STEGE SANITARY DISTRICT
... it shall be the mission of the Stege Sanitary District to plan and implement a safe, efficient and economical wastewater collection and transfer system for the customers of the District. 

7500 Schmidt Lane
El Cerrito, CA 94530-0537		 (510) 524-4668 Office
(510) 524-4697 Fax		 (510) 524-4667
24-hour		 Mon - Thu 8:00am - 5:00pm
Fri 8:00am - 4:00pm

 Sewer Easements

ORDINANCE NO. 1793-0602
(PDF file, 55k)

Allowed Uses and Coverage
  • Lawns
  • Flowerbeds
  • Loose paving stones
 Prohibited Uses and Coverage
  • Permanent structures
  • Trees
  • Debris storage

The Stege Sanitary District maintains 150 miles of sanitary sewers in Kensington, El Cerrito, and the Richmond Annex. Over 28% of these lines are located on private property in sewer easements or reserves that were established when the lands in the area were subdivided.

You may not know that you have a sewer line on your property. In the past, developers often failed to properly record the easement to the property title. These easements, therefore, do not show up in a title search.

Property owners who are unaware of sewer easements on their property may have constructed permanent structures that now restrict District access and use of the sewer for maintenance and repair.

In an effort to correct this situation, the District has adopted Ordinance 1793-0602. This regulation establishes policies, standards, and requirements for District easements and for easement encroachment. It establishes guidelines for permitted uses of the easement areas and provides for encroachment permits. Certain uses of the easement, such as the construction of permanent structures, tree planting, and debris storage, are prohibited.

The new ordinance also extends assistance to homeowners who are currently in violation of the regulations by allowing them to continue a prohibited use until the earliest time that the violation can be eliminated. The District, at the request of the property owner, may issue an encroachment permit with stipulations for the ultimate elimination of the prohibited use.

Allowable uses and coverage on District easements include lawns, flower beds, loose paving stones, and similar landscaping features that do not ordinarily cause interference with District access and use of the easement area.

To find out if you have a sewer easement on your property, call the District at (510) 524-4667 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.