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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Denton, TX

Which part of the pipe is yours

your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours.

If something’s wrong

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

Call a plumber first.

Call Utilities Dispatch if your plumber finds that the blockage is beyond the sewer service/lateral line: 940-349-7000

Source(opens in a new tab)

Denton: official site(opens in a new tab)

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit

    Who issues it:
    City of Denton - superintendent of water/wastewater field services
    What it covers:
    removing, installing or relocating a sewer main tap, or cutting a street surface to do so

    Denton Code of Ordinances section 26-126(a) provides that "No person, firm, association or corporation may remove, install or relocate any water or sewer main tap or loop, or cut any street surface for the purpose of removing, installing or relocating any such tap or loop without first obtaining a permit from the superintendent of water/wastewater field services"

The repair rule in full, with its sources

Buying or selling?

No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.

Who is responsible for which part

Who to call first

Call a plumber first.

Call Utilities Dispatch if your plumber finds that the blockage is beyond the sewer service/lateral line: 940-349-7000

Source(opens in a new tab)

In Denton the owner maintains the sewer service line. Section 26-207 of the Denton Code of Ordinances provides that "The city shall not be responsible for the maintenance of any building drains or service lines, and such maintenance shall be the responsibility and duty of the owner of the premises serviced by any such service line." The City's utilities page adds that "Everything from the house to the sewer main line is the homeowner's responsibility."

The property owner
The building drain and the sewer service line, under section 26-207: on the City's page, everything from the house to the sewer main line.

What else is worth knowing

The owner's part runs to the sewer main, under the street included. Neither the code nor the City's page says who keeps the joint on the main itself. The City asks that back-ups or overflows coming from the sewer main line be reported to Utilities Dispatch. The Public Utility Commission of Texas maps no other utility's certificated sewer area over more than about 0.1% of Denton's land.

Sources

Denton Code of Ordinances section 26-207

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Denton - superintendent of water/wastewater field services
    What it covers:
    removing, installing or relocating a sewer main tap, or cutting a street surface to do so

    Denton Code of Ordinances section 26-126(a) provides that "No person, firm, association or corporation may remove, install or relocate any water or sewer main tap or loop, or cut any street surface for the purpose of removing, installing or relocating any such tap or loop without first obtaining a permit from the superintendent of water/wastewater field services"

    What to do: If the work will remove, install or move the sewer tap on the main, have a qualified contractor get a tap permit from Denton's superintendent of water/wastewater field services before starting. For other repairs to your service line, ask the City which permit applies; this section does not address them.

    Why this matters

    Removing, installing or relocating the tap where a sewer service joins the City main, or cutting the street to do so, needs a permit from the City's superintendent of water/wastewater field services first, and the applicant pays the City in advance for its inspection of the tap installation. The section covers the tap only; it does not say whether repairing the rest of the service line needs a permit.

    In force since · Checked

    Denton Code of Ordinances section 26-126

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
Denton (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

Both of the nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Denton(this page)
    the main
  • Fort Worthabout 32 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Dallasabout 36 mi
    the property line

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

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; your water line stops being yours at the meter.

Who owns the water service line in Denton

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address