Water Pipe Responsibility

When water service pipes need repairs or need replacing, it’s important to know who is responsible for them.

The water main (also known as the main carrier pipe) is the responsibility of the water utility company. A water service pipe is the pipe that transports clean drinking water from the water main to each individual property.

Water service pipes may be the responsibility of the homeowner or business. In some cases, more than one business or domestic property will share responsibility for a water service pipe if that pipe is helping supply water to more than one property.

The diagram below shows who is responsible for each type of water pipe. In addition, a supply pipe that runs under a highway or property owned by someone else to an outside stop tap is also the responsibility of the service user. Where properties share the same supply pipe, they are jointly responsible for its upkeep.