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)
- Publication Reference: S 69/2013 (SL 69/2013)
- Made Date: 31 January 2013
- Current Version Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) (Revocation) Regulations 2013 is a short but legally significant instrument. In essence, it revokes an earlier set of regulations that imposed charges linked to sanitary appliances (such as water-closets, bidets, slop-sinks, and urinals) and water usage for premises connected to sewerage or sewer systems managed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB).
Because the instrument is a “revocation” regulation, its primary function is not to create a new charging regime from scratch. Instead, it terminates the operation of the earlier “Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges” Regulations (referred to in the extract as “Rg 1”) with effect from 1 February 2013. However, the legislation also contains a transitional savings provision to ensure that charges for a limited pre-revocation period are still collected where a bill had not yet been issued.
Practically, the regulation addresses a common administrative and legal issue: when a charging framework is replaced or removed, there must be clarity on whether charges already accruing (or relating to a period before the change) remain payable. This is particularly important for billing cycles, disputes over liability, and enforcement actions for unpaid charges.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Regulation 1 (Citation) is straightforward. It provides the short title by which the regulations may be cited. For practitioners, this matters mainly for proper referencing in correspondence, notices, and legal pleadings.
Regulation 2 (Revocation and savings) is the core provision. Paragraph (1) provides that the earlier Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) Regulations (Rg 1) are revoked with effect from and including 1 February 2013. This means that, as of that date, the revoked regulations no longer operate to govern future charging for sanitary appliances and water charges (subject to any later replacement regulations, which are not included in the extract).
However, paragraph (2) preserves liability for a specific transitional period. It states that, notwithstanding the revocation, the charges referred to in regulations 3 and 4 of the revoked regulations continue to be payable in relation to 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 extinguishing charges that relate to an earlier billing period but were not yet billed.
Paragraph (3) then sets out how the Board determines the sums payable for that transitional period. It imposes liability on the occupier of premises, and where premises are vacant, on the owner. This allocation is important for property and tenancy disputes, because it clarifies who bears the financial responsibility for the pre-revocation period.
Paragraph (3)(a) addresses the sanitary appliance component of the charge. It uses variables A and B and refers to the number of relevant fixtures connected to sewerage systems vested in or owned by the Government or controlled, supervised, maintained and repaired by the Board. Specifically:
- A is 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.
- B is the total number of water-closets, bidets and slop-sinks in the premises connected to the relevant sewerage system.
- The provision also addresses urinals by counting bowls or stalls, or every 610 millimetres length of slab, connected to the relevant sewerage system.
Paragraph (3)(b) addresses the water volume component of the charge. It uses variables D and E:
- D is the volume of water in cubic metres supplied to the premises during the transitional period.
- E is the applicable rate per cubic metre, differentiated by premises type:
- $0.2803 per cubic metre for domestic premises
- $0.5607 per cubic metre for non-domestic premises
Although the extract shows the formulae in a partially redacted manner (the numeric expressions for the appliance component are not fully visible in the text provided), the legal effect is clear: the transitional charge is computed by combining (i) a proportional appliance-based element and (ii) a water-volume-based element, with specified rates for domestic and non-domestic premises.
Finally, paragraph (4) preserves the operation of the Sewerage and Drainage (Late Payment Charge) Regulations 2013 (G.N. No. S 68/2013). It states that nothing in paragraph (1) prevents late payment charges from continuing to apply in relation to charges under regulation 3 of the revoked regulations or under paragraph (3)(a) of these revocation regulations. This is a critical enforcement point: even though the underlying charging regulations are revoked, late payment consequences remain available for unpaid amounts that fall within the preserved categories.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This instrument is extremely concise. It contains:
- Regulation 1 (Citation): establishes the short title.
- Regulation 2 (Revocation and savings): provides the revocation date, transitional payment rules, the method of calculating sums for the transitional period, and a clarification that late payment charges continue to apply.
There are no additional parts or schedules in the extract, reflecting the regulation’s narrow purpose: to end the operation of the earlier sanitary appliance and water charge regulations while ensuring continuity for unbilled amounts relating to the period ending 31 January 2013.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The regulation applies to premises connected to sewerage or sewer systems vested in or owned by the Government or controlled, supervised, maintained and repaired by the PUB. The transitional savings clause specifically targets situations where charges for a period ending on 31 January 2013 were not yet billed as at that date.
Liability for the transitional sums is assigned to the occupier of the premises. Where the premises are vacant, liability shifts to the owner. This occupier/owner allocation is particularly relevant for landlords, property managers, and tenants, because it determines who may receive billing notices and who may be pursued for payment of the preserved charges.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the regulations are brief, they are important for legal certainty in the transition between regulatory regimes. Revocation without savings provisions can create arguments that charges accrued prior to revocation are no longer recoverable. By expressly preserving payment for periods ending 31 January 2013 where bills were not issued, the regulation reduces the risk of disputes over whether PUB (or the relevant authority) can still bill and collect charges for that pre-revocation period.
For practitioners, the occupier/owner rule in paragraph (3) is a key practical detail. It affects how liability is framed in disputes, including where premises change hands or where tenancy arrangements end before the billing is issued. It also influences the strategy for responding to billing notices: landlords may need to ensure that they can demonstrate vacancy status (if relevant) and that the correct party is being pursued.
The regulation also has enforcement implications through paragraph (4). By ensuring that the late payment charge regulations continue to apply to preserved charges, the instrument supports continuity in the consequences of non-payment. In practice, this means that even if the underlying sanitary appliance and water charge regulations are revoked, late payment exposure may still arise for the transitional amounts.
Finally, the domestic versus non-domestic water rates (E) provide a clear basis for calculation. Where disputes arise, practitioners can focus on factual determinants such as premises classification (domestic/non-domestic), the volume of water supplied (D), and the count and type of connected sanitary appliances (B and the urinal measurement rule). These are the elements that typically drive disagreements in billing and assessment.
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 these Regulations; referred to as “Rg 1” in the extract)
- Sewerage and Drainage (Late Payment Charge) Regulations 2013 (G.N. No. S 68/2013)
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.