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 that date)
- Publication / Instrument Number: SL 69/2013
- Date Made: 31 January 2013
- Current Version Status (as provided): Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) (Revocation) Regulations 2013 (“Revocation Regulations”) is a short, targeted piece of subsidiary legislation. Its primary function 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 supplied to premises.
In plain language, the Revocation Regulations ends the operation of the earlier “Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) Regulations” from 1 February 2013. However, it also contains a “savings” mechanism: it preserves the ability to charge and collect certain amounts for a transitional period ending on 31 January 2013, where PUB has not yet issued a bill by the revocation date.
For practitioners, the most legally significant feature is not the revocation itself (which is straightforward), but the transitional charging rules in Regulation 2(2) and (3). These rules determine who is liable (occupier vs owner for vacant premises) and how the amount is calculated for the period ending 31 January 2013, including the applicable per-cubic-metre rates for domestic and non-domestic premises.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Regulation 1 (Citation) provides the short title: the instrument may be cited as the “Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) (Revocation) Regulations 2013”. While routine, citation matters for legal pleadings, correspondence, and statutory interpretation in disputes about the applicable charging regime.
Regulation 2(1) (Revocation) is the core operative provision. It states 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 earlier regulations no longer govern future charging periods.
Regulation 2(2) and (3) (Savings / Transitional liability) preserves payment obligations for a defined past period. Specifically, charges under regulations 3 and 4 of the revoked Rg 1 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 extinguishing liabilities that had accrued before the effective date but had not yet been billed.
Regulation 2(3) then sets out how PUB determines liability and calculates the sums due for those transitional periods. It provides that PUB determines liability as follows: every occupier of premises is liable; but where the premises are vacant, the owner is liable. This allocation is important for enforcement and for disputes where premises change hands or are unoccupied at the relevant time.
Regulation 2(3)(a) addresses the component of the charge linked to the number of sanitary appliances connected to specified sewerage systems. It introduces variables A, B, and C:
- 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 Rg 1.
- B is the total number of water-closets, bidets and slop-sinks in the premises connected to any sewer or sewerage system vested in or owned by the Government or controlled, supervised, maintained and repaired by PUB.
- C is the number of urinals expressed as bowls or stalls, or alternatively every 610 millimetres length of slab for slab urinals, again connected to the relevant sewerage system.
Although the extract provided omits the explicit numeric constant in the “sum of …” formula for the sanitary appliance component, the legal structure is clear: the charge is prorated by A and scaled by the appliance counts B and C, using the pricing basis embedded in the revoked regulations.
Regulation 2(3)(b) addresses the component linked to water consumption. It provides that the sum is determined by the volume of water supplied to the premises during the period ending on 31 January 2013 (denoted by D), multiplied by a per-cubic-metre rate E. The extract specifies:
- E = $0.2803 per cubic metre where the premises are domestic; and
- E = $0.5607 per cubic metre where the premises are non-domestic.
Finally, Regulation 2(4) clarifies that revocation does not prevent the operation of the Sewerage and Drainage (Late Payment Charge) Regulations 2013 (G.N. No. S 68/2013) in relation to charges under regulation 3 of the revoked Rg 1 or under Regulation 2(3)(a) of the Revocation Regulations. This is a practical enforcement point: even though the primary charging regulations are revoked, late payment consequences can still attach to the preserved charges.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Revocation Regulations are extremely concise and consist of:
- Regulation 1: Citation.
- Regulation 2: Revocation and savings (the only substantive regulation).
There are no separate Parts or schedules in the extract. The instrument is designed to operate as a “switch-off” and “transition” mechanism: it revokes the earlier sanitary appliance and water charge regulations while ensuring that transitional billing and enforcement can continue for a limited historical period.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Revocation Regulations apply to premises connected to, or served by, sewerage and drainage systems vested in or owned by the Government or controlled, supervised, maintained and repaired by PUB. In practice, this typically includes most premises within Singapore that are subject to sewerage and drainage charges.
Liability for the transitional period is allocated by Regulation 2(3) based on occupancy status. The occupier is liable for the preserved charges for the period ending 31 January 2013. If the premises are vacant, the owner becomes liable. This occupier/owner distinction is particularly relevant in property transactions, tenancy disputes, and billing challenges where the relevant date (31 January 2013) may fall between tenancies or during vacancy.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Revocation Regulations is short, it is legally significant because it governs the continuity of charging rights during a regulatory change. Without a savings clause, a revocation could potentially be argued to extinguish liabilities that had accrued but were not yet billed. Regulation 2(2) and (3) prevents that outcome by expressly preserving payment obligations for the period ending 31 January 2013 where PUB had not issued bills by that date.
For practitioners advising clients—whether occupiers, owners, landlords, or corporate tenants—the transitional rules affect both who can be pursued for payment and how the amount is calculated. The occupier/owner rule is a common flashpoint in billing disputes, especially where premises are vacant or where there is a change in tenancy around the effective date.
Additionally, Regulation 2(4) confirms that late payment charges can still apply to the preserved charges. This means that even though the underlying charging regulations are revoked, enforcement consequences (such as late payment charges under the 2013 late payment regime) remain relevant. Counsel should therefore consider not only the principal charge but also potential interest/penalty exposure when advising on settlement or dispute strategy.
From a compliance perspective, the instrument also signals that the regulatory framework for sanitary appliance and water charges changed on 1 February 2013. While this Revocation Regulations does not itself set out the new charging regime, it marks the end of the old one and preserves only a narrow transitional window. Practitioners should therefore ensure they identify the correct charging instrument for any period after 1 February 2013, rather than relying on the revoked regulations.
Related Legislation
- Sewerage and Drainage Act (Chapter 294) (authorising provisions: sections 72 and 74)
- Sewerage and Drainage (Sanitary Appliances and Water Charges) Regulations (revoked by these Regulations; charges preserved for periods ending 31 January 2013)
- Sewerage and Drainage (Late Payment Charge) Regulations 2013 (G.N. No. S 68/2013) (continues to apply to preserved 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.