If a water or sewer line passes within 100 feet of your property line, by state law you are required to connect.
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OKEECHOBEE – If a water or sewer line passes within 100 feet of your property line, by state law you are required to connect.
At their Feb. 23 meeting, the Okeechobee County Commission voted to amend the county’s land development regulations to match the current state law.
Okeechobee County Planning Director Bill Royce said the Florida Statute has been updated, and this updates the county regulations to match the state statute. Vacant lots are not required to connect to water and sewer lines, but if a home or business is built on the property they would be required to connect.
“If sewer is available in the neighborhood, we need to make sure everyone is covered,” said Commission Chair David Hazellief.
County Attorney Wade Vose said under state law, whenever a water or sewer line is availble anywhere in the right-of-way – even if the right-of-way is 200 feet wide – they would be required to connect.
Thanks to grant funding, Okeechobee Utility Authority will expand the sewer lines.
Hazellief said the goal is to put more teeth in the ordinance to make it easier to enforce. “The state has provided a lot money for septic-to-sewer and we’re proud to be on that, and we’re looking forward to taking a lot of pollution off the lake."
