Who owns which pipe? From your basement to the City mains

Independent guide · sources checked October 6, 2026

PWD's rule is simple and surprises many owners: "Once drinking water leaves the PWD water main in the street, its safe delivery becomes the customer's responsibility." Customers must repair "faulty plumbing that connects our water and sewer mains to their home as well as the plumbing inside the home."[source] The property line is not the boundary. The City main is.

The numbered parts (owner's responsibility)

Names and short definitions below are PWD's own, from its Customer Responsibilities page and its "From Street to Sink" diagram.[source][source]

Water side (blue)

• 1Water meter. The meter itself is owned and maintained by PWD, but owners "must keep the meter accessible and protected, especially from freezing."
• 2Supply valves. "Valves used to isolate the water meter and to turn water on/off to the house."
• 3Water supply pipe. "Pipe connected from the curb stop that carries water into the house."
• 4Curb stop. A valve "used to turn water on/off to the property."
• 5Curb stop box. "Cover to protect the curb stop valve."
• 6Water service pipe. "Piping connected to the water main."
• 7Ferrule. "Connection valve to the water main."

Sewer side (brown)

• 8Main house drain. "Piping that collects the waste and empties to the lateral."
• 9Curb trap. "Portion of pipe that traps sewer gases from entering property."
• 10Vent pipe and vent cover. The vent pipe is "also known as Fresh Air Inlet (FAI)"; the vent cover is the "plate that covers the vent pipe."
• 11Lateral. "Piping connecting house drain to public sewer."
• 12Slant. "Also known as Tap. The connection between the sewer and the lateral."

City's responsibility (grey)

• AWater main in the street.
• BSewer in the street (one combined storm and sanitary sewer in some areas; separate storm and sanitary sewers in others).
• CStormwater inlet at the curb.

The City puts it this way: it "is responsible for repairing and maintaining water mains, stormwater inlets, and stormwater or sewer pipes that send wastewater to treatment plants."[source]

Three things owners often get wrong

1. "It's under the sidewalk, so it's the City's." No. Owners are responsible for these pipes "even if the broken pipe is outside your building, like under the sidewalk or roadway."[source]
2. "The curb stop belongs to the Water Department." PWD says that although it sometimes works on the curb stop during maintenance, the curb stop "remains part of your service line," and "residential water service lines in Philadelphia are owned entirely by the property owner."[source]
3. "The meter is mine to fix." The meter is the exception: PWD owns and maintains it. Your job is to keep it reachable and protected from freezing.[source]

How deep are these pipes?

A PWD handout on sidewalk trees says a house sewer lateral "is an average of six to seven feet below ground," and that Philadelphia laterals are cast iron, which "usually last 60 – 70 years," while homes built before World War II "may have had terra cotta lateral pipes, which are more prone to cracking."[source] That handout is about ten years old; treat it as background, not as a description of your house.

Is your water service line lead?

PWD publishes a Service Line Material Map where you can look up its records for your address. It says to treat "Incomplete records" as a lead service line for safety.[source] Lead service line replacement can also qualify for the HELP loan without a Notice of Defect.[source]

Next: the common repair types