Public Comments Requested on City's Proposed Rules Governing Private Capping of a Neighbor's Sewer Line

News Article
Published

(Updated Feb. 21, 2020)

There was no request for a hearing on this proposed administrative rule. Therefore, the hearing scheduled for February 26, 2020 has been cancelled. However, written comments may be submitted through 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, 2020. Submit comments to Emily Sandy at emily.sandy@portlandoregon.gov.

(Feb. 3, 2020) Portland’s Bureau of Development Services (BDS) and Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) request comments from the public on proposed new administrative rules to be jointly adopted and administered by BDS and BES. The proposed rules would govern notification requirements applicable to a property owner who wishes to cap a neighbor’s private sewer that crosses the first property owner’s property without a recorded legal easement. If a property owner has a recorded legal easement for their private sewer to cross their neighbor’s property and the easement meets the requirements specified in the proposed rules, the City will not issue the neighbor a plumbing permit to cap the other property owner’s sewer line. The proposed rules primarily memorialize, and thereby improve transparency of, existing policies and practices.

The proposed rules and a fact sheet about the rule-making are available below. BDS and BES will accept public comment on this proposal from 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, through 5 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2020. BDS and BES will hold a joint public hearing by request only from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in Conference Room 4(a) (4th Floor) of the Development Services Center, 1900 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97201. BDS and BES will cancel the tentative hearing if they receive no hearing request by 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, and will post a cancellation notice on this page.

Please send comments, concerns, questions, or requests for a hearing to Emily Sandy at emily.sandy@portlandoregon.gov. You may also call 503-823-7828 for more information.

Proposed Rules & Fact Sheet

Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2020.