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City Council Proposes New Rules to Clarify Water and Sewer Maintenance Responsibilities For Homeowners and Builders

Official:Amending Title 13 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Water and Sewer," by revising and adding certain requirements regarding maintenance of water and sewer lateral connections, under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember O'Neill

Introduced: September 11, 2003

: Committee on Public Property and Public Works

environment infrastructure maintenance

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2000–2003 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill updates Philadelphia's water and sewer laws to clarify who is responsible for maintaining pipes connecting buildings to city sewers and water supplies.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Clarifies that property owners are responsible for maintaining the pipe(s) connecting their property to the City's sewer(s) from the owner's building to the curb line or to the trap, whichever is nearer to the building.
States that the section of the pipe(s) from the trap or curb line to the sewer is the responsibility of the City.
Specifies that property owners must maintain these pipes in good repair at their own expense.
Modifies the existing water and sewer laws in Philadelphia to reflect these new requirements.