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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Fort Worth, TX

Which part of the pipe is yours

your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours. A dashed marker means the position depends on your property — see below.

If something’s wrong

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

The answer here has conditions, so it is not repeated in brief. Read who to call first, in full or look up your address.

Fort Worth: 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 Fort Worth - a Street Use Permit for Utility Construction before construction
    What it covers:
    all pre-planned utility construction within city right-of-way, including drainage or other applicable easements

    Fort Worth City Code section 35-57.5(g) provides that "All pre-planned utility construction within city right-of-way, including drainage or other applicable easements, requires a Street Use Permit for Utility Construction ("Permit") prior to construction."

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 is responsible for which part

Who to call first

the City of Fort Worth Water Department

When to call: sewage backs up from your drains while you are not using any water outlets

(817)392-4477

Answered: 24 hours per day

Source

Fort Worth owns and maintains the sewer tap and maintains the wastewater service connection from the main to the property line; the owner has the building sewer on the property. Section 35-57.5(k) of the Fort Worth City Code provides that "The city shall then own and maintain the sewer tap upon completion and acceptance" and "The city shall maintain wastewater service connections from the main to the property line."

Fort Worth
The sewer tap, once built at the owner's or customer's expense and accepted, and the wastewater service connection from the main to the property line.
The property owner
The building sewer lateral on the property. Section 35-57.5(i) has the owner verify the lateral's grade before it is built, and section 35-57.5(a) and (k) put the cost of the tap on the owner or customer.

What decides which applies

The dividing point is the property line. This applies where the City of Fort Worth is your sewer utility. The Public Utility Commission of Texas maps certificated sewer areas of other utilities over about 1.5% of Fort Worth's land, the largest Tarrant County MUD 1's (about 0.8%) and Benbrook Water Authority's (about 0.5%); districts need no certificate and are not all on that map. Check the name on your sewer bill, and if a district bills you, ask it where its part ends.

Sources

Fort Worth City Code section 35-57.5, Sewer tap connections (Ord. 26452-09-2023

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you have received a notice from the city or district

No rule on file here is specific to a notice from the city or district; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Fort Worth - a Street Use Permit for Utility Construction before construction
    What it covers:
    all pre-planned utility construction within city right-of-way, including drainage or other applicable easements

    Fort Worth City Code section 35-57.5(g) provides that "All pre-planned utility construction within city right-of-way, including drainage or other applicable easements, requires a Street Use Permit for Utility Construction ("Permit") prior to construction."

    What to do: Before planned sewer work in the street, alley or a City easement, have your contractor get a Street Use Permit for Utility Construction from the City of Fort Worth. The City maintains the sewer service from the main to the property line, so ask the Water Department before paying for work on that part.

    Why this matters

    Planned sewer work in the City's right-of-way or in a drainage or other applicable easement needs a Street Use Permit for Utility Construction before it starts.

    In force since · Checked

    Fort Worth City Code section 35-57.5, Sewer tap connections (Ord. 26452-09-2023

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
Fort Worth (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

2 of the 3 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Fort Worth(this page)
    the property line (conditions apply)
  • Arlingtonabout 14 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Dallasabout 34 mi
    the property line
  • Dentonabout 32 mi
    the main

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 property line; your water line stops being yours at the meter.

Who owns the water service line in Fort Worth

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address