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

> Oakland owners maintain both the upper and lower sewer lateral out to the main, under city code and the EBMUD regional ordinance. The narrow city exception, quoted.

**Who pays:** owner

Oakland code splits the lateral into an upper and lower segment by name, then makes the owner responsible for both, all the way to the main.

**Boundary:** The owner is responsible for maintaining and repairing the building sewer lateral, including the lower lateral in the public right-of-way or easement.

**Property owner:** Oakland Municipal Code: the sewer lateral "shall be the responsibility of the owner of the property served or servable by the sewer system. All devices shall be maintained and repaired by the property owner and provide for their uninterrupted function and purpose for which they were designed."

**City / agency:** Oakland defines the lower lateral: ""Lower building sewer lateral" means all that portion of the building sewer lateral which lies within a public right-of-way or lies within an easement granted for the purpose of constructing or maintaining a sanitary sewer"

## Sources
- [13.08.120 - Responsibility of property owner.](https://library.municode.com/ca/oakland/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT13PUSE_CH13.08BUSE) — "shall be the responsibility of the owner of the property served or servable by the sewer system. All devices shall be maintained and repaired by the property owner and provide for their uninterrupted function and purpose for which they were designed." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [13.08.020 - Definitions (Lower building sewer lateral).](https://library.municode.com/ca/oakland/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT13PUSE_CH13.08BUSE) — ""Lower building sewer lateral" means all that portion of the building sewer lateral which lies within a public right-of-way or lies within an easement granted for the purpose of constructing or maintaining a sanitary sewer" (accessed 2026-09-27)

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