SFD ? I ran across these three teeny letters in a document one day and had to Google it to understand. When it comes to water and sewer bills it”s hugely important. It”s a standardized statistical measurement. SFD: A “Single Family Dwelling” is a detached building between 1200 and 1500 square feet, composing of two or three bedrooms, housing an average occupancy per household. In California , an SFD houses an average occupancy of 2.9 persons.
An SFD is used to fairly charge sewer fees in counties across America . Government involved sewer fees are required to relate fees to their costs which depend on statistically likely use. This can be done in several ways.
What goes in, goes out. We don”t water landscaping much in the winter so the historic winter water utility bills demonstrate what a customer typically used for in-household water use.
That water use in turn correlates to what goes down our drains.
Measure winter water, it correlates closely to our sewer use.
But otherwise, comparing a residence to the characteristics of an SFD allows a good guess for correlating use to fees which in turn relates to infrastructure costs.
To be fair, we need to consider that it costs less to provide for high density (multifamily versus detached homes).
And smaller square footage generally limits occupancy which limits guest occupancy as well.
In general, any sewer fee ordinance should take into account the normal currency for measuring use such as the standardized definition of a Single Family Dwelling as it would correctly apply.
I would object to anyone with small, high-density units, which naturally limit occupancy and related use being charged as though they were single family dwelling equivalents.
A studio is about one third the size of an SFD, even when you factor in the higher proportion of plumbing to dry living space, a studio apartment naturally limits the possibilities of occupancy and often only houses a single person and therefore is not equivalent to a single family dwelling and should not be charged in sewer and water fees as such.
Don”t charge apartments the same as mansions, consider the SFD.
Veronica Fisher
Lakeport
