Glendale City Code 33-217: who repairs the sewer line from the building to the street

Section 33-217 reads: "The property owner shall be responsible for the cleaning, repair, and replacement of sewers and connections to the public sewer line, except when the cleaning, repair or replacement requires excavation of a public street, public right-of-way (e.g. a public alleyway) or sidewalk." It then adds that in those cases "the City shall undertake such cleaning, repair or replacement at no cost to the property owner."

That gives three rules. First, the default: the owner is responsible for the sewer connection, cleaning through replacement. Second, the trigger for the exception is excavation of a public street, right-of-way or sidewalk, not the location of the break. Third, when the exception applies, the city does the work and the owner pays nothing for it.

Related sections set the guardrails. Section 33-126(a) says no unauthorized person may uncover, connect to or alter a public sewer or its appurtenances without a written permit from the city. Section 33-127 says building connections are installed at the owner's expense to city building codes.

• Sewer connection: the line from your building to the public sewer main, often called a lateral or building sewer. The code says "sewers and connections to the public sewer line" and does not draw a property line, so the practical reading is everything the owner has to reach from the building.
• Public right-of-way: land the city holds for streets, alleys and sidewalks. The code gives an alley as its example.
• Requires excavation: the exception turns on whether the fix cannot be done without digging the street, alley or sidewalk. The code does not say who decides. Treat that call as the city's.

Owners of homes and businesses connected to the Glendale public sewer. It does not cover septic systems, which are a Maricopa County matter, and it does not cover the city main itself, which the city owns. The exception does not apply to a repair that can be made entirely on private property.

A backup traced to a collapsed pipe in the alley. A camera inspection shows the failure is under the alley. Because the repair requires excavating a public alley, the city does the work at no cost to the owner.

A root clog on the owner's side. The blockage is 15 feet from the house, on the lot. The owner pays for clearing it.

The edge case: two failures. The same line can be broken on the lot and under the street. The owner fixes the private part. The street part goes to the city. Get the camera footage so you can show where each failure sits.

1. 1Get a camera inspection so you know where the problem is and how far from the house.
2. 2Compare the location to your lot line and the street, alley or sidewalk.
3. 3If it is on private property, hire a licensed plumber and ask the Development Services Center (623-930-2800) which permit and inspection apply.
4. 4If the repair requires digging a public street, alley or sidewalk, contact Glendale Water Services (623-930-4100) with the inspection footage.
5. 5Do not tap or dig into the public sewer yourself. Section 33-126(a) requires a written permit.
6. 6Keep the video and any city correspondence with your records.

• "The city owns the sewer to the property line." The code assigns the connection to the owner, with a street-excavation exception.
• "The exception covers anything near the street." It applies only when the repair requires excavating public property.
• "Insurance or the city will pay for everything." The owner pays for the private portion. Check your policy separately.
• "Every city works like Glendale." Peoria's code puts the whole connection on the owner, Scottsdale limits city help to certain failure types, and Gilbert has the town coordinate off-property repairs.

The rule is Glendale City Code Sec. 33-217 on Municode. Section 33-217 is only a few sentences long, so read it yourself on Municode. That text, not this summary, decides a real dispute.