Pool Permit, Day 13
Well…. The Department of Urban Forestry managed to take time out of their busy day (Santa Clarita is heavily forested) and give me over the phone approval.
I wish I could say the same for the Sanitation inspector who is requiring the following conditions to be met for a swimming pool installation:
1. Homeowner must demo his existing patio to show the inspector the exact location of the septic tank (about $2,000 expense to homeowner).
2. Homeowner must expose the line that runs from the septic tank to the leech field, then expose both ends of the leech field. (about another $2,000 expense to homeowner).
3. Homeowner must remove the existing patio cover which happens to be within 5′ of the septic tank – both of which have been in the same place since 1968 with no problem or violation to pre-existing code (ANOTHER $4,000 to demo and rebuild the cover).
4. Homeowner MAY be required to perform a perc test to make sure the soil will continue to percolate. No idea what that will cost but I am assuming it isn’t cheap.
The moral of the story? The City is now apparently in the position of ordering homeowners to upgrade their yard from pre-existing code to new code while holding new construction hostage. In this market and economic time, you would think that they would be promoting new construction and permit revenue, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case.
***EDIT*** I almost forgot to add the $450 plan check and ‘investigation’ fee that the Sewer inspector informed me I would have to pay before he comes out again. $450 for plan check and inspection and we are not altering, changing, removing, relocating or even working remotely near the septic tank. ***EDIT***
