# Sewer Lateral Repair in Houston, TX: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> In Houston the owner is responsible for the sewer pipe up to the street cleanout. Houston Public Works owns the cleanout-to-main segment in the right-of-way.

**Who pays:** shared

Houston draws the line at the street cleanout: the owner pipe ends there, and Houston Public Works owns the segment from the cleanout to the main.

**Boundary:** Owner is responsible for the private wastewater pipe up to the street cleanout; Houston Public Works owns the segment from the cleanout to the main in the public right-of-way.

**Property owner:** Houston Public Works: "Problems with private wastewater pipes, which are typically closer to the home, are the responsibility of the homeowner." Cleanouts, where present, mark where the City system begins: "Cleanouts are used to mark the limits of the City’s public collection system and if you have one, they are found along public spaces."

**City / agency:** Houston Public Works: "Problems with public pipes or those on a public right-of-way are the responsibility of Houston Public Works."

## Sources
- [Protect Our Pipes.](https://houstonpublicworks.org/protect-our-pipes) — "Problems with private wastewater pipes, which are typically closer to the home, are the responsibility of the homeowner. Problems with public pipes or those on a public right-of-way are the responsibility of Houston Public Works." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Protect Our Pipes.](https://houstonpublicworks.org/protect-our-pipes) — "Cleanouts are used to mark the limits of the City’s public collection system and if you have one, they are found along public spaces." (accessed 2026-09-27)

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