects the additional cost of wastewater treatment from the owner's property; and
(3) Require the owner to disconnect his or her sewer from the city's sewer system.
(m) Where sewer service is unavailable, all costs associated with permit, construction and extension shall be the responsibility of the permit applicant.
(Ord. 63-89, 10-10-1989) (Ord. 63-89, 10-10-1989) (Ord. 63-89, 10-10-1989) (Ord. 97-86, § 1, 1-26-1987)
Source: City of Cape Coral, Florida, Code of Ordinances, City Charter and Land Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/cape_coral/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH19WASEUT_ARTIGEPR_S19-8.1BUSECOFetched: 11/4/2026