# Sewer Lateral Repair in Portland, OR: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> In Portland the City maintains the sewer lateral from the main to the curb face; the owner pays from the curb face to the building (City Code 17.32.070).

**Who pays:** shared

Portland is unusually owner-friendly: the city maintains the lateral from the main all the way to the street-side curb face; the owner only covers curb-to-building.

**Boundary:** City maintains from the main to the street-side curb face nearest the property; owner is responsible only from the curb face in to the building. Where the main sits between property line and curb, the city part shrinks to the wye/tee connection.

**Property owner:** Portland City Code 17.32.070: "Those portions of a lateral not addressed by Subsections 17.32.070 B.1.a. through d. are the responsibility of the property owner receiving service through the lateral" - i.e., from the curb face inward.

**City / agency:** Portland City Code 17.32.070(B)(1)(a): "The City will maintain a lateral from the sewer main to the street-side curb face nearest the property being served."

**Exceptions:** Where the main is between the property line and curb, or in an easement, the city-maintained portion is limited to the wye/tee connection

## Sources
- [Portland City Code Sec. 17.32.070 (city maintains main-to-curb-face)](https://www.portland.gov/code/17/32) — "Those portions of a lateral not addressed by Subsections 17.32.070 B.1.a. through d. are the responsibility of the property owner receiving service through the lateral" (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [City of Portland BES: sewer connection responsibilities](https://www.portland.gov/ppd/infrastructure/ur-and-uc-permits) (accessed 2026-09-07)
- [Portland City Code Sec. 17.32.070 (city maintains main-to-curb-face)](https://www.portland.gov/code/17/32) — "The City will maintain a lateral from the sewer main to the street-side curb face nearest the property being served." (accessed 2026-09-27)

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