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Calistoga council adopts ADU zoning amendment clarifying water and sewer hookups
Summary
The Calistoga City Council adopted zoning ordinance 2023‑2 to clarify which accessory dwelling units (ADUs) must meet water and sewer lateral requirements and to align chapter 17.37 with city code chapter 13 and state law; staff will return with clarified plumbing‑code language on second reading.
The Calistoga City Council on June 11 adopted zoning ordinance number 2023‑2, amending municipal code chapter 17.37 to clarify when accessory dwelling units (ADUs) must have separate or enlarged city‑owned water meters and when sewer laterals must be upsized or separated.
Planning and Building Director Greg Desmond told the council the amendment was intended to resolve inconsistencies the city introduced in 2020 and to address health and safety by ensuring adequate water and wastewater capacity. "This item before you is an item you've seen before," Desmond said, noting staff repackaged the prior presentation to make the affected ADU types clearer.
Acting Public Works Director Hamid Haidaric said the ordinance language applies to both "water and sewer" service laterals and that determinations will be made on a case‑by‑case basis using the Unified Plumbing Code (UPC) standard. "We look at the uniform plumbing code," Haidaric said. He added that new or upsized laterals would not automatically be required for every modification but would be evaluated against UPC slope and size requirements.
Councilmember Gift sought firmer language so future city engineers and applicants would understand decision criteria. After discussion, the council asked staff to return on the ordinance’s second reading with a clarified reference (for example, to the UPC) to guide the city engineer’s determinations.
Councilmember Gift moved to adopt the ordinance and waive further reading; Councilmember Eisenberg seconded. The motion carried in a roll call vote.
What happens next: staff will draft proposed clarifying language for the second reading, including explicit references to the plumbing code standards to be used when evaluating water meters and laterals. The ordinance as adopted amends the ADU chapter to align municipal provisions with chapter 13 (water and wastewater) and state law.
