# Sewer Lateral Repair in Philadelphia, PA: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> In Philadelphia the property owner repairs the lateral from the house drain to the public sewer, verified against the Philadelphia Water Department.

**Who pays:** owner

Philadelphia owners must repair the lateral, the pipe running from the house drain to the public sewer, including the tap connection.

**Boundary:** Owner-owned/repaired plumbing runs from the house through the lateral to the point where it connects to the public sewer main. The Philadelphia Water Department owns only the main.

**Property owner:** Repair faulty plumbing that connects the water and sewer mains to the home, plus the plumbing inside the home; the lateral connects the house drain to the public sewer.

**City / agency:** The Philadelphia Water Department owns and maintains the public sewer main.

## Sources
- [Customer Responsibilities: customers must repair plumbing connecting the mains to the home](https://water.phila.gov/customer-responsibilities/) — "This means that customers must repair faulty plumbing that connects our water and sewer mains to their home as well as the plumbing inside the home." (accessed 2026-09-11)
- [Customer Responsibilities: wastewater plumbing glossary (lateral / slant)](https://water.phila.gov/customer-responsibilities/) — "Lateral: Piping connecting house drain to public sewer." (accessed 2026-09-11)

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