FAQ / Fixing your Lateral

Fixing your Lateral

Each city has their own bylaw or policy as to who is responsible for fixing a blocked or broken lateral. In general, if the issue is within your property boundary, you are responsible. If the issue is outside your property boundary it depends on which city you live in. See below for a summary of your city’s lateral bylaw or policy.

 

Wellington

  • Wellington City Council is responsible for any part of the wastewater lateral in public roads
  • Property owners continue to own, and remain responsible for, the parts of the wastewater lateral on their property, or on an adjacent private property or other public land (for example, a reserve).
  • More information on WCC policy for laterals here

Porirua

  • Property owners own and are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of laterals within their property boundary
  • Porirua City Council own the laterals from the property boundary to the council main and is responsible for the maintenance and renewal
  • If the wastewater main runs through private property, the property owner is responsible for the maintenance and renewal of their lateral up to 1.5m before it connects to the main. Porirua City Council is responsible for the 1.5m section of the lateral before it connects to the wastewater main

Lower Hutt

  • Property owners own and are responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the lateral from their property to where it connects to the council main 

Upper Hutt

  • Some laterals are wholly private (i.e. owned by the property owner from the property to the council main) and some private/public (the section within the property is private and the section from the property boundary to the council main is public) – contact UHCC if you are unsure
  • The property owner will need to employ a plumber or drain layer to establish the cause of the blockage

Blocked wastewater lateral

  • Where the lateral is private, the property owner owns and is responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the private lateral
  • If the defect that caused the blockage on the lateral is due to damage from a Council tree (as confirmed by a CCTV recording), UHCC will consider reimbursement for reasonable costs
  • If the lateral is public, and the blockage in the public lateral is due to a defect , such as tree roots or a collapsed pipe (as confirmed by a CCTV recording), UHCC will consider reimbursement for reasonable costs
  • If there is no obvious defect in the public lateral, the property owner is responsible for all costs incurred in clearing the blockage
  • If damage to the lateral has been caused by a utility company or third party (e.g. gas, electricity, phone, broadband) then the utility company or third party is responsible for the repair of the damage
  • If the blockage is caused by a blocked council main, contact UHCC

Blocked stormwater lateral

  • Stormwater laterals serving a property are the responsibility of the property owner. This includes the full cost of maintenance and repairs
  • Stormwater laterals are private through to the point of discharge at the public main or drain or street kerb and channel

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