# Sewer Lateral Repair in Charlotte, NC: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> Charlotte owners own the sewer line to the main, but Charlotte Water does all street-side work and pays for tree-root, rodent and health-hazard failures.

**Who pays:** shared

Charlotte owners own the lateral even under the street but are barred from touching it - Charlotte Water does the work and eats the cost for common failures like tree roots.

**Boundary:** The owner owns the service connection even under the street, but maintenance work in the street right-of-way is performed by Charlotte Water (CMUD), which bears the cost for health-hazard failures, tree roots in the right-of-way, rodents and inflow/infiltration.

**Property owner:** Charlotte Code: "The sewer service connections within the street right-of-way belong solely to the property owner and are the responsibility of the property owner or occupant ... Maintenance work required within the street right-of-way shall be performed by CMUD."

**City / agency:** Charlotte Code: "For sewer laterals that are unserviceable and are deemed to be a health hazard, CMUD will bear the costs to repair or replace the service. CMUD will also bear the cost of repairs due to trees existing within the street right-of-way, rodent problems and inflow and infiltration of extraneous waters."

**Exceptions:** CMUD bears repair cost for health-hazard laterals, right-of-way tree roots, rodents, and inflow/infiltration

## Sources
- [Sec. 23-43. - Conditions and charges for service connection and repairs.](https://library.municode.com/nc/charlotte/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH23WASEINWADIRE_ARTIISECOUSCH) — "The sewer service connections within the street right-of-way belong solely to the property owner and are the responsibility of the property owner or occupant ... Maintenance work required within the street right-of-way shall be performed by CMUD." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Sec. 23-43. - Conditions and charges for service connection and repairs.](https://library.municode.com/nc/charlotte/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH23WASEINWADIRE_ARTIISECOUSCH) — "For sewer laterals that are unserviceable and are deemed to be a health hazard, CMUD will bear the costs to repair or replace the service. CMUD will also bear the cost of repairs due to trees existing within the street right-of-way, rodent problems and inflow and infiltration of extraneous waters." (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-27. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/charlotte-nc-sewer-lateral/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._