Item 36 - Water Shutoff Protection Act

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structure, and that is owned and operated by the owner of the structure or the owner's agent. Temporary service means a water service through a city -owned fire hydrant for special outdoor events, fairs, construction work, irrigation of vacant property, and similar uses which, because of their nature, will not be permanent. Tenant improvement means changes made to the interior and exterior of a commercial or industrial property to accommodate the needs of tenants, including but not limited to, partitions, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and security. Theft of water means the taking of water from any city water main, hydrant, service, or facility without a meter or the written permission of the city in the form of a permit or application as provided for in the provisions of this article. Unit of water means one hundred (100) cubic feet. Water facilities means water distribution and treatment components, individually or as a whole, operating to provide storage, flow, and pressurized domestic water. The following components make up water facilities: wells, reservoirs, pipelines, system valves, control valves, fire hydrants, interties, disinfection treatment, instrumentation and controls, power distribution, and supervisory control and data acquisition system. Water service means the tapping connection, pipe, valves, and other facilities by means of which water is conducted from the main water line, whether public or privately owned, to the meter. Section 5. Section 39-16 of Article II (Water) of Chapter 39 (Water and Sewers) of the Santa Ana Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows (additions are underlined and deletions are stricken): Sec. 39-16. Application for turning on water and transfer of responsibility. (a) Procedures; registration fee. An application to have water turned on or to transfer responsibility for water charges shall be made to the finance department of the city in conformance with the procedures established by the director of finance. A "registration fee" for the administrative cost therefore shall be made; provided, however, that the reversion of responsibility for water charges from a tenant to a previously registered property owner or other customer possessing the legal right to act as a lessor, at the time of the termination of such tenant's tenancy, shall not constitute a new application for turning on water or transfer of responsibility for water charges and shall not be subject to the "registration fee". (b) Transfer of responsibility. The customer of record shall remain a customer of record until a transfer of responsibility occurs. If no customer is on file with the City, the customer on record, by default shall be the property owner of the premises where water service is being provided. If there is ever any dispute as to who should be the customer of record, by default, the customer of record shall be the property Ordinance No. NS-XXXX Page 6 of 15