HB 1187 2025
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hb1187-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to service lateral assessment and 2
rehabilitation; creating s. 403.4156, F.S.; providing 3
purpose; providing definitions; requiring all utility 4
systems to establish and maintain a comprehensive 5
condition assessment program; providing requirements 6
for such program; providing for enforcement and 7
compliance; requiring utility systems to annually 8
submit specified reports to the Department of 9
Environmental Protection; providing penalties; 10
providing for funding; providing an effective date. 11
12
WHEREAS, numerous studies, including data from the 13
Department of Environmental Protection and Water Environment 14
Federation case analyses, indicate that a substa ntial percentage 15
of infiltration and inflow into wastewater collection systems 16
originates from private -side service laterals and lack of 17
oversight and limited enforcement authority over privately owned 18
lateral segments compound this issue, and 19
WHEREAS, in the past 20 years, the state's wastewater 20
systems have spilled or improperly discharged over 2.5 billion 21
gallons of raw or partially treated sewage into the environment 22
and a significant portion reached waterways, causing 23
catastrophic environmental damage and public health threats, and 24
WHEREAS, the state is projected to exceed 3 billion gallons 25
HB 1187 2025
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
of sewage leakage since 2000, most of which can be traced back 26
to failing or leaky lateral pipelines, and 27
WHEREAS, excessive infiltration from deteriorated servic e 28
laterals frequently overloads utility treatment capacities, 29
leading to sanitary sewer overflows and environmental hazards 30
and these overflows compromise water quality, harm aquatic 31
ecosystems, and pose severe public health risks, and 32
WHEREAS, insufficient monitoring and lack of clear remedial 33
protocols for laterals have allowed structural defects and 34
infiltration and inflow sources to remain largely unaddressed, 35
and 36
WHEREAS, this act aims to rectify these deficiencies 37
through uniform inspection, public transparency, and mandatory 38
rehabilitation requirements, NOW, THEREFORE, 39
40
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 41
42
Section 1. Section 403.4156, Florida Statutes, is created 43
to read: 44
403.4156 Florida Service Lateral Assessment and 45
Rehabilitation Act.— 46
(1) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to: 47
(a) Ensure that all utility systems, public and private, 48
deploy comprehensive inspection methods to evaluate the 49
structural integrity and infiltration and inflow risks of 50
HB 1187 2025
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
service laterals from the utility mainline connection to the 51
edge of each building structure. 52
(b) Establish minimum requirements for data collection, 53
long-term archiving, and accessible reporting, thereby enhancing 54
infrastructure reliability and protecting Florid a's water 55
resources. 56
(c) Promote complete and proper structural rehabilitation 57
of service laterals, ensuring a monolithic seal at the main and 58
lateral connection point that mitigates infiltration, enhances 59
infrastructure lifecycles, ensures environmental compliance, and 60
lowers the risk of sanitary sewer overflow events. 61
(2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term: 62
(a) "CCTV lateral launch camera system" means a closed -63
circuit television inspection system capable of traversing from 64
the mainline sewer into the service lateral for the purpose of 65
visual evaluation. 66
(b) "Condition assessment program" means a structured 67
inspection, data collection, and risk evaluation methodology 68
designed to identify and prioritize structural and infiltration 69
and inflow issues in sewer laterals. 70
(c) "Monolithic repair" means pipe repair or 71
rehabilitation resulting in no joints or seams, including all 72
points where the lateral connects to the structure, the 73
mainline, and any required cleanouts, ensuring a fully sealed 74
and continuous system. 75
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(d) "NASSCO LACP protocols" means the National Association 76
of Sewer Service Companies' Lateral Assessment Certification 77
Program guidelines for standardized inspection, coding, and 78
condition rating of sewer laterals. 79
(e) "Pipeline severity score" means a composite condition 80
rating applied to each lateral pipeline after a proper 81
assessment under NASSCO LACP protocols which includes both of 82
the following: 83
1. The pipe rating index score. 84
2. The likelihood of failure score. 85
(f) "Service lateral" or "lateral" means the underground 86
sewer pipeline that connects a property or building to a 87
utility's mainline sewer pipe. The term includes the entire 88
length of the lateral pipe from the utility system's mainline 89
sewer to the edge of the building structure, and not just up to 90
the property line or utility easement. 91
(g) "Utility system" means a government agency, a 92
municipality, a private utility entity, or an entity under 93
contract with such agencies or entities that owns, operates, or 94
maintains sewer infrastructure in this state. 95
(3) CONDITION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. — 96
(a) Every utility system operating within this state shall 97
establish and maintain a comprehensive condition assessment 98
program for all service laterals un der its jurisdiction. 99
1. This paragraph applies uniformly to all utility 100
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systems, regardless of public or private ownership, size, or 101
service area. 102
2. If a utility system chooses not to conduct the 103
condition assessment program assessments directly, it may 104
contract the assessments to a reputable licensed entity. The 105
assessments must be performed by a certified general contractor 106
who also holds either a certified plumbing license or an 107
underground utility license. All contractors and technicians 108
performing assessments must be certified by the NASSCO Pipeline 109
Assessment Certification Program, Lateral Assessment 110
Certification Program, or Manhole Assessment Certification 111
Program to ensure quality and consistency with industry 112
standards. 113
(b) Each service lat eral within the utility system shall 114
be inspected at least once every 7 years. 115
1. Inspections shall include a full assessment from the 116
mainline sewer connection point to the edge of the building 117
structure. 118
2. Utilities must develop and maintain a proac tive 119
schedule ensuring that 100 percent of all service laterals are 120
inspected within each 7 -year cycle. 121
3. CCTV lateral launch camera systems shall be used to 122
perform all inspections. 123
4. All inspections must follow the NASSCO LACP protocols, 124
including standardized coding and condition ratings. 125
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(c)1. Each service lateral must be assigned a unique pipe 126
identification or asset identification number which shall appear 127
on all corresponding condition assessment documentation and 128
inspection reports. This uni que identifier must be compatible 129
with and easily integrable into any existing geographic 130
information system (GIS) or asset management database maintained 131
by the utility system. 132
2. Each lateral shall receive a pipeline severity score 133
indicating any obser ved or potential structural defects, 134
infiltration, or inflow concerns. 135
(d) All inspection videos, reports, condition ratings, and 136
supplementary data shall be recorded and retained in a secure, 137
cloud-based platform. 138
1. Data shall be maintained for at le ast 2 full inspection 139
cycles, a minimum of 14 years, ensuring availability for 140
regulatory review and historical reference. 141
2. Condition assessment data must be maintained in a 142
publicly accessible database for properties where defective, 143
damaged, or deteriorated service laterals are identified. For 144
each property, the database shall include, at a minimum: 145
a. The property address. 146
b. The date of inspection. 147
c. The pipeline severity score. 148
d. The general condition summary. 149
e. The unique pipe identification or asset identification 150
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number. 151
(e) Any lateral with a pipe rating index score above 3.5 152
or a likelihood of failure score at or above 4 must be flagged 153
for immediate consideration under the lateral monolithic repair 154
program. 155
(f) Each utility system shall establish and maintain a 156
lateral monolithic repair program. 157
1. The lateral monolithic repair program applies to any 158
service lateral identified during the condition assessment 159
program to have a pipe rating index score above 3.5 or a 160
likelihood of failure score at or above 4. These laterals are 161
deemed to have a detrimental effect on the utility system's 162
capacity and are at high risk for infiltration and inflow events 163
likely to contribute to sanitary sewer overflows, env ironmental 164
damage, and public health threats. 165
2. Under the lateral monolithic repair program, the 166
utility system must execute timely rehabilitation or replacement 167
of the flagged service laterals using non -disruptive trenchless 168
technology methods, thereby mitigating infiltration, restoring 169
structural integrity, and minimizing community impact and costs. 170
A complete seal at the main and lateral connection point must be 171
ensured to create a monolithic system that prevents infiltration 172
and extends asset lifecyc le. 173
3. For any lateral placed into the lateral monolithic 174
repair program, rehabilitation must be completed within 12 175
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
months from the date the issues are discovered. The 176
rehabilitation work must be performed by a certified general 177
contractor who also hold s either a certified plumbing or 178
underground utility license. 179
a. A two-way cleanout must be installed at the property 180
and utility easement line to facilitate future inspections and 181
minimize further disruptions. 182
b. A seamless, single -piece lateral connection seal must 183
be installed at the main -lateral connection point to fully close 184
the annular space. This seal may not rely on any additional 185
mechanical means such as hydrophilic gaskets. 186
c. The service lateral itself must be rehabilitated to 187
create a fully monolithic system from the mainline sewer to the 188
structure, bonded to the host pipe for maximum structural 189
durability and longevity. All materials used shall have a 190
minimum life expectancy of 50 years and comply with American 191
Society for Testing and Mat erials standards governing cured -in-192
place pipe in alignment with the Florida Building Code. 193
(4) ENFORCEMENT, COMPLIANCE, REPORTS. — 194
(a) The department or any successor agency shall implement 195
and enforce this section. 196
(b) Utility systems shall submit a nnual compliance reports 197
to the department detailing progress toward meeting inspection 198
schedules, summary of condition findings, and any follow -up 199
actions, particularly under the lateral monolithic repair 200
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
program, for at-risk laterals. 201
(5) PENALTIES.— 202
(a) Utility systems found to be noncompliant with any 203
provision of this section may be subject to administrative 204
fines, notices of violation, or other enforcement measures 205
deemed appropriate by the department. 206
(b) Continued noncompliance may result in e scalated 207
penalties, including, but not limited to, suspension of certain 208
operational permits and eligibility for state funding or grants. 209
(6) INCENTIVES.—The state may establish incentive 210
programs, grants, or matching funds to support utility systems 211
in developing or enhancing their condition assessment programs 212
and monolithic repair efforts. 213
(7) FUNDING.—State or local funds allocated for 214
environmental preservation or protection of water quality are 215
permitted to be applied to this program in order to e xpedite 216
sewer system improvements and reduce infiltration and inflow 217
impacts. 218
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 219