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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Arlington, TX

Which part of the pipe is yours

  • Sewer lateral

    Yours all the way to the main, including the fitting where it joins — if certain conditions are met

    Why, and what to do
your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours. A dashed marker means the position depends on your property — see below.

If something’s wrong

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit

    Who issues it:
    City of Arlington - code official
    What it covers:
    erecting, installing, enlarging, altering, repairing, removing, converting or replacing a plumbing system regulated by the Plumbing Code

    Arlington's Plumbing Chapter amends section 106.1 of the International Plumbing Code so that any owner, authorized agent or contractor who desires to "erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code" must "first make application to the code official and obtain the required permit for the work." It adds: "A permit may only be issued to a registrant as provided in Article III of this Chapter."

The repair rule in full, with its sources

No rule on file here is specific to selling, buying, remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Arlington about the sewer lateral.

Arlington: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on

Who is responsible for which part

In Arlington the owner is responsible for the whole sewer service line, on the property and in the street, including the connection to the main. Section 4.07 of the City's Water and Sewer chapter provides that "The property owner shall be responsible for maintaining the sanitary sewer service line located on his or her property and located within the street right-of-way or easement up to, and including, the point of connection to the main."

The property owner
The whole sewer service line and its connection to the main, including cleaning, unclogging and unstopping it. Section 4.07 adds that the owner is responsible for maintaining and repairing private service lines on private property, and lines within a service line easement.

What decides which applies

Nothing on the line is the City's to keep. Where continual problems come from a structural failure of the line in the street right-of-way or easement, the City repairs that portion and charges the owner the cost set by resolution. Section 4.07 applies where the City of Arlington is your sewer utility. The Public Utility Commission of Texas maps certificated sewer areas of other utilities over about 1% of Arlington's land, the largest the City of Kennedale's (about 0.8%). Check the name on your sewer bill.

Sources

City of Arlington, Water and Sewer chapter, section 4.07

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are remodelling or adding a unit

No rule on file here is specific to remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Arlington - code official
    What it covers:
    erecting, installing, enlarging, altering, repairing, removing, converting or replacing a plumbing system regulated by the Plumbing Code

    Arlington's Plumbing Chapter amends section 106.1 of the International Plumbing Code so that any owner, authorized agent or contractor who desires to "erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code" must "first make application to the code official and obtain the required permit for the work." It adds: "A permit may only be issued to a registrant as provided in Article III of this Chapter."

    What to do: Before repairing or replacing your sewer service line, hire a contractor registered with the City of Arlington and have them get the plumbing permit from the code official. Where the line keeps failing structurally under the street or in an easement, ask the Water Utilities Department first, because the City repairs that part at a set cost.

    Why this matters

    Repairing or replacing a plumbing system regulated by the City's Plumbing Code needs a permit before the work, and only a registered contractor can be issued it. The same chapter regulates building sewers (for example its amendment adding IPC 305.4.1 on sewer depth) and refers to a sewer permit for building-sewer connections, but section 106.1 does not name the sewer service line, so ask the City whether your job is covered. In Arlington the owner maintains the sewer service line up to and including the connection to the main.

    In force since · Checked

    City of Arlington Plumbing Chapter, section 1.05 (amendment of IPC section 106.1

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
Arlington (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

The nearest city draws the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Arlington(this page)
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main (conditions apply)
  • Fort Worthabout 14 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)

Distances are approximate, in a straight line between the places’ centres.

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

This page describes what applies to properties in Arlington in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

Search for an address