A sanitary sewer lateral carries wastewater from your home (toilets, sinks, etc.) to the City’s public sanitary sewer mainline to receive treatment. Property owners are responsible for laterals. The City of Hillsboro Public Works is responsible for the public mainline. 

Sanitary sewer laterals remove wastewater from private property. Property owners are responsible for their laterals. Blockages, damages, or breaks can cause a disruption in services, lead to overflows, or have costly repairs. Visit the Sanitary Sewer webpage for more information.

Additionally, Oregon State law, Clean Water Services, and City of Hillsboro code require property owners to maintain their lateral to a minimum condition.

Proper locating of underground utilities prevents damage to private infrastructure and/or disruption in services. Permanently marking laterals will protect infrastructure and improve utility locate efficiency.

This project is also in compliance with Oregon State law. In 2014, the Oregon Department of Justice issued a letter clarifying that locate responsibility of laterals in public right-of-way is the responsibility of the cities or the utility operators. The public right-of-way is land or an easement used for public roads, such as streets and sidewalks.

Utility locating is the process of identifying and marking the location of an underground utility line, pipe, or cable, such as gas lines, fiberoptics, and power lines.

Dig Safely Oregon promotes safe digging by providing information for locate requests, Oregon Excavation Laws, and Call Before You Dig issues. Visit the Oregon 811 website for more information.

Green spray paint is used to temporarily mark the location of the private lateral line as it enters the public right-of-way. The constructors use this temporary mark to install a permanent tag along the curb.

 Utility paint marks are temporary and designed to fade within days to a few weeks. The color of the paint is specific to a utility. If you have questions about other utility markings, contact the utility. 

The City is using a qualified sewer contractor to conduct inspections from the public mainline. Camera inspection equipment enters the sanitary sewer system from a local manhole. The equipment can be tracked from the surface in order to accurate mark the location of the lateral.

The City may reach out to property owners if significant damage is observed or concerning conditions are noted during the utility locating process. It should be noted that the inspection is only from the public mainline and does not provide a full run of the private lateral.

Any finds are based on a limited inspection and do not include a full evaluation of the entirety of the lateral. Notifications are provided as a courtesy, and it is up to the property owner to determine if they would like to take additional steps.

Plumbers or specialized sewer line contractors can be hired by the property owner to repair their lateral. Oregon Homebuilder Law, ORS 701, requires all construction contractors to be registered with the State of Oregon Construction Contractors Board before they offer to undertake work, submit a bid, or advertise.

It is advised to hire a licensed and bonded contractor that will obtain a Right-of-Way Permit and Plumbing Permit.