The property owner is responsible for the line that services his/her building up to the property line. However, if a blockage occurs in the service line but is unknown where the blockage is taking place (private or public property), the property owner must make an effort to free the blockage, at his/her expense. This may involve the submission of a report from a vendor that can perform tree root extractions, grease build up removal or other methods to remove common blockages in the building service line, detailing his findings.
If the blockage cannot be relieved by these methods and it is demonstrated that the blockage is within the public layout, the Department of Public Works will accepts its responsibility from the property line to the city’s main. Only gravity sanitary sewer service shall be covered by this policy. The effort and expense by the property owner up to this point is not reimbursable by the City.
If, in the sole judgment of the Department of Public Works (DPW), the blockage can best be investigated or removed by accessing the service line from private property. The DPW shall have no responsibility to investigate or remove the blockage until the property owner has signed a written Right of Entry as prepared by the DPW and has given the DPW personnel access as requested. Investigations and blockage removals will be scheduled during the normal operating hours of the DPW.
If the problem is believed to occur on private property, the responsibility will remain with the property owner to repair his/her service. Damage from a service line blockage remains the responsibility of the property owner.
For more information or to report sewer back-up, please call the 3-1-1 Action line or submit a ticket online.