Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Homeowner fixed private service line at 289 Mickey Mouse Ave.; city says private lines are homeowner responsibility
Summary
A resident at 289 Mickey Mouse Ave. sought council guidance after new excavations hit private service lines. City staff confirmed the sanitary connections are private, repairs were completed, and cited North Dakota 811 locate rules and homeowner responsibility for private services.
A Horace homeowner who had private utility lines hit during excavation told council May 18 she wanted guidance, not city funding, after a water‑service curb stop and multiple service lines were damaged at 289 Mickey Mouse Avenue.
City staff reported they televised the sanitary main and verified three separate service connections to the main; staff said those lateral service lines (from the 'Y' to each house) are private and not the city’s locate responsibility. The homeowner said she placed the locate call and fixed the immediate problem but sought clarity about who bears longer‑term responsibility and whether the city will help coordinate or require additional work.
City staff and the city attorney explained North Dakota 811 rules require excavators to hand‑expose utilities within a specified tolerance and cited state fines for mechanically hitting a line without exposing it. One speaker referenced a 2021 change that established fines (noted in the meeting as $5,000 per occurrence with a statutory cap noted in discussion); staff reiterated the city’s policy that private service repairs, relocation and associated costs rest with property owners, though the city said it will provide guidance and can coordinate timing if a future public project provides a less‑expensive opportunity to relocate lines.
Council accepted staff’s recommendation to provide homeowner guidance and declined to take financial responsibility; staff said inspections confirmed the repairs and that the adjacent properties were restored to service.
Next steps: staff will continue to provide technical guidance to the homeowner, coordinate if a future city project allows coordinated relocations, and confirm paperwork and inspections are complete.
