Statute Details
- Title: Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) (Revocation) Regulations 2013
- Act Code: SDA1999-S69-2013
- Legislation Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Sewerage and Drainage Act (Chapter 294)
- Enacting Authority: Public Utilities Board (PUB), with Ministerial approval
- Key Provisions: Regulation 1 (Citation); Regulation 2 (Revocation and savings)
- Commencement / Effective Date: 1 February 2013 (revocation effective from and including this date)
- Regulation Number in Gazette: SL 69/2013
- Made Date: 31 January 2013
- Status (as provided): Current version as at 27 March 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) (Revocation) Regulations 2013 (“Revocation Regulations”) is a short but legally significant instrument. Its core purpose is to revoke an earlier set of regulations that imposed sewerage and drainage charges linked to sanitary appliances (such as water-closets, bidets, slop-sinks, and urinals) and to water consumption.
In practical terms, the Revocation Regulations ends the operation of the earlier “Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) Regulations” from 1 February 2013. However, it does not create a “clean break” for billing already in progress. Instead, it contains a “savings” mechanism to ensure that charges for a period ending on 31 January 2013 remain payable where a bill had not yet been issued by that date.
For practitioners, the key legal work is understanding how the revocation affects existing billing arrangements, how the transitional liability is calculated, and how late payment charges continue to apply. The instrument is therefore less about new charging rules and more about managing the legal continuity of charges during a regulatory change.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Regulation 1 (Citation) provides the short title of the instrument. While routine, citation matters for legal certainty—particularly where parties need to reference the instrument in correspondence, billing disputes, or enforcement proceedings.
Regulation 2 (Revocation and savings) is the substantive provision. Paragraph (1) states that the earlier Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) Regulations (“the revoked regulations”) are revoked with effect from and including 1 February 2013. This means that, as of that date, the legal basis for charging under the revoked regulations ceases for future billing periods.
However, paragraph (2) preserves liability for a specific transitional period. It provides that the charges referred to in regulations 3 and 4 of the revoked regulations “in relation to any premises” shall continue to be payable in respect of any period ending on 31 January 2013 where a bill has not been issued as at that date. This is a classic savings clause: it prevents the revocation from undermining the ability to bill for an already-accrued period simply because the billing process had not completed.
Regulation 2(3) (Who is liable and how the sums are calculated) is the most operationally important part for lawyers advising on billing disputes or compliance. It determines that the PUB (the “Board”) requires payment from either:
- the occupier of the premises, or
- where the premises are vacant, the owner of the premises.
This allocation of liability is crucial. It clarifies that the charge is not merely a property tax-like obligation; it is tied to occupancy status, which affects who should be named in billing and who may contest liability.
Regulation 2(3)(a) addresses the sanitary appliance component of the charge. It requires payment of a sum calculated by reference to:
- A: the proportion which the period ending on 31 January 2013 bears to the billing period for the charges under regulation 3 of the revoked regulations (i.e., a time-apportionment factor);
- B: the total number of water-closets, bidets, and slop-sinks connected to specified sewerage systems; and
- C: for urinals, the total number of bowls or stalls, or every 610 millimetres length of slab, connected to the specified sewerage systems.
In other words, the transitional charge is not a flat amount; it is scaled by (i) the fraction of the billing period represented by the transitional period and (ii) the number and type of relevant sanitary appliances connected to the sewerage system controlled by the Board.
Regulation 2(3)(b) addresses the water consumption component of the charge. It requires payment of a sum calculated by reference to:
- D: the volume of water in cubic metres supplied to the premises during the transitional period; and
- E: a per-cubic-metre rate that depends on whether the premises are domestic or non-domestic.
As provided in the extract, E is $0.2803 per cubic metre for domestic premises and $0.5607 per cubic metre for non-domestic premises. This creates a clear pricing differential that can be decisive in disputes about classification of premises and the applicable tariff.
Regulation 2(4) (Interaction with late payment charges) ensures continuity of enforcement mechanisms. It states that nothing in paragraph (1) prevents the Sewerage and Drainage (Late Payment Charge) Regulations 2013 (G.N. No. S 68/2013) from continuing to apply in relation to charges under regulation 3 of the revoked regulations or under paragraph (3)(a) of the Revocation Regulations.
This is legally important because it prevents an argument that revocation of the main charging regulations automatically extinguishes late payment penalties. It also signals that the late payment regime is intended to operate alongside the transitional billing arrangements.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Revocation Regulations is structured in a minimal format, reflecting its narrow function:
- Regulation 1: Citation (how the instrument is referred to).
- Regulation 2: Revocation and savings (the operative provisions). This regulation contains:
- Paragraph (1): Revocation effective from 1 February 2013.
- Paragraph (2): Savings for charges for periods ending 31 January 2013 where bills were not issued by that date.
- Paragraph (3): Determination of liability (occupier/owner) and the calculation methodology for the sums (sanitary appliance component and water component).
- Paragraph (4): Preservation of the late payment charge regime.
There are no additional parts or complex procedural provisions in the extract, which is consistent with a revocation instrument designed to manage transitional billing rather than to create a new charging framework.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Revocation Regulations applies to premises connected to sewerage and sewerage systems vested in or owned by the Government or controlled, supervised, maintained and repaired by the PUB. The charges are calculated based on the presence and connection of specified sanitary appliances and the volume of water supplied.
Liability is directed to the occupier of the premises. Where the premises are vacant, the owner is liable instead. This occupier/owner distinction is particularly relevant for landlords, property managers, and corporate tenants, as it affects who may be responsible for payment and who should be consulted when bills are issued after the effective date.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Revocation Regulations is brief, it plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the charging system during a regulatory transition. Revocation without savings clauses can create billing gaps or legal uncertainty—especially where billing cycles do not align neatly with regulatory commencement dates. Here, the law expressly preserves the PUB’s ability to bill for periods ending 31 January 2013 even if a bill had not been issued by that date.
For practitioners, the transitional calculation methodology is a focal point. The instrument specifies how to apportion the charge (the “A” factor), how to count sanitary appliances (the “B” and “C” factors, including the special measurement approach for urinals), and how to apply water-based rates (the “D” and “E” factors). These details can be decisive in disputes about whether the correct number of appliances was counted, whether the premises were correctly classified as domestic or non-domestic, and whether the correct billing period fraction was applied.
Finally, the explicit preservation of late payment charges under the Late Payment Charge Regulations prevents procedural and substantive arguments that might otherwise arise after revocation. In enforcement contexts, this means that late payment penalties may still attach to the relevant charges for the transitional period, subject to the operation of the late payment regime.
Related Legislation
- Sewerage and Drainage Act (Chapter 294) (authorising provisions, including sections 72 and 74)
- Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) Regulations (revoked by this instrument; relevant for charges for periods ending 31 January 2013)
- Sewerage and Drainage (Late Payment Charge) Regulations 2013 (G.N. No. S 68/2013) (continues to apply to relevant charges)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) (Revocation) Regulations 2013 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.