Water and sewer lines that are inside your home are covered under your homeowner’s insurance. Did you know that, as a homeowner, you are responsible for the maintenance, repair, and replacement of service lines connecting to your house? Water companies and other service providers are only responsible for the infrastructure up to where it connects to your property. That means that if one of your pipes freezes or your sewer line backs up into your house, you have to pay to fix it.

That means you’re on the hook to hire one contractor to fix the pipe and another to fix the landscaping disturbed by the Big Dig. The utility will offer to help, but the cost can run as much as $2,500 to $3,000. 

Special Sewer line and backup coverage can include:

Sewer Backup Coverage

Sewer backups are never covered under standard homeowner’s insurance. A blockage in your sewer or drain pipe can cause sewage to back up into your home. This can result in thousands of dollars of damage and cleanup, as well as many health hazards.

Sewer Line Insurance

Some insurers sell sewer line insurance as a separate policy type. Sewer line insurance helps cover line issues excluded from home insurance. A sewer line insurance policy can cover:

• Finding the block or collapse in the line
• Replacement or repair of damaged sewer line portions as necessary
• Damaged seal and joint repair or replacement
• Pipe cutting, fusing, and welding
• Excavation and backfill costs