If the repair is yours to pay
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- Your building
- Your part: the whole lateral, up to the connection with the main
- Connection to the main
- Public sewer main
Drawn from the rule quoted on this page. Exceptions above still apply.
Default rule and exceptions
Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department (RWRD) owns the public sewer main; the property owner owns and must maintain the private sewer pipe (house connection sewer) all the way to its point of connection with the public sewer, per pima.gov.
| Party | What they are responsible for |
|---|---|
| Property owner | Owns and is responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the house connection sewer from the structure to the point of connection with the public sewer. |
| City / utility | Pima County RWRD owns and operates the public sewer main in the street or alley. |
| Exceptions | None on record |
What the source says
Last verified against the primary source on Sep 26, 2026.
The private sewer pipe connecting a house or business to the public sewer in the street or alley is owned by the property owner, up to and including the point of connection to the public sewer pipe.
Property owners are responsible for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of house connection sewers from the structure to the point of connection to the public sewer.
City rules rest on state law. Read Arizona's sidewalk statute, quoted verbatim, or see all 50 states in one table.
Common questions
Who pays for sewer lateral in Tucson, AZ?
The property owner. Owns and is responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement of the house connection sewer from the structure to the point of connection with the public sewer.
What is this based on for Tucson, AZ?
This verdict is sourced to Sewer Connections and 2 sources in total, each independently re-checked before publication.
Sources
- Sewer Connectionsofficial-guide · verified-primary · accessed 2026-09-13
- Sewer Connections: FAQofficial-guide · verified-primary · accessed 2026-09-13
Spot an error? Challenge this record
Found an out-of-date code section, a wrong verdict, or a better primary source? Tell us. Corrections that check out are applied, with the change shown in history. That is our standing policy.