Council updates Lake Tyler regulations, adds annual inspections and tightens boathouse plumbing rules

The City Council on April 9 adopted an ordinance amending Tyler City Code Chapter 19, Article 6, to update regulations for Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East, including new annual inspection requirements for on-site sewage systems and restrictions on boathouse plumbing.

Water Utilities staff presented the ordinance changes, noting Lake Tyler is the raw-water source for the Golden Road water treatment plant and that the city owns Lake Tyler and Lake Tyler East. The revisions update definitions, boathouse and pier construction standards, finished-floor elevation guidance, plumbing and sanitation inspection requirements, and a new schedule of fees to reflect administrative costs.

Key changes: the city will not permit new boathouse plumbing variances after Aug. 19, 2022; existing boathouses with prior variances remain valid only if they comply with applicable code requirements. Each boathouse is limited to one commode, one bathroom lavatory, one shower or tub, one kitchen sink, one water heater and one ice maker; wastewater collection systems must be professionally engineered and undergo annual inspection by a licensed inspector. Annual inspections are due Oct. 1 with lease or registration renewals. For leasehold properties on Lake Tyler, failure to submit required inspections will result in withholding lease renewal and a 60‑day cure period before the city may begin lease‑termination procedures. For privately owned Lake Tyler East properties, failure to comply will result in a $500 fine, a 60‑day cure period and potential additional fines or liens as allowed by state law.

Council members pressed staff on enforcement, whether prior variances survive property sales, who pays inspection costs and the annual scheduling of inspections. Staff said variances granted before 2022 will remain in force for properties that remain in conformance. Tyler Water Utilities said it will pay for the initial round of inspections to establish a baseline; thereafter individual leaseholders or property owners will hire the licensed inspector and bear inspection costs. Inspections may be performed at any time during the renewal year; staff agreed to examine staggering inspections by zone to avoid a single-year “crunch” around lease renewal.

Councilmember Nichols moved to adopt the ordinance; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

The ordinance also updates fees to reflect the actual cost of administration and includes enforcement steps tied to lease renewals and fines. Staff said prior inspections occurred from about 1999 through roughly February 2008 and that inspections lapsed until this new program.

The city will begin implementing inspection scheduling and the fee changes after the ordinance takes effect.