§ 1976. Delegation of authority to municipalities

(a)(1) The Secretary may delegate to a municipality authority to:

(A) implement all sections of this chapter, except for sections 1975 and 1978 of this title; or

(B) implement permitting under this chapter for the subdivision of land, a building or structure, or a campground when the subdivision, building or structure, or campground is served by sewerage connections and water service lines, provided that:

(i) the lot, building or structure, or campground utilizes both a sanitary sewer service line and a water service line; and

(ii) the water main and sanitary sewer collection line that the water service line and sanitary sewer service line are connected to are owned and controlled by the delegated municipality.

(2) If a municipality submits a written request for delegation of this chapter, the Secretary shall delegate authority to the municipality to implement and administer provisions of this chapter, the rules adopted under this chapter, and the enforcement provisions of chapter 201 of this title relating to this chapter, provided that the Secretary is satisfied that the municipality:

(A) has established a process for accepting, reviewing, and processing applications and issuing permits, that shall adhere to the rules established by the Secretary for potable water supplies and wastewater systems, including permits, by rule, for sewerage connections;

(B) has hired, appointed, or retained on contract, or will hire, appoint, or retain on contract, a licensed designer to perform technical work that must be done by a municipality under this section to grant permits;

(C) will take timely and appropriate enforcement actions pursuant to the authority of chapter 201 of this title;

(D) commits to reporting annually to the Secretary on a form and date determined by the Secretary;

(E) will only issue permits for water service lines and sanitary sewer service lines when there is adequate capacity in the public water supply system source, wastewater treatment facility, or indirect discharge system; and

(F) will comply with all other requirements of the rules adopted under section 1978 of this title.

(b) As of July 1, 2007, those provisions of municipal ordinances and zoning bylaws that regulate potable water supplies and wastewater systems are superseded by the provisions of this chapter and the rules adopted under this chapter. However, to the extent that local ordinances and bylaws apply to potable water supplies and wastewater systems that are exempt from the permitting requirements of this chapter, and to the extent that those local ordinances and bylaws establish procedural requirements that are consistent with this chapter and the rules adopted under this chapter, those provisions of existing and any future ordinances or bylaws shall not be superseded in municipalities that receive delegation under this section.

(c) [Repealed.]

(d) A municipality may assess fees in an amount sufficient to support municipal services provided under this section.

(e) Notwithstanding the fact that local ordinances and bylaws may have been superseded by this chapter, a permit issued under those ordinances shall remain in effect, unless and until superseded by another permit issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

(f) The Secretary may review municipal implementation of this section on a random basis, or in response to a complaint, or on his or her own motion. This review may include consideration of the municipal implementation itself, as well as consideration of the practices, testing procedures employed, systems designed, system designs approved, installation procedures used, and any work associated with the performance of these tasks. (Added 2001, No. 133 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. June 13, 2002; amended 2015, No. 57, § 22a; 2023, No. 53, § 15, eff. June 8, 2023.)