5 Times the City Pays for Your Sewer Repair

Your residential sewer line is cracked or leaking. Perhaps a tree on city property is to blame, or you suspect the damage was caused by public works near your property. So when is the city responsible for sewer line repair costs?

We’re Mother Modern Plumbing — our plumbers have nearly a century of combined Dallas-Fort Worth sewer line repair experience. While a majority of residential sewer maintenance is the homeowner’s responsibility, our experts identified 5 specific instances where the city might be on the hook for your repair or replacement bill.

If you live in DFW, call us before you ask City Hall to cover your costs. We’ll assess your sewer line damage with a non-invasive sewer camera inspection, then give you expert advice on your options.

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The 5 Exceptions: When the City Pays Your Sewer Repair Bill

Let’s not sugarcoat it — most times, sewer repair costs on your property are your responsibility.

There are 5 key exceptions to this rule. 4 apply to most municipalities across the United States, while the 5th is based on local ordinances and programs. 

This section outlines the first 4 exceptions and when they apply to your residential sewer line repair and replacement project. (We’ll get to the 5th in a bit.)

Your sewer line is damaged by city negligence

If the city or its contractors damage the lateral while performing work on public infrastructure, the city is often liable for the repair costs.

Our plumbers say the 2 most common instances in which this occurs are during public sewer main repairs, and during road and sidewalk construction.

The city failed to maintain the public sewer main

Did the city's negligent maintenance of the public sewer main directly causes a leak or blockage? Did that damage directly affect your connected lateral?

You may have grounds to hold the city responsible. This process requires a great deal of visual evidence — sewer camera footage and electronic leak detection are fantastic underground detection services our plumbers provide.

The city improperly installed your sewer connection

If your sewer lateral was damaged because the initial connection between the lateral and the main line was improperly installed by the city or its agents, the city should be held responsible.

Obtain records from the initial connection service call. Always ask for visuals (photos and/or video) when a new sewer connection is installed between the city main and your property.

The city sewer system backed up into your sewer lateral

Older sewer systems in expanding cities are frequently overwhelmed by growing demand. This demand causes sewer main backups into private lateral pipes.

If the city's system is inadequately designed or poorly managed, and this leads to damage-causing backups, the city may have liability. 

Talk to your local plumber and consult with an insurance agent for insight on local laws.

Here’s How Sewer Line Responsibility is Usually Divided

The first question you need to answer is simple: are there issues with the sewer main, or the sewer lateral?

Your city’s main sewer lines (sewer main) run beneath public streets and connect to the wastewater treatment facility.

Your property’s sewer lateral is the pipe that connects their house to the public main sewer line.

If you’re even concerned that you’re responsible for the cost of sewer line damage, the issue likely exists along your sewer lateral.

4 times the city pays for sewer line repairs

The city typically handles the cost of repairs along the main sewer line, and connections to the main. Expect them to foot the bill for damage in these 4 instances:

1. The public main sewer lines running under streets and easements.
2. Blockages or breaks within the public main sewer line.
3. The connection point (the "tie-in" or "spur") where your private lateral connects to the main line.*
4. The city didn’t install a city-side cleanout. If your property doesn’t have one most cities will install it at their own expense. 

*It’s crucial to get photo and video evidence that shows the city’s at fault — in DFW, we provide sewer camera inspections to assist homeowners with these claims.

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3 times the homeowner pays for home sewer line repairs

You’re usually responsible for the cost of repairs if damage exists along your property’s sewer lateral. Here are the 3 most likely places this occurs:

1. The portion of your sewer line on your property (the upper lateral).
2. The portion of your lateral extending from the property line to the main sewer line (the lower lateral), even if it's under a public right-of-way.
3. Blockages or damage within their sewer lateral caused by tree roots, grease, debris, or other issues.*

*If the tree root intrusion comes from a tree on city property, you may have a great claim. Call our plumbing experts if you encounter this issue with live oaks in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Check with your local municipality to establish whether damage at the connection point between the city main and your sewer lateral is your responsibility. As stated above, a sewer camera inspection is a key tool to assist your process.

Key considerations in your town or city

Every town has its own guidelines for when sewer line responsibility shifts to the homeowner. In most towns, this point either begins at the property line or the connection point from your lateral to the sewer main. 

Some municipalities have specific procedures and emergency funds available for home sewer line repair. This occurs most frequently in 3 scenarios:

1. A failure in the public system directly causes your sewer line damage.
2. Needs-based assistance programs for homeowners at lower income levels.
3. Acts of God that cause the public system to damage your residential sewer line.

Your town or city’s website must offer publicly stated guidelines for these procedures.

Bonus: Check Your City Ordinances for Exceptions

We found information regarding specific ordinances for sewer line repair and maintenance for 6 cities in the DFW Metroplex: Dallas, Fort Worth, Anna, Arlington, Burleson and Richardson.

Some of these, like Fort Worth and Burleson, have specific exceptions and assistance programs for select homeowners with sewer line repair or replacement needs.

City of Dallas

The City of Dallas's code states that the city is responsible for maintenance of a service connection from the main to the property line for wastewater service. The sewer lateral and other private plumbing are the homeowner's responsibility. 

City of Fort Worth

The City of Fort Worth has a Priority Repair Program that assists homeowners with emergency repairs based on eligibility and funding. This includes sewer line breaks. This program has income limits and specific repair criteria. It's not a general ordinance covering all repairs but a needs-based assistance program.   

Programs like Fort Worth's are typically designed to help specific income-qualified residents with urgent repairs. It doesn’t provide universal coverage for all residential sewer line issues.

City of Anna 

Anna, Texas clearly outlines who is responsible for home sewer line maintenance and repair in a dedicated FAQ page on its website. It states:

“Each home’s toilets and drains lead out of the house in a sewer service or “lateral” line, which connects to a sewer main. The section of line from the house to the property line is the homeowner’s responsibility. Any back-ups or overflows coming from the sewer main line should be reported to the City immediately by calling Public Works at (972) 924-4510.”

City of Arlington 

If a homeowner's private sewer service lateral has a structural failure in the public right-of-way or utility easement, Arlington Water Utilities will coordinate a repair at no cost to the homeowner. This is for structural failures in specified public areas only.   

City of Burleson 

Burleson's ordinances state that the city shall assume responsibility for replacement of the portion under your pavement when replacement is deemed necessary by the Public Works Department. 

City of Richardson 

Richardson offers a service to install a two-way cleanout at the property line for a fee. If a resident has a city-installed two-way cleanout, the city will attempt to clear stoppages from the cleanout towards the main. Blockages between the cleanout and the house are the homeowner's responsibility.   

3 Things to Know Before You Blame City Hall

Don’t walk into City Hall and ask for financial help empty-handed. You’ll walk out the same way you came in.

Equip yourself with visual proof of sewer line damage that establishes fault outside your property. Educate yourself on local laws and ordinances. And talk to your insurance provider about specific riders to offset sewer repair or replacement costs.

You must provide evidence the city is liable for damage

The best weapon in your toolbelt is a professional sewer camera inspection. A small camera on a flexible cable is lowered into your sewer lateral to check for breaks, leaks and intrusions. This footage helps identify the source of the damage.

Live in DFW and need professional sewer camera footage? Call Mother for fast, hassle-free scheduling.

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Check your local laws before pursuing damages

Individual towns and cities establish their own guidelines for sewer line responsibility. 

Here’s a handy list of responsibility guidelines for 4 major DFW cities:

• City of Dallas: Homeowner responsibility begins at the property line. However, the distinction between "service connection" and the homeowner's "building lateral" is somewhat unclear — consult the City of Dallas about your specific repairs.
• City of Fort Worth: Homeowner responsibility begins at the connection point.
• City of Arlington: Homeowner responsibility begins at the connection point. However, Arlington does offer to repair structural failures in this private lateral if they occur within the public right-of-way or utility easement at no cost to the homeowner.  
• City of Irving: Homeowner responsibility begins at the connection point. This isn’t explicitly stated, but the homeowner is responsible for maintaining the sewer cleanout. This informs our analysis.

This information is accurate as of this article’s original publishing date. Please consult your city’s website for updated guidance on sewer line responsibility. 

Talk to your homeowner’s insurance expert

Standard homeowner's insurance often doesn't cover sewer line damage unless a specific rider is purchased.

Talk to your insurance provider and agent about sewer line insurance options available in your area. 

Is the City Responsible For Your Sewer Line Costs? Talk to Us.

A sewer camera inspection is the best first step in your quest to have the city cover your sewer line repairs. If you live in the DFW Metroplex, call Mother for a no-hassle inspection and analysis of your sewer lateral damage.

If the city is liable, we’ll give you the evidence necessary to state your state. And if the damage is your responsibility — you called us, so it’s still good news.

Trust Mother for fast, effective and experienced sewer line repair and replacement services. 

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