Do you have to connect to Chandler city sewer if you have a septic tank? City Code 51-3

Section 51-3 has six parts, (A) through (F), and the septic answer sits in (F): "Septic systems which are privately owned and operated may continue to be used as long as they continue to function properly even though City Sewer Service has been made available." That sentence is the grace period. It has no end date. It lasts as long as the system functions properly.

The same subsection says what ends it: "Systems which fail or present an unhealthy condition following the availability of City Service must be abandoned in accordance with Maricopa County Department of Environmental Quality standards, and the property owner shall be required to connect to the City Sewer System." Then it adds the money rule: "The decision of the property owner to remain on a septic system when a sewer main adjoins the property will not relieve him/her of responsibility for payment of sewer service rates as set forth in Chapter 50."

The other parts fill in the picture:

• (A) covers privies and cesspools. Owners of improved property that can be served by the sewer must abate them and connect when service is available, and the owner pays for the connection. It sends septic systems to subsection (F).
• (B) requires "A separate sewer tap shall be provided for each separate structure unless waived by the City Engineer."
• (C) makes it unlawful to build or keep a privy, septic tank, cesspool or similar facility, "Except as provided in this article."
• (D) says no one may live in a structure unless it is "permanently connected to the sewer system of the City or to an approved septic tank system."
• (E) sets the rule for new septic systems: they need approval from both the City Engineer and the Maricopa County department, and city approval is not granted unless the City Engineer decides City Sewer Service is not available.

• Available: (E) says "Service will generally be considered available when public sewer mains are located within three hundred (300) feet of an established single-family residential property and within a mile of other properties." The word "generally" matters. It is a rule of thumb the City Engineer applies, not a hard cutoff.
• Fail or present an unhealthy condition: the code does not define either phrase. In practice that is a question for the county and the city, so treat any example as a reading, not a code definition.
• Abandoned: the code ties abandonment to county department standards and does not list the steps. Our septic conversion FAQ walks through the usual process.
• Sewer main adjoins: the code does not define it either. It appears in (F) as the trigger for owing sewer rates.

It covers owners of improved property inside Chandler with a septic system, cesspool or privy, and anyone who wants to build a new septic system.

It does not force connection if all three are true: your septic system is privately owned and operated, it still functions properly, and no unhealthy condition exists. Under (F) you can stay on it. It also does not apply to a property where sewer service is not available, since that is the case (E) leaves open for a new septic system.

The working system. Say the city extends a main down your street and you have a septic system that has never given trouble. Under (F) you can keep using it. You will see sewer rates from Chapter 50 whether or not you connect, so the decision is about cost and risk, not about a deadline.

The failure. Say the same system backs up two years later. Now (F) applies: the system is abandoned to county standards and you connect. You will also need the tap permit and a street permit if the trench crosses the right-of-way, which the sewer tap page covers.

The edge case: the new build. Say you own a large lot and want a fresh septic system for a new house. Here the answer flips. Under (E) the City Engineer will not approve one if sewer is available, and a main within 300 feet of a single-family home generally counts as available.

1. 1Find out whether a main is within 300 feet of your single-family property (one mile for other properties). The City Engineer decides availability under (E).
2. 2If your septic system works, keep records of its condition. (F) turns on whether the system continues to function properly, so a pumping or inspection record is useful if that is ever questioned.
3. 3If you plan to connect, read the sewer tap permit page: the tap needs a written City Engineer permit.
4. 4Check who owns which section of pipe before you dig. Our page on section 51-6 explains the owner's share.
5. 5Abandon the old system in accordance with Maricopa County department standards, which is what (F) requires.
6. 6If you are buying a home on septic, ask whether a main adjoins it, since (F) says staying on septic does not relieve the owner of sewer rates then.

• Myth: Once sewer arrives, I must hook up right away. Section 51-3(F) says a working septic system "may continue to be used." The forced connection is for systems that fail or turn unhealthy. Privies and cesspools under (A) are different.
• Myth: If I stay on septic, I owe nothing to the city. Subsection (F) says staying on septic does not relieve you of sewer service rates once a main adjoins the property.
• Myth: I can add a new septic system if I own the land. Section 51-3(E) requires City Engineer and county approval, and city approval is not granted when service is available.
• Myth: One tap serves my house and my casita. Subsection (B) calls for a separate tap for each structure unless the City Engineer waives it.

This page describes Chandler's published rules. The Municode text governs, and the City Engineer decides availability and waivers.