# Sewer Lateral in Chicago, IL: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> Who pays for sewer lateral in Chicago, IL? Owner: house to property line. City (Private Drain Program): property line to main.

**Who pays:** shared

Chicago: shared, the homeowner maintains the private drain; DWM repairs qualifying breaks in the public way.

**Boundary:** Owner: house to property line. City (Private Drain Program): property line to main.

**Property owner:** Owner responsible from house to property line.

**City / agency:** Private Drain Program: city handles the public-way portion (property line to main).

## Sources
- [11-16-020 Care of sewers, sewer structures and drains.](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2657135) — "The property owner shall be responsible for repairs to the part of the building sewer located on private property. ... The department shall be responsible for repairs to the part of the building sewer located on public property" (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Private Drain Repair (Private Drain Program)](https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/water/provdrs/engineer/svcs/private_drain_program.html) — "The City may now repair sewer drain tiles coming from private residences, of up to four units, that are broken under the public way. This is the area from the city sidewalk to the center of the street." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Private Drain Repair Program](https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/water/provdrs/engineer/svcs/private_drain_program.html) — "The City may now repair sewer drain tiles coming from private residences, of up to four units, that are broken under the public way. ... Tiles proven to be broken under the public way will be repaired by the City at no cost to the property owner when the following conditions are met" (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-02. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/chicago-il-sewer-lateral/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._