Owner Responsibilities

The building sewer (sometimes called the service pipe) is the pipe that extends from your building through your yard and connects to a sewer “lateral” near the curb line or edge of an easement. The owner of the property is responsible for maintaining and cleaning the building sewer within the building, as well as the line in the property up to the connection point to the lateral. A cleanout is typically installed near the connection point and is considered part of the building sewer. A sewer main is a larger pipeline, usually in the street or through an easement, that transports the sewage from many homes and buildings to the wastewater treatment plant. A sewer lateral is the short pipeline that extends from the sewer main to the curb line or property line, or where the building sewer connects. The Authority is responsible for the maintenance of the sewer lateral and sewer main only.

Typical Sewer Connection:

DO NOT connect French drains, sump pumps, rain gutters, and other flood control systems to your sanitary sewer. It is illegal, and debris and silt will clog your line. That extra stormwater in a sewer pipe could cause the pipe to overfill and back up. Consult a plumber to correct any illegal connections.

Downspouts and sump pump connections, as shown in the image, are not allowed to be connected to the sanitary sewer system.

There are a number of companies now offering insurance programs for the repair of privately owned building sewer laterals. 

If you have concerns about your pipes and the cost that you may incur to repair or replace your lateral, you may want to contact:

The link is for informational purposes only. CNBTJSA is neither promoting nor endorsing this company or its respective program. CNBTJSA accepts no legal responsibility for the information provided.