Can I legally refuse to hook to new sewer line?

[worriedandtaxed]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky
I have lived in a house with a septic tank system for 25 yrs. The city has decided to put sewer lines down my road and is requiring everyone to pay to hook up. We also have to pay for digging, pipe, (if needed over 50 feet from their outlet) someone to connect our line to our house and a health dept. certificate.
They did not require another part of the area to pay when they did that road a couple of years ago. They said a grant paid for ithat and they cannot get a grant for my road. They have agreed to only charge half the normal hook up fee, but said we have no choice in the matter.
The sewer lines will only be run a little past my house, but there are lots of houses down the road.
Do I have any way to not have to pay? I do not have the money for this.
Thanks.

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky
I have lived in a house with a septic tank system for 25 yrs. The city has decided to put sewer lines down my road and is requiring everyone to pay to hook up. We also have to pay for digging, pipe, (if needed over 50 feet from their outlet) someone to connect our line to our house and a health dept. certificate.
They did not require another part of the area to pay when they did that road a couple of years ago. They said a grant paid for ithat and they cannot get a grant for my road. They have agreed to only charge half the normal hook up fee, but said we have no choice in the matter.
The sewer lines will only be run a little past my house, but there are lots of houses down the road.
Do I have any way to not have to pay? I do not have the money for this.
Thanks.

**A: and what did the City tell you would happen if you do not pay?

 

[FarmerJ]

I would say its worth while to get exact copy of the city ord and see if it spells out under what conditions you must connect. EG if it says a home must connect when its well or septic requires a repair like when a sand point has plugged they may not permit a new one to be put in. Only by chance if your property has not met a pre determined criteria to require connection then it may be worth fighting. Does your county maintain statistics based on locations re failed septic systems or ground water pollution ? if there is a ongoing water contamination problem it may be worth it to learn if you can get the cost of connection spread out over a period of years via your property taxes. Your also free to learn if there are any individual grants you could apply for to assist with connection cost. ( living in exurbia- or places that transition from exurbia into suburbia after several decades while witnessing growth this type this type of problem is not unheard of)

 

[NC Aggie]

Well you should first determine if there are any City ordinances requiring you to connect to their sewer line if you are within the city limits. Were you recently annexed into the city (within last 1-5 year)? There may have been verbage if you signed an annexed agreement that required you to connect to the sewer system. It's also possible that the county in which you live are not permitting the use of septic tanks any longer which may require you to connect to the city's system. If you are legally required to connect to the city's system for any reason then I think you're probably obligated to pay these connection fees.