Who pays for the water service line in San Jose Water Company, 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
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
San Jose Water (SJW) Customer Service (408) 279-7900
Hours, after-hours and sourcesWho is responsible for which part
Who to call first
San Jose Water (SJW) Customer Service
The utility owns the service pipe, the curb stop, the meter and the meter box. The customer owns everything from the meter outlet coupling inward.
- San Jose Water Company
- The tariff states that "the service pipe, curb stop, meter, and meter box furnished by or on behalf of the utility and located wholly or partially upon a customer's premises are the property of the utility". The utility's own "Who's Responsible for What?" page describes the same span in plain words, and in terms of upkeep rather than title: SJW "is responsible for the pipes that bring water from the water main located under the street, all the way to the meter outlet coupling".
- The property owner
- Everything past that coupling. The same page states that "customers are responsible for everything from the connection of their service line to SJW's coupling", itemising the service line from the meter to the house, the house valve, and all plumbing fixtures inside and outside. Its tariff makes it a condition of service that the customer "furnish and lay the necessary piping to make the connection from the service connection to the place of consumption" and "keep such piping in good repair".
What else is worth knowing
In Los Gatos, the State's register puts San Jose Water's system over about 80% of Los Gatos' land and Kennon Water Company's area over about 4%; if Kennon Water Company bills you, its own rules apply. The rest of Los Gatos, about 16%, is ground inside the town limits that no published water service area reaches - not a rival utility, and not necessarily unserved. In Saratoga, not every address is San Jose Water's: the State's register puts its system over about 89% of Saratoga's land, Mt. Eden Mutual Water Company's area over about 3% and Saratoga Heights Mutual Water Company's over about 2%, and if either of them bills you, its own rules apply. Check the name on your water bill.
Sources
San Jose Water, Rule No. 16What 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.
Who governs and serves this area
- Jurisdiction
- San Jose Water Company (special district)
- Sewer service
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in San Jose Water Company in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
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