Sewer Utility Information

Sewer Lateral Ownership & Responsibility

The homeowner/property owner is responsible for maintenance and repair of the sanitary sewer lateral from the home to the city sewer main, however, only a licensed contractor can excavate in the City Right-of-Way.

Shared Sewer Laterals

A significant portion of Ogden City's homes built between 1900 and 1950 have a shared sewer lateral, meaning that the sewer drain pipe that connects to the city sewer main is shared by 2 or more houses.  Because of the problems associated with shared laterals, they are no longer allowed in new construction, and Ogden City heavily recommends homeowners to replace them  with separate, individual laterals wherever possible.  Please click here or on the picture above to learn more about shared sewer laterals.

Who Can Work On My Sewer Lateral?

For the portion of the sewer lateral that is located on private property, the homeowner or their authorized agent may perform repairs and replacement. The work will be inspected and must meet current plumbing code requirements.  

For the part of the sewer lateral located within the City Right-of-Way, the work must be done by a licensed contractor with one of these classifications, who has Insurance and Bonding on file with Ogden City.  This is due to the type of utilities that are located in the right-of-way, and the liabilities and risks associated with damaging any of these utilities.  

Possible Repair/Replace Solutions 

• Cured-in-Place Liner: Digging down to the sewer near the house and inserting & pushing the liner from this single location. Liner can be installed to cover custom lengths and locations, and is minimally invasive as there is no road cut required for installation. Can be used on Shared Laterals as well.
  
• Spot Repair: Digging in one location, repairing or replacing a small section of pipe.
• Remove & Replace: Removing existing sewer lateral and replacing with a new PVC lateral
• Pipebursting: Replacing existing lateral by pulling a new PVC lateral through the middle of the existing lateral while splitting it and pushing it out of the way.  Some pipe-burst companies can pull 2 new pipes through an existing pipe (ideal for replacing a shared lateral).

Insurance Recommendations

Because of the rising costs associated with repairs to and replacement of water laterals, it is highly recommended that homeowners search out insurance policies that help cover the costs of these repairs or replacements.  Many homeowners' insurance policies do not cover the costs of utility line repairs and replacements, and often this type of coverage must be found in third-party policies that specialize in covering utilities connecting to the home. 

Many factors affect the cost of underground sewer replacement or repair.  Consult with an insurance agent prior to purchasing a policy to see what the average market cost of a repair can be.

(Return to Engineering Info for the Public)