# Sewer Lateral in Detroit, MI: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> Detroit sewer lateral: the property owner is responsible from the house to the connection at the city collection pipe, per DWSD. The city maintains the collection system.

**Who pays:** owner

Detroit: the property owner owns the sewer lateral all the way to the city collection pipe, even the stretch under the alley or street.

**Boundary:** DWSD maintains the public sewer collection system. The property owner is responsible for the sewer line from the structure all the way to the connection at the city sewer collection pipe. Most Detroit sewer lines connect in the alley or former alley; some neighborhoods connect under the street out front.

**Property owner:** Detroit Water and Sewerage Department: "Property owners are responsible for the drains inside the house/structure, on the private property and the sewer line coming from the structure all the way to the connection at the city sewer collection pipe."

**City / agency:** DWSD: "DWSD is responsible for the sewer collection system." (For water, DWSD maintains mains and service lines up to the curbstop; the owner has the line from curbstop into the home.)

## Sources
- [Water and Sewer Maintenance/Emergencies - Who is Responsible for the Sewer Pipes?](https://web.archive.org/web/20250124095421/https://detroitmi.gov/departments/water-and-sewerage-department/dwsd-customer-service/water-and-sewer-maintenanceemergencies) — "DWSD is responsible for the sewer collection system. Property owners are responsible for the drains inside the house/structure, on the private property and the sewer line coming from the structure all the way to the connection at the city sewer collection pipe." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Water and Sewer Maintenance/Emergencies - Who is Responsible for the Sewer Pipes?](https://web.archive.org/web/20250124095421/https://detroitmi.gov/departments/water-and-sewerage-department/dwsd-customer-service/water-and-sewer-maintenanceemergencies) — "Most sewer lines connect in the alley or former alley (those vacated to the property owners by the city), while only a few neighborhoods have the sewer line connect under the street in front of the house/structure." (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-01. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/detroit-mi-sewer-lateral/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._