Who pays for the water service line in Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40, CA

This page answers for the water service line only, and holds no sewer lateral answer or requirement. To see what BelowGrid has for the sewer lateral at a property, look up its address.

Which part of the pipe is yours

Water service line
Yours from the meter to your building
Why, and what to do

If something’s wrong

Who to call first about the water service line

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40 about the water service line.

Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on

Who is responsible for which part

In Lancaster, Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40 maintains the service connection, the meter and the meter box, and the customer owns and is responsible for everything past the meter. The Waterworks Districts' rules provide that "all service connections, water meters, and meter boxes shall be maintained at the Districts' expense", and that "The facilities located downstream of the meter outlet and outside of the meter box/vault are owned by and the responsibility of the customer."

Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40: The service connection, the meter and the meter box, maintained at the District's expense once the District has accepted them. The rules define the service connection as "The pipe, valves, and other equipment installed in place, necessary for conducting water from the District distribution main to the meter or meter location", and provide that "The District is the owner of all meters and appurtenances incidental thereto."
The property owner: Everything downstream of the meter outlet and outside the meter box, which the rules make the customer's property and responsibility. "The District's control and responsibility end at the meter", and customers have "a responsibility to maintain plumbing and irrigation systems on the property such that any leaks are detected and repaired in a timely manner".

What else is worth knowing

The line is the meter outlet, and the meter sits in the street or a District easement in front of the property: the rules serve each premises "from a water meter located in the public way or easement of the District", and "The meter shall be located in front of the premises". So the customer's side begins at the meter, which may sit short of the property line, and runs all the way to the house. A curb stop, lock or seal the customer damages may be replaced at the customer's cost. The State's register puts District No. 40's Lancaster system over about 54% of Lancaster's land, Quartz Hill Water District's area over about 5%, and White Fence Farms Mutual Water Company Nos. 1 and 3 and Landale Mutual Water Company over about 1% each; if one of those bills you, its own rules apply. The rest, about 37%, is ground inside the city limits that no published water service area reaches - not a rival utility, and not necessarily unserved. Check the name on your water bill.

Sources

Rules and Regulations of the Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts and the Marina del Rey Water System (last revision adopted July 2026)

Also quoted:

Los Angeles County Public Works, Waterworks Rules and Regulations

Checked 26 Sep 2026 (5 weeks ago)

What this page cannot tell you

This page answers for the water service line only and holds no sewer lateral answer or requirement. Look up an address to see what BelowGrid has for the sewer lateral there.
No assistance or grant programme has been reviewed for this jurisdiction yet.
No sewer service territory has been mapped for this area, so BelowGrid cannot say who serves an individual address.

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction: Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40 (special district)
Sewer service: No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.

Look up a specific address

This page describes what applies to properties in Los Angeles County Waterworks District No. 40 in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

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