Who pays for the sewer lateral in El Paso, TX
Which part of the pipe is yours
Yours from your property line to your building
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
If a repair needs a permit or an inspection
- Who issues it:
- City of El Paso - building official
- What it covers:
- erecting, installing, enlarging, altering, repairing, removing, converting or replacing a plumbing system where the work is regulated by the technical codes
El Paso City Code section 18.02.105.1 provides that any owner, authorized agent or contractor who desires "to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing or fire protection systems" where the work is regulated by the technical codes "shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work."
Who is responsible for which part
Who to call first
El Paso Water
El Paso Water, the City's water and sewer utility, owns and repairs the part of the sewer lateral in the public right-of-way, up to the cleanout or property line; the owner maintains the lateral within the property. Rules and Regulations No. 1 of the Public Service Board, section VIII(B)(2), provide that "The Utility is responsible for the repair of the Sewer Service Lateral-EPWU."
- El Paso
- The Sewer Service Lateral-EPWU, defined as the pipes, fittings and appurtenances connected to the Utility's sewer collector line "and extending within the public Dedicated Rights-of-Way up to the clean out or property line." Responsibility for and ownership of it stay with El Paso Water.
- The property owner
- The Sewer Service Lateral-Customer, the pipes, fittings and appurtenances within the property. Section VII(C)(3) makes the customer responsible for maintaining and repairing it in good, serviceable and safe condition, and for the cost of installing both laterals from the tap at the main.
What else is worth knowing
Sources
El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board, Rules and Regulations No. 1What is required
- Who issues it:
- City of El Paso - building official
- What it covers:
- erecting, installing, enlarging, altering, repairing, removing, converting or replacing a plumbing system where the work is regulated by the technical codes
El Paso City Code section 18.02.105.1 provides that any owner, authorized agent or contractor who desires "to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing or fire protection systems" where the work is regulated by the technical codes "shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit for the work."
What to do: Before repairing or replacing the sewer line on your property, have your contractor apply to the City of El Paso building official for the plumbing permit. El Paso Water owns and repairs the lateral in the right-of-way, so ask El Paso Water before paying for work on that part.
El Paso City Code section 18.02.105.1, Permit application (Ord. No. 019528Why this matters
Repairing, replacing or altering a plumbing system regulated by the City's technical codes needs a permit from the building official before the work starts. The City's Plumbing Code (chapter 18.20) adopts the International Plumbing Code and amends its building-sewer sections (18.20.120, IPC 701.2; 18.20.160, IPC 708.1.3), but section 18.02.105.1 itself does not name the sewer lateral, so ask the City whether your job is covered.
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
- El Paso (municipality)
- Sewer service
- No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.
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 property line; your water line stops being yours at the meter.
Who owns the water service line in El PasoNearby cities and further reading
Look up a specific address
This page describes what applies to properties in El Paso in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.
Search for an address