City of Austin continuing its mandatory sump pump inspection program

The City of Austin is continuing its mandatory sump pump inspection program.  To complete the program the City is divided into six areas: Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest, which were both divided into two areas.  In 2019 Southwest Central Austin, generally south of Oakland Avenue West, west of Main Street South and northeast of Turtle Creek, was inspected, and southeastern Austin was inspected in 2018. KAUS spoke with Austin Mayor Steve King during the “Meet the Mayor” segment of “Wright Here, Right Now,” and King stated that inspections have started again after being delayed in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic…

The city of Austin stated on its website that there is no charge to property owners for inspections completed during the program if the inspections are conducted by the City or the City’s engineer.  Property owners have the option to hire a private plumber to complete their inspection, in which case the plumber’s fees would be at the property owner’s expense.  A typical inspection is completed in under 15 minutes, some are completed in about five minutes, and the inspector will be looking specifically for improper connections to the sanitary sewer, and will not be looking for anything else in your home.

All selected buildings will be inspected regardless of whether a sump pump is present, and city officials stated that it is mandatory to complete an inspection. The City of Austin recently amended Chapter 3 of the Municipal Code of Ordinances allowing the City to verify compliance with the plumbing code and to verify no clear water connections to the sanitary sewer are present.