In Phoenix, the city handles water pipe up to your meter and the public sewer main. You handle water pipe after the meter, the sewer line from house to main, and the pressure regulator. For gas, Southwest Gas owns piping up to and including its meter, and you own everything from the meter to your appliances.
Water: the city's pipe ends at the meter
Phoenix Water Services states the rule directly: "Issues on the city's side (from the street to the water meter) are the responsibility of the City and issues after the water meter are the responsibility of the homeowner." The buried pipe between your meter box and the house, the shutoff valve, every pipe in the walls and every fixture are yours. A leak between the street and the meter is the city's to repair. If you aren't sure which side a wet spot is on, what to do about a broken water line in your yard walks through shutoff, ownership and digging safely.
The same page puts one more item on the owner's side: the pressure regulator. The city requires customers to install a pressure regulator on the customer's side of the water meter, and the page states that "Private pressure regulators are the responsibility of the homeowner." If the water pressure at your fixtures is too high or too low, the city's side may or may not be the cause, so see do you need a pressure reducing valve.
Sewer: yours from the house to the main
Phoenix Water Services says "home or property owners are responsible for cleaning and maintaining the sewer line that runs from the house to the connection with the city sewer main in the street or alley." The same page adds that "The city, under City Code Section 28-5, will ONLY repair broken service lines within the public right of way." So the sewer is the one place where the boundary isn't the property line or a meter. You own the pipe past your lot line, and the city steps in only for a break in the right-of-way. The conditions on that city repair (it applies to single-family and duplex properties, and to breaks, not clogs) are laid out in who is responsible for the sewer line in Phoenix. The city itself is "ONLY responsible for public sewers," meaning the mains.
Gas: Southwest Gas stops at the meter
Southwest Gas states: "If you're a property owner, manager, tenant and/or occupant, you're responsible for maintaining all gas lines on your side of the meter." Its safety brochure explains that "the natural gas piping and facilities leading up to and including your meter are owned and rigorously maintained by Southwest Gas," while "all the gas piping located between the meter and your structure, including piping to outdoor appliances, is owned and must be maintained by you." The utility calls this "customer buried piping," and its list of owner duties includes periodically inspecting for leaks and corrosion and repairing "immediately if any unsafe condition is discovered."
If you smell gas, leave the troubleshooting alone. Southwest Gas says to call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020 "from a safe place" immediately. For the owner-side piping, a gas leak inspection is how you find out whether a buried line has a problem before you smell it.
Before you dig anywhere
Southwest Gas says a call to 811 gets "underground utility-owned lines marked for free" and asks for it "at least two working days before starting any digging project." It also warns that "customer buried piping can't be located by calling 811." So the yard gas line you own may not be marked at all, and you should plan on locating it another way before a shovel goes in.
Quick reference
| Line | City or utility owns | You own |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Main and service pipe, street to meter | Everything after the meter, plus the pressure regulator |
| Sewer | The public main; a right-of-way break may be repaired by the city (see the sewer page above) | The service line from house to main |
| Gas | Piping up to and including the meter | Meter to every appliance, indoor and outdoor |
HQ is licensed and insured and gives free estimates with upfront pricing for residential plumbing, including the pipes on your side of every one of these boundaries. Utility boundaries and city ordinances change, so confirm your situation with Phoenix Water Services or Southwest Gas before you commit to a repair.