# Water Service Line in Houston, TX: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> In Houston the water service line splits at the meter: the owner owns meter-to-house, the City owns meter-to-street. Cited to the Houston 311 knowledge base.

**Who pays:** shared

Houston: split at the meter, the City fixes meter-to-street, and "if there is a leak anywhere between the meter and the house, the repair is [the owner’s] responsibility."

**Boundary:** Split at the meter. The property owner is responsible for the line from the meter to the house; the City repairs the line from the meter to the street/main.

**Property owner:** Houston 311: "If there is a leak anywhere between the meter and the house, the repair is their responsibility."

**City / agency:** The City of Houston is responsible for repairing a leak on the line running from the meter to the street.

## Sources
- [Water service line leak responsibility (KA-02085)](https://houston311.powerappsportals.us/en-us/knowledgebase/article/KA-02085) — "If there is a leak anywhere between the meter and the house, the repair is their responsibility to make and the homeowner should hire a plumber to repair the leak. If there is a leak on the line that runs from the meter to the street, the City is responsible for making this repair." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Drinking water: Houston Public Works](https://www.houstonpublicworks.org/) (accessed 2026-09-10)

_Last verified 2026-09-10. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/houston-tx-water-service-line/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._