Who pays for the sewer lateral in San Diego, CA
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours all the way to the main, including the fitting where it joins
Why, and what to doYours from the meter to your building
Why, and what to do
If something’s wrong
Who to call first about the sewer lateral
Call a plumber first.
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of San Diego
- What it covers:
- work within the public right-of-way or a water or sewer easement
City of San Diego Information Bulletin 166 states that "a right-of-way permit is required for work within the public right-of-way or a water/sewer easement". The City also states that the sewer lateral is the property owner's for its entire length, including the run under the street, so a repair at the far end is work in the right-of-way.
Who is responsible for which part
Who to call first
Call a plumber first.
The City states that the entire sewer lateral is the property owner's private property, including the length running under the street to the sewer main. A Council Policy will clear or repair the section beyond the property line at no charge, but only where the property has lost all sewer service and only after the owner has paid a plumber to establish where the fault is.
- San Diego
- The length under the street, and only in an emergency. The City "will only repair or clear at no charge to you a problem located in the section of the lateral that lies beyond your property line and in the City right-of-way (street), provided that you have lost all sewer facilities", and only where "the problem was not caused by your lack of routine maintenance". Council Policy 400-10 states the duty in its own terms: "The City of San Diego shall respond to calls and make repairs when the licensed plumber or licensed drain cleaner has established that the sewer lateral is blocked or has collapsed beyond the property line in a public right-of-way." Short of that, the routine maintenance and the cleaning of the whole lateral are the owner's.
- The property owner
- The whole of it, in the City's own words: "the entire length of the sewer lateral, extending from your home or building to its point of connection with the City sewer main underneath the street, is your private property", and "it is your responsibility as a property owner to maintain your sewer lateral". Council Policy 400-10 keeps routine upkeep with the owner across the same span, making them responsible "for both the routine maintenance and the required cleaning of the sewer line, from the building to the City sewer main". The City adds one caveat that changes who this applies to: "encroachment sewer laterals and sewer laterals located within easements are subject to different rules and policies" - it does not say what those rules are, so if your lateral crosses a neighbour's land or runs in an easement, this page is not describing your case. The City's Sewer System Management Plan names the far end more precisely than the fact sheet does: "the City does not own any portion of the service lateral. The private property owner is responsible for lateral maintenance and repair from the building connection to the wye connection at the sewer mainline." So the fitting where your pipe meets the main is yours too.
What else is worth knowing
Sources
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department, "What Is A Sewer Lateral?"What the rules say
Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe
- Who issues it:
- City of San Diego
- What it covers:
- work within the public right-of-way or a water or sewer easement
City of San Diego Information Bulletin 166 states that "a right-of-way permit is required for work within the public right-of-way or a water/sewer easement". The City also states that the sewer lateral is the property owner's for its entire length, including the run under the street, so a repair at the far end is work in the right-of-way.
What to do: Ask your contractor whether the work reaches into the right-of-way or an easement and who is pulling the permit. If the fault is beyond your property line and you have lost all sewer service, ask about the City's no-charge repair first - it is a separate route with its own conditions, and it starts with a plumber's report.
City of San Diego Development Services Department, Information Bulletin 166Why this matters
The two facts meet under the road. You own that length of pipe and you cannot open the street to reach it without the City's permission. The bulletin does draw one line in the owner's favour that is the opposite of what most people expect: "unlike connections to water mains, sewer lateral connections can be made by a licensed contractor", where on the water side "all water and fire service connections to a water main and the installation of water meters must be performed by the Public Utilities Department".
What this page cannot tell you
- 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
- San Diego (municipality)
- Sewer service
- No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.
How this compares to neighbouring cities
6 of the 8 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.
Your other pipe: the water service line
The drinking water line coming into your property is a separate pipe, run by a separate authority, and who is responsible for it is decided separately. Your sewer lateral is yours to the main, fitting included; your water line stops being yours at the meter.
Who owns the water service line in San DiegoNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in San Diego in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
Search for an address