Lucas County Sanitary Engineer

Sewer Tapper's License

This is the second of Lucas County's two separate $100.00 contractor registrations and it is not the building department's: it is granted by the Board of County Commissioners on the Sanitary Engineer's recommendation, and it is what allows a contractor to connect a building to the county's sanitary sewer at all. §3 of the Sanitary Engineer's Building Sewers and Connections Rules and Regulations provides that 'Only persons of proven ability and 5 years of documented experience, and approved by the Board of County Commissioners and the Lucas County Sanitary Engineer, who have been granted a Sewer Tapper's License shall be permitted to construct and/or repair building sewers in the County.' §4 sets the money and the term in one sentence: the license 'shall expire on the 31st day of December of the year of its issuance, and shall be subject to an annual charge of $100.00 for such issuance', may be revoked at any time by the Board of County Commissioners on the Sanitary Engineer's recommendation, and each contractor 'shall provide a $50,000 bond to ensure proper performance of work.' The bond, not the fee, is the real barrier to entry. The department publishes an annual submittal set to be filed in order — letter, department regulations, license, questionnaire and bond — along with a current list of licensed sewer tappers, which is where a restaurant, salon or clinic connecting new premises should look for a contractor. A separate permit must be obtained from the Sanitary Engineer's office for each tap or repair, valid thirty days from issuance, and is not transferable; the charge for it is set case by case by the Sanitary Engineer under §7 rather than published as a rate. §13 requires 48 hours' notice before inspection and §18 a site-specific safety plan on file with the county.