The city is responsible for the main public sewer line which runs along the street, and where all the neighborhood private sewer lines are connected to. On the other hand, the homeowner is responsible for the sewer line from the house to the street, including the section outside your property line (lower lateral).
Determining responsibility for sewer lines can be crucial in maintaining and repairing these essential infrastructure components. Here’s a guide in points:
- Property Line vs. Public Sewer System: Responsibility for sewer lines typically depends on whether the sewer pipe is on your property or part of the public sewer system.
- Private Sewer Lateral Responsibility: Property owners are usually responsible for the maintenance and repair of the private sewer lateral, which connects their property to the public sewer system.
- Public Sewer Main Responsibility: The city or municipality is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the public sewer main, which is the large pipe that collects wastewater from multiple properties and transports it to a treatment facility.
- Private Sewer Line Ownership: The private sewer lateral is owned by the property owner and extends from the building’s plumbing to the connection point with the public sewer main.
- Responsibility Boundary: The boundary point where the private sewer lateral connects to the public sewer main varies by location. It may be at the property line or extend farther into the public right-of-way.
- Clogs and Blockages: Property owners are typically responsible for addressing clogs or blockages within their private sewer laterals. These issues can result from tree roots, debris, or pipe damage.
- Public Sewer Main Issues: Problems in the public sewer main, such as blockages or leaks, are the responsibility of the city or municipal sewer authority to repair.
- Trenchless Technology: Some repair methods, like pipe lining or pipe bursting, offer less invasive options for fixing damaged private sewer laterals without extensive excavation.
- Local Regulations: Local ordinances and regulations may vary, so it’s essential to consult your local sewer authority or municipality for specific responsibilities and guidelines.
- Pre-Purchase Inspections: When purchasing a property, consider getting a sewer line inspection to identify any issues with the private sewer lateral before taking ownership.
- Maintenance Agreements: In some cases, property owners may enter into maintenance agreements with the city or sewer authority to share the responsibility and cost of sewer line maintenance.
When is the City Responsible for Sewer Pipes?
Although what I have written above is the general rule of thumb, rules may change from place to place. One thing you can do to actually be sure when your city is responsible for the sewer line is to pick a phone and call them.
I will however want to explain to your 2 terminologies that you may hear and fail to understand what they mean. A sewer line (your sewer line) has 2 sections. These are the upper and the lower lateral.
The upper lateral is the section of sewer line between your house and your property line. Your property line is at the sidewalk or curb near the street.
The lower lateral is the section of sewer line connected to the upper lateral and the public sewer lines. This section of pipe is usually outside your property line but is usually your responsibility as the homeowner.
So, why do we have an upper and lower lateral? Why not have one piece of pipe from the house to the public sewer line?
Sewer lines are installed strictly under a specified slope to help the waste and wastewaters drain out of the house via gravity, and with less likelihood to clog and backup.
Public sewer lines are however way too deep. When the sewer line from the house reaches your property line, you will need another section of pipe to connect it to the main city sewer line. And that is where upper and lower laterals come in.
Repairing Upper and Lower Sewer Laterals
Now that we know that the homeowner is responsible for repairs involving the upper and lower sewer line laterals, how should the homeowner approach any repairs if such are deemed necessary?
The first thing you should do when you suspect there is a problem with your sewer line is to get a professional to have a look at it. DIYs don’t work very well with sewer lines and you can actually make the problem worse than it originally was.
A professional plumber will have a sewer line inspection camera which they will feed down the sewer line via the sewer cleanout and check the overall condition of the sewer pipes. From there, they will recommend if a repair is sufficient or if you need a replacement.
If you don’t have a sewer cleanout, the plumber will have to remove the toilet or access the sewer line through the plumbing vent.
Repairing a sewer line in the upper lateral just needs coordination between you and your plumber. This is because the upper lateral is in your private property.
It becomes a challenge when you need to perform repairs on the lower lateral. Although I have said that the lower lateral is your responsibility and not the city’s, you will still need to involve the city because the work impacts public spaces like sidewalks and roads.
This is when the work involves replacing the sewer lines , as you have to dig through the sidewalk or road.
The city also needs to ascertain that the work is done to the right specification so that it does not negatively impact the overall working of the neighborhoods public drainage.
Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Sewer Lines?
The first thing most homeowners want to know the moment they have problems with their sewer lines is whether it is covered by their home insurance. The answer to that question is yes and no. It depends on the type of damage.
If the damage to the sewer line is caused by something sudden and that is out of your control then you will be covered. However, if there is sewage back up in your house, the line is leaking, the line have collapsed or the sewer line is badly clogged by roots, you will pay for the repairs from your pocket.
Examples of cases when the sewer line may be covered by the insurance include:
- Lightning
- Fire
- Volcanic eruptions
- Earthquake
- Vandalism
- Explosion
- Falling objects (like aircrafts)
- Hail/windstorm
As I said, the source of the damage needs to come from something outside your control. Clogs, backups, slow drains, leaks etc are however things you can control and are therefore not covered.
What you can do to prevent yourself from the same is check if your insurance provider offers an endorsement that you can add to your standard policy. Such will cover sewer backups but not physical damage.
Usually, the endorsement will cost between $40 and $50 a year and will pay $10000 should your sewer line suffer backups. Given the damages caused by sewer backups, $10000 may may not be enough to cover the cost of damages.
Signs of a Collapsed Sewer Line
The following are the telltale signs of a collapsed sewer line:
1. Frequent Sewer Backups
With a collapsed sewer line, there will be no way for waste to flow out of your house to the public sewer line, and even when it does, it will be slowly and the line will clog a lot.
As a result, sewage will back up from your drains in your house’s lowest levels, which for most people is the basement. Sewer backups can destroy your house, are a health hazard and most importantly are expensive to repair.
2. Sewer Smells Outside the House
Is there a sewage smell outside your house? The smell is very strong outside the house but not inside the house?
You most likely have a collapsed sewer line which is leaking and when the ground warms up the smell comes up. This problem could however also be caused by a wrongly installed plumbing vent.
3. Lush Green Lawn
Is there a spot on your lawn that is unusually green and the grass looks healthy compared to the rest of the area? That could be due to the fact that the grass is receiving nutrients from sewage leaking from a collapsed pipe.
When the leak is severe, you will have a soggy yard instead of lush green spots. In some causes you could also have sink holes or cracking slabs.
4. Insects and Rodents Infestation
Insects and rodents infestation in your property could indicate a source of nutrients for them, which in this case would be leaking sewage.
Of all these problems, the worst you can have a sewer backup since it will need to be fixed immediately. You may even have to vacate your house.
Causes of Sewer Back Ups
- Old, corroded and/sagging sewer lines
- Clogs as a result of tree roots
- Pouring grease in drains
- Flushing what you shouldn’t flush
- Poor installation
- Clogged city sewer lines
- Heavy downpour
How to Prevent Sewer Backs
- Have your sewer lines inspected and tree roots cut at least once a year
- Replace old pipes with PVC pipes
- Don’t pour grease down drains
- Only flush toilet paper
- Use a sewer backflow valve