Is the sewer line mine or the city's?
In most of the places we work, the lateral is yours, often all the way to the main in the street. The city owns the main itself.
That's worth knowing before something goes wrong, because a lateral that's broken under the sidewalk is still the owner's bill in most of these cities.
Los Angeles
LA Sanitation says owners maintain and repair the entire private lateral, from the building all the way to the street connection.
A plumber can repair the part inside the property line. Digging under the sidewalk or street needs a Class A permit from the Bureau of Engineering. If your lowest fixture sits below the street's manhole cover, the city also requires a backwater valve, permitted by LADBS.
Source: LA Sanitation, Managing LA's Underground Sewer System. Checked October 17, 2026.
LA County: Stevenson Ranch and Castaic
LA County says sewer laterals are entirely owned by the property owner they serve, from the building to the main in the street, or in an easement behind the house.
Source: LA County Public Works, Sewer. Checked October 17, 2026.
City of Santa Clarita
The owner maintains the house lateral, including roots and cracks. The owner's part runs to the public sewer, unless there's a cleanout in the sidewalk or within two and a half feet of the property line. Then it ends at that cleanout.
Source: City of Santa Clarita, Sewer System Management Plan 2025. Checked October 17, 2026.
San Bernardino
The Municipal Water Department says the full length of the private lateral is the owner's to maintain and repair, including the part in the public right of way.
It also recommends inspecting the lateral every 5 to 10 years.
Source: San Bernardino Municipal Water Department, Private Sewer Lateral. Checked October 17, 2026.
San Fernando
The city's public works page says sewer installation and repairs need a bonded sewer contractor to apply for the permit.
We didn't find a page from San Fernando that spells out where ownership ends, so ask the city before any work in the street. Palmdale and Bakersfield are in the same position: no published line that we could find.
Source: City of San Fernando, Construction Permits. Checked October 17, 2026.
Where a plumber fits in
A camera inspection shows the whole lateral, so you know what's wrong and roughly where before anyone digs. If the trouble is on your lot, that's plumbing work. If it's under the street, the city's permit and, in some cities, a bonded sewer contractor come into it.
