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City Takes Control of Privately Owned Water Lines as New Reporting Requirements Kick In

Official:Amending Title 13 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Water and Sewer,” by adding a new Chapter 13-700, entitled “Conversion of Private Water, Sewer and Stormwater Lines to Public Ownership,” to establish reporting, maintenance, improvement and repair requirements with respect to water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure converted to public ownership, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Jones

Introduced: March 31, 2022

: Committee on Public Property and Public Works

environment infrastructure

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2020–2023 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 requires private water, sewer, and stormwater lines to be reported on, maintained, and repaired by the City after they are converted from private ownership. The Water Department must issue findings and post them online, notify property owners, and take responsibility for maintenance and repairs.

What This Bill Does

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

The bill does the following

Requires private water, sewer, and stormwater lines to be reported on by the Water Department within 60 days of conversion to public ownership.
Requires the Water Department to issue findings on the condition of connections to the City's Water and Sewer System, the scope of work needed to ensure compliance, and the estimated cost and start date of the work.
Requires the Water Department to take responsibility for maintenance and repairs of the converted lines.
Requires the Water Department to notify property owners of the conversion and post findings and notice of the conversion on its publicly available website.