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Water Service Lines - Right of Entry
For the purpose of authorizing an authorized employee of the City, or a contractor or designee acting on behalf of the Department of Public Works, to enter private premises and into a building to inspect and verify the material of, or to replace, a water service line, as required by State or federal law; requiring reasonable advance notice before entry; and generally relating to water service.
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City Council of the
City of Annapolis
Ordinance 27-26
Introduced by: Mayor Littmann
Co-sponsored by:
Referred to: Environmental Matters Committee
AN ORDINANCE concerning
Water Service Lines - Right of Entry
FOR the purpose of authorizing an authorized employee of the City, or a contractor or designee acting on behalf of the Department of Public Works, to enter private premises and into a building to inspect and verify the material of, or to replace, a water service line, as required by State or federal law; requiring reasonable advance notice before entry; and generally relating to water service.
BY repealing and reenacting with amendments the following portions of the Code of the City of Annapolis, 2026 Edition: Section 16.08.030
WHEREAS, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, issued under the Safe Drinking Water Act, require the City to submit a baseline inventory of water service line materials, including the portion of each line located on private property, by November 1, 2027; and
WHEREAS, The City of Annapolis has no records indicating that lead service lines were ever installed within the City, and Anne Arundel County prohibited the use of lead in the construction of water lines in 1936; however, EPA rule 40 C.F.R. § 141.84(b)(5) requires the material of each service line to be physically verified as not lead; and
WHEREAS, Verifying service line material on private property requires access to the customer side of the water meter, and obtaining a separate right of entry from each affected property owner individually would create an administrative burden that would likely prevent the City from meeting the federal compliance deadline;
SECTION I: BE IT ESTABLISHED AND ORDAINED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the Code of the City of Annapolis shall be amended to read as follows:
Title 16 - PUBLIC SERVICES
Chapter 16.08 - Water Service
Section 16.08.030 Right of entry of City employees.
A. City Equipment. In any case where any valves, stopcock, meter or other equipment of the City is installed or to be installed upon private property, any authorized employee of the The City of Annapolis Department of Public Works may enter upon property for the purpose of inspecting, installing, removing, repairing, maintaining or altering equipment or for reading meters or turning on or off the water supply, provided entry is at a reasonable hour and is necessary for the performance of the duties of the employee.
B. Water Service Lines.
1. An authorized employee of the City of Annapolis Department of Public Works (“Department”), or a contractor or designee acting on behalf of the Department, may enter private land at a reasonable hour after presenting proper credentials.
2. This access is granted for the purpose of:
a. Inspecting a water service line to verify the material of the line, as required by State or federal law; or
b. Replacing a water service line, as required by State or Federal law.
3. Entry under this section is limited to the extent necessary to perform the work.
C. Notice.
1. Before entry under subsection B, the City shall provide reasonable advance notice to the owner, tenant, or person in possession of the land.
2. The Director of Public Works may establish procedures for providing notice.
SECTION II: AND BE IT FINALLY ESTABLISHED AND ORDAINED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that this ordinance shall take effect upon passage.