Blocked Sewers

Follow these steps if you have a blocked sewer and want to know who is responsible for clearing the blockage.

Property owners are responsible for making sure your sewer inspection point is easy to get to. Your plumber will then be able to check if there is a blockage.

Blocked sewer

Step 1.Contact a licensed plumber

Firstly call a plumber to inspect the property’s boundary shaft also known as sewer inspection point.

Step 2.Owners responsibility?

If the boundary shaft is not holding water, and there are drainage problems in the house, then it is the home owner’s responsibility to have the blockage cleared by a plumber. 

If it's Council's responsibility, follow steps 3 to 6. 

Step 3.Council's responsibility?

If the boundary shaft is holding water, the blockage is Council’s responsibility to clear. 

Step 4.Call Council and log the works

If the blockage is Council's responsibility, call us to log the issue. A plumber, owner or tenant can log the call.

Step 5.Council will go out and do repair works

Step 6.Payment

If the blockage is Council's responsibility, we will only pay for the first hour up to $120 to cover the cost of the service fee.

We will only cover the cost of determining the blockage. We will not pay for any other work carried out by the plumber, including locating the sewer inspection point or after hours or call out fees.

Your plumber must invoice Council to receive payment. 

A sewer inspection shaft is the point where the property owner’s private drainage line is connected to Council’s sewer main. Common terms for this are:

  • sewer boundary shaft
  • sewer riser
  • sewer inspection point. 

Property owners are responsible for making sure your sewer inspection point is easy to get to. Your plumber will then be able to check if there is a blockage.

Example of a sewer inspection shaft.

Sewer-inspection-cap.jpg

The graphic shows the area that the property owner is responsible for. This being from the dwelling to the inspection shaft and includes the overflow relief gully. 

Council's responsibility is from the bottom of the inspection shaft to the sewer main. 

Graphic showing the property owners responsibility from the dwelling to the inspection shaft, including overflow relief gully. Council's responsibility is from the bottom of the inspection shaft to the sewer main.  

 

Contact

Phone

02 6685 9300

After hours

02 6622 7022

 

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