Wastewater disposal; applying for an exemption or partial exemption from the obligation to connect to the sewerage system and to use it

Provided that your local authority has stipulated this in its drainage regulations, properties served by sewers forming part of a public drainage system must, as a rule, also be connected to that system and use it. This obligation is known as the ‘compulsory connection and use requirement’.

The power to impose such an obligation on landowners in the public interest is provided for by law in the Municipal Code (GO). Section 24(1)(2) of the GO permits local authorities (which are obliged to provide wastewater disposal services under the Bavarian Water Act) to fulfil this duty by this means. This provision forms the basis for corresponding local regulations in municipal drainage by-laws mandating connection and use.

Under certain conditions, however, property owners may also be exempted, in whole or in part, from the obligation to connect to or use the drainage system. The conditions for this are usually set out in more detail in the local drainage regulations.

You can find out more about this topic from your local council.