Chicago Drain Pipe Installers Chicago, IL

Sidewalk can make sewer break city's problem

by Paul F. P. Pogue

Patrick Martin says pulling permits and getting inspections for sewer work in Chicago protects the homeowner, since there’s proof the work was done to code.
Photo courtesy of Xpert Flood Control Inc.

Sam Muniz of Chicago learned about the city's private drain program the hard way: Tree roots on public property broke his sewer connection under the street. "This caused all the sewer water to back up into the house and caused an extensive amount of damage," Muniz says.

He hired highly rated Xpert Flood Control Inc. in Chicago to assess the damage and learned one piece of good news: Because the break occurred outside his property line, the city would pay to repair the sewer line, saving him thousands of dollars. "It was a big relief to learn I wasn't going to have to pay for the repair," Muniz says.

Under city code, the full length of the pipe stretching to the sewer main is the homeowner's property and responsibility, even the portions that run underneath the sidewalk and street. 

However, in 2002 the Department of Water Management instituted the private drain program, which requires the city to pay for repairs starting at the sidewalk line. Call 311, or 312-744-5000 from outside Chicago, for more information.

Martin says tree roots are the most common cause of sewer line breaks.
Photo courtesy of Xpert Flood Control Inc.

"The private drain remains the homeowner's property, and it's still your obligation to maintain it and cut the roots," says city spokesman Tom LaPorte. "But when it's broken, if the property owner demonstrates that it's on the city side of the property line, we go ahead and make the repair."

The city estimates this saves homeowners between $5,000 and $10,000. "This was partly done to save the homeowner money and partly because we wanted to keep some control over who was digging up the street," LaPorte says.

Although some municipalities allow licensed plumbers to work on sewers, only licensed drainlayers may do so in Chicago. Their work is closely regulated.

"Anything you do with the sewer in the city requires a permit, even rodding the line," says Xpert Flood Control owner Patrick Martin. An inspector must be present while a camera examines sewer lines to determine where the problem is located, so the inspector can verify which side of the line it's on.

"The city has always been very good about taking up their responsibility," Martin says. In emergency cases, he says the city usually makes repairs within a few days; if it's less urgent and the sewer is still functioning, it might be a few weeks. Muniz says his repair took about a week.

Not every sewer is eligible for the program; only owner-occupied residential properties of four units or less are covered.

Mark Sperry, service manager for highly rated Fettes Love & Sieben Inc. in Chicago, says he's never seen a homeowner have a problem getting city repairs done.

"It's pretty cut and dried," Sperry says. "Now, if it's just a small root problem, I've seen the city suggest to the homeowner that they install a cleanout instead of the city digging up their sewer."

For his part, Muniz is glad the program exists. "It just makes sense to me," he says. "If a city can plant trees on public property and the roots damage sewer lines, why should you as a homeowner be responsible for the repair?"