In Philadelphia, the homeowner is responsible for the sewer pipe that connects the house to the City's sewer, including the stretch under the sidewalk and the street, all the way to the connection at the main. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) only maintains the public sewer itself. If PWD finds your line is broken, it issues a Notice of Defect and you have a limited time to get it repaired by a licensed plumber. You don't have to pay it all at once: PWD's HELP program offers zero-interest loans for these repairs, and lower-income owners may qualify for a free emergency repair through the City's housing agency.
This is general information based on City and PWD pages as of October 2026, not legal advice. Your notice and PWD staff have the final word on your property.
Which pipes are yours and which are the City's
PWD's customer responsibilities page and its responsibility diagram draw the line clearly. PWD owns and maintains the water mains, the sewer in the street and the stormwater inlets. The property owner is responsible for:
- the house main drain inside the basement;
- the curb trap, a J-shaped pipe between the house drain and the lateral;
- the vent pipe (also called the fresh air inlet) and its vent box cover, often a small grate or cap near the front wall or sidewalk;
- the lateral, the pipe running from the house to the public sewer;
- the slant (or tap), the actual connection to the sewer main;
- a separate house storm drain, where the property has one.
The City's Department of Revenue spells out the uncomfortable part in its guide to getting ready for pipe repairs: owners are responsible for pipes under or outside the building, such as under the sidewalk or roadway. So when a rowhome lateral collapses halfway across the street, the excavation, the pipe and the plumber are the owner's bill.
Signs your sewer line may be the problem
A single slow sink is usually a local clog. Trouble in the lateral tends to show up across the house:
- several fixtures draining slowly at once, or toilets gurgling when a tub or washer drains;
- water or sewage coming up through the basement floor drain, the lowest toilet or a laundry tub;
- a sewage smell in the basement or near the front of the house;
- clogs that come back soon after the line is snaked, often a sign of roots or a broken or sagging section;
- a sinking spot in the sidewalk over the line, which can mean leaking water is washing soil away.
Clearing a clog doesn't need a permit, so a plumber can snake the line and, if it keeps happening, run a camera down it to see what's actually there. A camera inspection is the best way to tell a root problem, a sag or a collapsed pipe apart before anyone quotes a repair.
Backup during a storm vs. a broken lateral
If water comes up in the basement only during heavy rain, the cause may be the public sewer overflowing back into the house rather than a defect in your pipe. Call PWD's 24/7 customer hotline at (215) 685-6300 while the water is still there, as its emergency page advises, and take photos or video if it's safe. That report also matters for the program in the next section.
The Basement Backup Protection Program
PWD's Basement Backup Protection Program installs a backwater valve, a one-way device on your sewer connection that lets wastewater out and stops sewer water from flowing back in, at no cost to eligible homeowners. Where roof water drains into the sewer pipe, it can also pay for downspout changes. The work comes with a one-year warranty; after that, maintenance is the owner's job.
The catch for this article: the pipe connecting your home to the sewer must be in good condition. If the lateral is broken or leaking, PWD's program page points you to the HELP loan or your own plumber first, and says a backflow device can be installed as part of that repair. Your water bill also has to be current (or on a payment agreement), and earlier PWD or City violations have to be resolved.
What a Notice of Defect means
PWD issues a Notice of Plumbing Defect when a plumbing connection serving your property threatens water quality, public health or safety. A crew chief or inspector leaves it at the door and a copy is mailed. It says where the problem was found, what to do next and whom to call. The customer responsibilities page says you must make the repairs within the deadline stated on the notice, so read that date first.
Three things the City's materials stress:
- The deadline is short. The City describes it as a short time to act. Don't wait for the mailed copy to start calling plumbers.
- Your water may be shut off until repairs are made. If that happens because of a defect notice, the City's number is (215) 685-9651.
- There may be more than one problem. PWD's NOD handout recommends having all the exterior plumbing inspected by a licensed plumber, since the defect you were notified about may not be the only one.
Standard homeowner's and renter's insurance probably doesn't cover these defects, according to the City, so check your policy rather than assuming. If you rent, the handout says the landlord is responsible for the pipes.
Your options for paying for the repair
Option 1: hire your own licensed plumber
All work on these pipes must be done by a licensed plumber. You choose the company, get estimates and pay them directly. The City suggests looking up licensed contractors through L&I, asking people you trust for referrals and getting several estimates. You keep control over who does the work.
Option 2: PWD's HELP loan
The Homeowner's Emergency Loan Program (HELP) offers zero-interest loans for repairs to water service lines and sewer lines. A PWD contractor does the work and you repay PWD over 60 months on your water bill; the loan stays interest-free unless you miss payments, and lower-income customers may get a longer payback period. According to the program page, you generally need to:
- own the property (it can be tenant-occupied);
- have a residential or mainly residential property with no more than four units;
- have received a Notice of Defect (or be replacing a lead water service line, or repairing a private sewer connection that has to be re-routed to reach a public sewer);
- have a working water meter and be no more than two billing cycles behind on water bills, and current on any payment agreements;
- consent to a lien on the property for the total cost of the work.
To start, submit a pre-application online or call (215) 685-4901. PWD says it will contact you within two business days to schedule an inspection, then send a cost estimate and loan agreement to review. Note that with HELP, PWD picks the contractor, not you.
Option 3: a free emergency repair through PHDC
The Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation's Basic Systems Repair Program makes emergency repairs free for eligible homeowners, and leaking or broken sewer and water service lines are on its list. It's for owners who live in the single-family house, don't own other residential property in Philadelphia, are current on property taxes and the water bill (or on a payment agreement) and meet the income limits posted on the program page. Apply through the City's online portal linked there, or call PHDC at 215-448-2160.
Line protection plans
The City also mentions a service line protection plan arranged by the Philadelphia Energy Authority with a private company, for a monthly fee. It's not a City or PWD program, and the NOD handout notes that coverage starts 30 days after enrollment and doesn't cover problems that began before then. It won't help with a notice you already have.
Permits and the street opening
Fixing a lateral is permitted work, and on a rowhome block it usually means opening the sidewalk and often the street. According to the City:
- L&I's plumbing permit page requires a licensed master plumber to oversee plumbing work. Replacing a house drain, sealing (lining) a lateral and installing a new curb trap or fresh air inlet can qualify for an EZ permit without plans. A Streets Department footway permit for disturbing the sidewalk is issued automatically with the plumbing permit.
- PWD requires a Sewer Connection Permit to install or repair a sewer lateral, applied for by a registered plumber. Work in the street also needs a lane closure permit and coordination with the Streets Department on the street opening and backfill.
Your plumber normally pulls these permits; ask for the permit numbers before digging starts.
Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware counties
Outside the city, PWD's rules and programs don't apply. Sewer service comes from your township, borough or a local sewer authority, and who owns which part of the lateral, what permits are needed and what inspections apply all vary. Call your municipality or sewer authority before work starts and ask where your responsibility ends and theirs begins.
Checklist: what to do, step by step
- If sewage is backing up now, stop running water, call PWD at (215) 685-6300 and take photos or video if it's safe.
- If you got a Notice of Defect, note the deadline and the location of the defect it describes.
- Have a licensed plumber snake and camera the line, and ask for the video and a written description of what they found.
- Check whether you qualify for PHDC's Basic Systems Repair Program or PWD's HELP loan before you sign a contract, since both use their own contractors.
- If you hire your own plumber, get more than one written estimate that says whether the price includes the street opening, permits, sidewalk restoration and a backwater valve.
- Confirm the plumber is licensed in Philadelphia and will pull the plumbing and PWD permits. Our guide on how to check a contractor in Philadelphia shows where to look.
- Once the lateral is sound, consider applying to the Basement Backup Protection Program if your basement has flooded in storms.
- Keep the permit, inspection results and camera video with your house papers.
When to call a pro
Snaking a fixture trap is a reasonable DIY job. Anything past the house drain is not: work on the curb trap, lateral and connection to the sewer requires a licensed plumber, permits and often a street opening. Call one as soon as you see backups in the lowest drains, repeated clogs after snaking or a Notice of Defect on your door. With winter coming, our guide to preventing frozen pipes covers the water side of the house.
If you're paying for the repair yourself, you can describe the problem once on HomeKept, including what the notice says and any camera video, and compare up to three estimates from local plumbers in Philadelphia. It's free for homeowners. When you talk to a plumber, ask who pulls each permit and whether the street and sidewalk restoration are part of the price.
HomeKept is a brand of FalconAI LLC, 331 E Street Rd, Feasterville-Trevose, PA 19053.
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