Why? Have, mandatory home inspection laws? | Hydro Physics of Erie PA

What if an owner doesn’t respond so that an inspection can be done?

The Township can either cite the owner for violation, schedule a camera inspection and charge the owner for the additional costs or do both.

If an inspection shows that there is no unlawful connection, what happens then?

The Township will give the owner a letter confirming that the property was inspected and that no unlawful connection was found. This will give the owner something that will help if a buyer or someone else asks later on.

If an inspection discloses an unlawful connection but the owner doesn’t terminate it, what will happen?

If an inspection indicates that there is one or more unlawful connection, the Township will give the owner notice that identifies what the unlawful connection is and provide detail as to what the owner must do. A reasonable time will be allowed for this work to be done, and weather conditions will affect this. If the owner does arrange to have the connection terminated and the storm water re-routed with the work being inspected, the Township can cite the owner for violation (which exposes the owner to fines), do the work itself and bill the owner, or both.

If the Township is inspecting in an area, can owners of 2 or more properties who have to get work done hire the same contractor?

The Township does not want to tell owners who to call or how to do things. It is likely, though, that owners could save money if they work together and retain the same contractor, as that contractor would already be in the area and would not have to mobilize separately.

Will the Township be hiring more people to do its inspections?

The Supervisors hope that it will not be necessary to hire more people. Sewer Department personnel who, in the past, made service calls to benefit private properties, are being reassigned to work relating to inspections and termination of unlawful connections, as well as additional maintenance for the sanitary sewer system. The Sewer Authority has retained a firm to do camera work to identify unlawful connections more quickly. This increases the number of properties that can be inspected.

Will terminating unlawful connections reduce sewer rates over the long term?

The costs of every sewer system are increasing each year. Terminating unlawful connections can save a lot of money, which at least will slow the rate of increasing system costs.