Section 13288.
Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13288.
in effectFor purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a)
“Adequate sewer service” means a sanitary sewer service provided by a sewer service provider that is not an inadequate sewer service, as defined in subdivision (j).
(b)
“Administrator” means a person whom the state board has determined is competent and
willing to perform the administrative, technical, operational, legal, or managerial services required for purposes of this chapter, pursuant to criteria set forth in the handbook described in subdivision (i) of Section 13289.5. An administrator may be any qualified individual, firm, or another sewer service provider.
(c)
“Affected residence” means a residence within a disadvantaged community that may be subject to provision of sewer service pursuant to this chapter.
(d)
“Affected resident” means a resident or a property owner of an affected residence.
(e)
“Annexation” has the same meaning as set forth in Section 56017 of the Government Code.
(f)
“Designated sewer system” means a sewer service provider that serves a disadvantaged community that is either an inadequate sewer service or a sewer system that has a demonstrated failure to maintain technical, managerial,
or
financial capacity to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
(g)
“Disadvantaged community” means a disadvantaged community, as defined in Section 79505.5,
or a low-income community, as defined in Section 39713 of the Health and Safety Code.
(h)
“Extension of service” has the same meaning as set forth in Section 56133 of the Government Code.
(i)
“Inadequate onsite sewage treatment system” means an onsite sewage treatment system that has the reasonable potential to cause a violation of water quality objectives, to impair present or future beneficial uses of water, or to cause pollution, nuisance, or contamination of waters of the state.
(j)
(1)
“Inadequate sewer
service” means a sewer
service provider that serves a disadvantaged community, has a demonstrated history of failures to meet regulatory standards for proper wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal, and may exhibit deficiencies, such as infrastructure failure, insufficient capacity, or ineffective treatment of wastewater.
(2)
A demonstrated history of failures to meet regulatory standards may include, but is not limited to, multiple violations, multiple instances of noncompliance with enforcement actions, or refusal to accept compliance
assistance.
(k)
(1)
“Onsite sewage treatment system” means an onsite sewage treatment system, as defined in Section 13290, that is not operated by a local agency, as defined in Section 56054 of the Government Code, or a utility regulated by the Public Utilities Commission.
(2)
“Onsite sewage treatment system” includes, but is not limited to, a septic tank, cesspool, leach field, and seepage pit.
(
l
)
“Provision of sewer service” means the provision of sanitary sewer service, including the collection or treatment of sewage, to a disadvantaged community by any of the following processes:
(1)
Annexation where the
receiving sewer system is a special district.
(2)
Extension of service where the receiving sewer system is a city, county, or special district.
(3)
Additional sewer service provided within city, county, or special district boundaries.
(m)
“Receiving sewer system” means the sewer system that provides service to a disadvantaged community pursuant to this chapter.
(n)
“Sewer service provider” means any local agency that provides sanitary sewer service,
which may include wastewater collection, treatment, disposal, or any combination thereof.
(o)
“Special district” means a special district as defined in Section 56036 of the Government Code.
References
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 56017.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 39713.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 56133.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 56054.
referencesCal. Government Code - GOV § 56036.
referencesCal. Water Code - WAT § 13289.5.
referencesCal. Water Code - WAT § 79505.5.
referencesCal. Water Code - WAT § 13290.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026