N.Y. General Municipal Law Section 120
Contracts for purification of water and sewerage

The local authorities of the several counties, cities, towns and villages of the state having charge of the supply of water and the care of sewerage in their respective localities, are hereby authorized, on behalf of their counties, cities, towns and villages, respectively, to enter into contracts with the owners of any process or apparatus for the purification of water and sewerage whether protected by patents or not, and either contract for the use of apparatus and process for a term of years or for the purchase of the same, as to them shall seem advisable. It shall be lawful for any two or more of such municipalities in this state, without regard to the form of their incorporation, including towns or sewer districts of towns, to jointly construct, provide, maintain and operate a comprehensive system of sewerage including trunk lines and laterals, or a system of conveying or conducting sewerage from said municipalities from a point or points to be agreed upon to a common destination or disposal plant or plants, and to construct, maintain and operate within or without the said municipalities or any of them one or more outlet or trunk sewers, plants, works or stations for the treatment, disposal, or rendering of sewerage, or any such municipality or any such municipalities may jointly or severally contract for the construction for it or them of any such system, extension or part thereof, including any such sewers, plants, works or stations, and agree to pay annually, semi-annually or quarterly for the use or possession thereof, by way of permanent rental reserved therefor; or such lawful authorities of the respective municipalities may jointly or severally contract with any person, persons or corporation or with other municipalities or sewage districts for the removal of sewage within the boundaries of such local government, upon such reasonable terms as they may agree upon. And to that end the governing bodies or boards of any two or more municipalities, including sewer districts of a town, authorized by law to have charge of sewer systems established or to be established in said municipalities, or sewer districts of a town, respectively, may unite and jointly cause to be made at their joint expense (each district bearing a part of the expense in proportion to the assessed valuation of real estate in such district, or on such other basis or division as may be jointly agreed upon) by competent engineers, mechanics and others, surveys, maps, plans, reports and estimates of proposed works and improvements relating to such contemplated public improvement or works authorized by this act, which such municipalities may desire to jointly provide, maintain, operate or lease under the authority conferred by this act, and for such purpose they may determine upon the final route and plan for the building or construction of such sewerage system and for the making of such surveys, maps, plans, reports and estimates as provided in this section. It shall be lawful for the officers and agents of such municipalities to enter at all times upon any lands or waters for the purpose of exploring, surveying, and laying out the route of such sewerage system.

Source: Section 120 — Contracts for purification of water and sewerage, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/GMU/120 (updated Sep. 22, 2014; accessed Apr. 26, 2025).

120
Contracts for purification of water and sewerage 120–A
Contracts for sewerage disposal 120–AA
Source separation and segregation of recyclable or reuseable materials 120–B
Supervision of sewage system 120–BB
Town of Huntington solid waste management resource recovery facility 120–C
Obligations and privileges relating to sewerage contracts 120–CC
Enforcement of unpaid solid waste collection and/or disposal fee 120–D
Officers of meeting 120–E
By whom proposed district represented 120–F
Contract 120–G
Apportionment of cost 120–H
Further provisions as to apportionment of cost 120–I
Means of payment 120–K
Payments 120–L
Letting of contracts 120–M
Application of other laws to procedure 120–N
Maps and plans of sewers 120–O
Definitions 120–P
Referendum in cities and villages 120–Q
Rules and regulations 120–R
Cancellation of sewerage contracts for neglect 120–S
Joint meeting for acquisition and operation of property 120–T
Town and village may establish a joint water district 120–U
Mutual aid for water service 120–V
Contracts for disposal of sewage outside the state 120–W
Contracts and agreements for solid waste management, collection and disposal 120–X
Agreements for joint acquisition, construction and operation of public docks 120–Z
Sewer hook-ups by private contractors 121
Establishment and maintenance of free public baths 121–A
Creation of village and town police department in certain towns and villages 121–B
Care of children admitted to certain places of amusement in certain cities, villages and towns under a local law or ordinance 122
Refusal to take persons to hospital prohibited 122–B
General ambulance services 122–C
Transport of police work dogs injured in the line of duty 123
Erection and operation of life-saving apparatus 124
Inspection of building elevators in Nassau county 125
Issuance of building permits 125–A
Posting signs on dead-end roads 126
Establishment of public general hospitals 126–A
Joint hospitals for cities, towns or villages 126–B
Public hospitals for chronically ill 126–B*2
Establishment of Broome county nursing home 126–C
Appointment to board of managers of county hospital 127
Appointment and terms of office of managers 128
General powers and duties of managers 128–A
Petty cash fund 129
General powers and duties of superintendent 129–A
Erie county 130
Admission and maintenance of patients 131
Training school for nurses 132
Room for detention and examination of persons who are suspected of being mentally ill 133
Visitation and inspection 134
Existing county, town, city or village public general hospitals 135
Application of preceding sections 135–A
Workshops in connection with hospitals and facilities for the aged 135–B
Departments of occupational therapy in connection with public general hospitals and tuberculosis hospitals or sanatoria 135–C
Prenatal and maternity care 136
Regulation of automobile junk yards 139–C
Sheltered workshops 139–D
Storage and display of firearms, ammunition and explosives 139–E
Posting of sanitary inspection grade
Green check means up to date. Up to date

Accessed:
Apr. 26, 2025

Last modified:
Sep. 22, 2014

§ 120’s source at nysenate​.gov

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