# Sewer Lateral Repair in Long Beach, CA: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> In Long Beach the owner handles the sewer from building to property line; Long Beach Utilities repairs property line to main once the owner clears their side.

**Who pays:** shared

Long Beach splits it cleanly: the owner owns the building sewer to the property line, and the utility owns and repairs the house connection from there to the main, after you clear your side first.

**Boundary:** Owner is responsible for the Building Sewer (building to property line); Long Beach Utilities is responsible for the House Connection (property line to main), including repairs, but will not investigate until the owner clears their own segment and provides an accessible cleanout.

**Property owner:** LBWD Rules 1406: "The property owner is responsible for ensuring sewage flow through the Building Sewer extending from the building to the property line, including the investigation and repair of the line," and must first inspect/clear their segment and "provide an accessible 4-inch cleanout" before the utility investigates.

**City / agency:** LBWD Rules 1406: "The Department is responsible for ensuring sewage flow through the House Connection, extending from the property line to the sewer main within the public right-of-way, including repairs to the House Connection."

**Exceptions:** Utility repairs the property-line-to-main segment, but only after the owner clears their own upstream segment and provides an accessible cleanout

## Sources
- [Long Beach Utilities Rules Sec. 1406, Sewer Lateral Responsibility (owner upper, utility lower)](https://www.lbutilities.org/files/sharedassets/utilities/v/4/about-us/documents/rules-and-regs-2024.pdf) (accessed 2026-09-07)
- [Long Beach Utilities: Sewer (consumer summary of the split)](https://www.lbutilities.org/sewer) (accessed 2026-09-07)
- [Long Beach Water Department Rules and Regulations (2024), Section 1406: Sewer Lateral Responsibility](http://web.archive.org/web/20260914144359/https://www.lbutilities.org/files/sharedassets/utilities/v/4/about-us/documents/rules-and-regs-2024.pdf) — "The Department is responsible for ensuring sewage flow through the House Connection, extending from the property line to the sewer main within the public right-of-way, including repairs to the House Connection." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Long Beach Water Department Rules and Regulations (2024), Section 1406: Sewer Lateral Responsibility](http://web.archive.org/web/20260914144359/https://www.lbutilities.org/files/sharedassets/utilities/v/4/about-us/documents/rules-and-regs-2024.pdf) — "The property owner is responsible for ensuring sewage flow through the Building Sewer extending from the building to the property line, including the investigation and repair of the line," (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Long Beach Water Department Rules and Regulations (2024), Section 1406: Sewer Lateral Responsibility](http://web.archive.org/web/20260914144359/https://www.lbutilities.org/files/sharedassets/utilities/v/4/about-us/documents/rules-and-regs-2024.pdf) — "provide an accessible 4-inch cleanout" (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-07. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/long-beach-ca-sewer-lateral/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._