All services and installations shall be placed at the depth required in Section 7.68.060 in order to avoid all probability of freezing. The water division shall be responsible for all meters and frozen services owned by the city. Owners of property served shall be responsible for all other frozen services leading to and located on the premises served, and shall pay the cost of thawing of such privately owned pipes when necessary.

(a) No person, firm or corporation shall engage in the business of thawing frozen service installations where thawing connections are made through any meter box unless they shall have first obtained a license therefor from the water division of the city of Yakima. The fee for all such licenses shall be five dollars per year, payable annually on or before the 1st day of October. Before any such license shall be issued to any person, firm or corporation, the party applying therefor shall furnish to the city water division a good and sufficient surety bond in the penal sum of five hundred dollars, conditioned that such licensee shall pay to the city water division of the city of Yakima for any and all damage done to any portion of the city water mains or meters as a result of any such thawing operations.

(b) Any individual property owner desiring to thaw his own service connection where access thereto is had through any meter box, shall, before commencing such operation, secure a permit from the city water division. Such permit shall be issued by the city water division without charge but, before any such permit shall be issued, the applicant therefor shall deposit with the city water division the sum of twenty-five dollars to cover the cost of repairs to any city water meter or other service installations owned by the city of Yakima which may be damaged in the conduct of such thawing operations. Said deposit shall be returned to the party posting the same after such thawing operations have been completed and the meter and other city service installations at that location have been inspected and approved by an officer or agent of the city water division.

(c) In addition to any other penalties prescribed for violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, in the event of the violation of either (a) or (b) above, water service to the premises where any thawing operations are undertaken shall be discontinued immediately. (Ord. 97-16 § 15, 1997: Ord. B-101 § 1, 1949: Ord. B-606 § 24, 1944).