Where Your Water Line Starts, and Which Half Is Yours
Your half starts at the curb stop, the small metal lid in the sidewalk or the tree lawn, and runs from there to the meter in your basement. The City of Syracuse owns the main and the pipe out to the curb box, and owns the meter itself; outside the city line OCWA owns as far as the shutoff valve at the property line and the customer owns everything from the outlet side of that valve inward. Wastewater leaving the house is a separate question with a separate owner rule, and nothing on this page applies to it.
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One water service, and every point where it changes hands
The water main in the street
PublicThe City of Syracuse describes the main out to the curb box as the public portion of every service. In OCWA territory the authority owns from the main to the shutoff valve at the property line.
The curb box, and the curb stop under it
Their valve, not yoursSection 4.4 of OCWA's customer rules says the curb stop may not be used by the customer to turn water on or off and is to be operated exclusively by an employee of the authority. Tampering with authority equipment is listed as grounds for discontinuing service.
Curb stop to the meter
YoursThe private portion. Minimum cover in Onondaga County is 54 inches, and OCWA requires the same four feet six inches in Type K soft copper at three quarters of an inch minimum.
The meter
Theirs, with one exceptionThe city meter is City property and may only be removed by meter room personnel. OCWA owns the meter and the remote reader and maintains them for ordinary wear, but damage from freezing is repaired or replaced at the customer's expense.
The first valve inside the wall, and everything past it
YoursOCWA requires two customer owned shutoffs, the first no more than 12 inches inside the building wall and the second on the outlet side of the meter. That first valve is the one to find before you need it.
City of Syracuse Department of Water application aid and 2024 water quality report; OCWA Customer Rules sections 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 and 5.4; Onondaga County Requirements for Implementation section 5.5.
Find the curb box now rather than at midnight in February
The curb box is a metal lid a few inches across, usually set into the sidewalk or the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road, and the valve under it sits on your service. It is worth locating for two reasons. It marks the point where the pipe stops being the water purveyor's and starts being yours, and it is the one valve on your own service you are not permitted to operate: section 4.4 of OCWA's customer rules states that the curb stop may not be used by the customer for turning the water on or off and is to be operated exclusively by an employee of the authority, and section 9.1 lists tampering with any service connection, pipe, seal, meter or appurtenance owned by the authority as grounds for discontinuing service. The valve you do operate is indoors. OCWA requires the customer, at the customer's own expense, to install two shutoffs of an approved make, the first inside the building wall and no further than 12 inches from it, the second next to and on the outlet side of the meter. Finding that first valve, hanging a label on it and checking that it actually closes is an afternoon of work that pays for itself the first time a pipe lets go.
Inside the city a service has three parts, and you own the middle one
The City of Syracuse Department of Water divides every water service into three parts and names an owner for each. The water main out to the curb box, the shutoff near the road, belongs to the City and is the public portion. The curb box to the water meter in the basement belongs to the homeowner and is the private portion. The meter is the City's again, and the 2024 annual drinking water quality report adds that it may only be removed by meter room personnel, with about 98 percent of city meters upgraded to the mandatory radio read system. The same city document puts the valves and other pipe fittings on either side of the meter on the homeowner. So the answer to who fixes the pipe running under the front lawn is, in the city, almost always you, whatever the water bill implies about who is supplying what. The first question when the pressure collapses or a patch of lawn goes soft is therefore not how bad it is. It is which of those three parts the fault is in, because two of them are somebody else's to pay for.
Outside the city, OCWA draws the same line at the property line
OCWA states that ownership of a water service line is shared: it owns the portion from the water main to the shutoff valve at the property line, and the customer is responsible for the portion from the outlet side of that valve to the water meter or main shutoff inside the home, plus all internal plumbing and fixtures. Asked directly whether it will replace a leaking shutoff valve, the authority answers that it owns only the water meter and the remote reader at a property, that all the plumbing and piping including the shutoff valves belong to the owner, and that a customer getting ready to make a repair can call the office to have the water shut off at the road while the work is done. Asked who to call when the lines to a house need replacing, the answer is that the property owner is responsible for all lines from the house to the road. Even the meter is only partly theirs: OCWA maintains meters at its own expense for ordinary wear and tear, but damage due to freezing, hot water or other causes is repaired or replaced at the customer's expense. The boundary sits a few feet from where the city puts it. The principle does not move at all.
The call worth making before anyone quotes you for a trench
Rule out the public side first, because it costs nothing and the answer settles who pays. Water surfacing in the tree lawn on the street side of the curb box is the purveyor's to chase, not yours, and the numbers say a losing street is an ordinary event here rather than a rare one. The City of Syracuse open data set records 3,042 water main breaks between 2004 and 2019, an average of about 200 a year, with 203 in 2021 and 231 in 2022. In 2024, 13,487.72 million gallons entered a system of more than 500 miles of pipeline and 5,584.94 million gallons were billed, the difference going to firefighting, street sweeping, construction, main flushing, main repairs and leakage in the transmission and distribution system. The City publishes an emergency line answered around the clock on 315-448-8360 alongside its main office on 315-448-8340, and OCWA takes customer calls on 315-455-7061 with an after hours and weekend service on 315-475-7601. If the loss is on their side of the valve, you want their excavator in the road and not yours in the lawn.
Your half is also the half you are not allowed to dig up yourself
This is the part that catches people out, and it is written down in plain language. The Onondaga County homeowner plumbing permit conditions state that homeowners are prohibited from doing any type of plumbing work outside the house, giving water services and building sewers as the examples. Inside the foundation wall an owner occupant of a single family home can take out a permit and do the work themselves. In the front yard nobody can except a holder of a Certificate of Competency from the county Examining Board, because Local Law No. 9 of 1988, as amended in 2004, restricts plumbing permits to Master Plumbers and Plumbing Contractors Class B or C duly licensed by the county, and makes obtaining a permit for any other individual, partnership or corporation a violation in its own right, liable to a penalty of up to 500 dollars or 100 days for each offense. The physical rules are just as fixed: minimum cover for a domestic water service in Onondaga County is 54 inches, and OCWA's customer rules require the same four feet six inches, a minimum size of three quarters of an inch, and Type K soft tempered copper from the curb box to the meter on services up to two inches. Replacing your half is a permit, a trench at that depth and an inspection, not a weekend.
What happens once the pipe is confirmed as yours
The sequence is worth knowing because two of its steps save money and both get skipped. First, tell the water purveyor before the trench opens. OCWA asks anyone planning to replace their portion to call 315-455-7061 extension 3139 so records can be updated, says it is required to replace its own portion of a lead service when an owner notifies it that they are replacing theirs, and will shut the water off at the road while the work runs so nobody has to touch the curb stop. Second, leave the hole open. County Plumbing Control requires a permit before any work except an emergency, an emergency permit on the first business day afterward, and states that work cannot be covered, backfilled or concealed before it has been inspected, so a trench filled on a Saturday night has to be dug again. Then the new line is disinfected before use, as section 5.5.B requires for any potable line that has been newly installed, altered, extended or repaired, and where an old service is removed the former pipe or sleeve is capped at the inside and outside walls with the openings grouted full. Inside the city there is a reward at the end of that paperwork: the Water Department will replace the public portion of a lead service once the owner has proof, in the form of a Water Department basement inspection, a plumber's inspection or a receipt, that the private portion has already been done.
Sources used in this guide
The City of Syracuse Department of Water divides every water service into three parts and names the owner of each: the water main to the curb box, the shutoff near the road, is owned by the City and is the public portion; the curb box to the water meter in the basement is owned by the homeowner and is the private portion; and the water meter itself is owned by the City. The same document adds that the homeowner is responsible for the valves and other pipe fittings on either side of the meter.
Source: City of Syracuse Department of Water, accessed 2026-09-13
The City of Syracuse Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for 2024 states that the meter is the property of the City of Syracuse and may only be removed by meter room personnel, and that about 98 percent of the city's water meters have been upgraded to the radio read system, which is mandatory.
Source: City of Syracuse Department of Water, accessed 2026-09-13
Onondaga County Water Authority states that ownership of a water service line is shared: OCWA owns the portion from the water main to the shutoff valve at the property line, and the customer is responsible for the portion from the outlet side of that shutoff valve to the water meter or main shutoff valve inside the home, plus all internal plumbing and fixtures.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
Asked whether it will replace a leaking shutoff valve, OCWA answers that it owns only the water meter and the remote reader at a property, that all the plumbing and piping including the shutoff valves belong to the owner, and that a customer getting ready to make a repair can call the OCWA office to have the water shut off at the road while the work is done. Asked who to call when the water lines to a house need replacing, OCWA answers that the property owner is responsible for all lines from the house to the road.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
Section 4.4 of OCWA's Customer Rules states that the curb stop valve may not be used by the customer for turning on or shutting off the water supply and is to be operated exclusively by an employee of the Authority. Section 9.1 lists tampering with any service connection, service pipe, seal, meter or appurtenance owned by the Authority as grounds for discontinuing service.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
OCWA Customer Rules section 4.5 requires the customer, at the customer's own expense, to install two shutoff valves: the first inside the building wall no further than 12 inches from that wall, and the second adjacent to and on the outlet side of the meter. Both must be of a make and type approved by the Authority. Section 5.4 adds that the customer is responsible for maintaining the plumbing and valves on both sides of the meter so the meter can be removed or replaced conveniently, and that if a leak develops after a meter is installed, removed or replaced because the plumbing was in poor condition, the customer pays for the repairs.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
OCWA Customer Rules section 5.4 states that all meters remain the property of the Authority and are maintained at the Authority's expense for ordinary wear and tear, but that the customer is responsible for damage due to freezing, hot water or other causes, and that in the event of such damage the Authority will repair or replace the meter at the customer's expense.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
The City of Syracuse Department of Water publishes an emergency line answered around the clock on 315-448-8360, alongside its main office number 315-448-8340, from 101 North Beech Street, Syracuse. OCWA publishes customer service on 315-455-7061 with an after hours and weekend emergency answering service on 315-475-7601.
Source: City of Syracuse Department of Water, accessed 2026-09-13
The City of Syracuse open data set Water Main Breaks 2004 to 2019 contains 3,042 recorded breaks. Annual counts run from 150 in 2004 to 250 in 2010, averaging about 200 a year, with 234 in 2018. The city's separate annual files record 203 breaks in 2021 and 231 in 2022.
Source: City of Syracuse Open Data Portal, accessed 2026-09-13
The City of Syracuse water system is made up of over 500 miles of pipelines delivering water from Skaneateles Lake. In 2024, 13,487.72 million gallons entered the system and customers were billed for 5,584.94 million gallons, leaving 7,902.78 million gallons used for firefighting, street sweeping, construction, main flushing, water discharge, main repairs and transmission and distribution system leaks.
Source: City of Syracuse Department of Water, accessed 2026-09-13
The Onondaga County Homeowner Plumbing Permit conditions state plainly that homeowners are prohibited from doing any type of plumbing work outside the house, giving water services and building sewers as the examples, and that only the individual homeowner may install the permitted work, so the homeowner is expected to demonstrate the knowledge necessary to undertake the installation. The county's forms page describes the same permit as covering additions or alterations by an owner occupant to the plumbing inside their single family home.
Source: Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection, accessed 2026-09-13
Onondaga County Local Law No. 9 of 1988, as amended by Local Law No. 6 of 2004, provides that only persons holding a Certificate of Competency from the Onondaga County Examining Board for Plumbers as Master Plumbers, Plumbing Contractors Class B or Plumbing Contractors Class C, and duly licensed as such by the county Department of Water Environment Protection, may obtain permits for installing plumbing in the County of Onondaga, and that any person who obtains a permit for any other individual, partnership or corporation violates the local law.
Source: Onondaga County Legislature, accessed 2026-09-13
Onondaga County Local Law No. 9 of 1988 provides that a person or firm violating the local law or any rule under it is guilty of an offense and on conviction is liable to a penalty or fine of not more than 500 dollars or imprisonment for not more than 100 days or both, for each and every offense, that a civil penalty up to 500 dollars per violation may be recovered instead, and that any permit issued may be suspended or revoked. The Commissioner of Water Environment Protection holds hearings on 10 days notice, with the right to present evidence, cross examine witnesses and be represented by counsel.
Source: Onondaga County Legislature, accessed 2026-09-13
Section 5.5 of the Onondaga County Requirements for Implementation sets minimum cover for a building domestic water service with normal flow at 54 inches, sets building sewers at 48 inches minimum cover, sets pumped sewers and force mains at 6 inches more than frost depth which it gives as 48 inches minimum cover in Onondaga County, and sets fire service lines, yard piping and lines with little or no flow at 66 to 72 inches. It adds that designers and contractors should allow extra cover for local conditions such as wind exposure and large paved areas.
Source: Onondaga County Examining Board for Plumbers, accessed 2026-09-13
Section 4.6 of OCWA's Customer Rules requires all customer service pipes to have a minimum ground cover of four feet six inches, that is 54 inches, sets a minimum size of three quarters of an inch inside diameter, and requires US Government Specification Type K soft tempered copper tubing on all services up to and including two inches from the curb box to the meter. Services larger than two inches must be cement lined ductile iron rated for 150 pounds per square inch.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
Onondaga County Plumbing Control states that plumbing permits must be obtained prior to any work except in an emergency, that in an emergency a permit must be obtained on the first business day following it, and that work cannot be covered, backfilled or concealed before an inspection is done by Plumbing Control. The county Requirements for Implementation, section 3.1.B, states the same rule for emergency repairs of sewers and water services.
Source: Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection, accessed 2026-09-13
Section 5.5.B of the Onondaga County Requirements for Implementation states that all newly installed lines carrying potable water, and parts of existing systems that have been altered, extended or repaired, shall be disinfected before use. Section 5.5.H requires that where a water service is removed or relocated, the former pipe or sleeve is capped at the inside and outside walls and any openings grouted full, and 5.5.I requires a discontinued service to be exposed at the curb stop, disconnected, capped at the valve outlet and inspected by the water purveyor.
Source: Onondaga County Examining Board for Plumbers, accessed 2026-09-13
OCWA states that it is replacing its own portion of lead service lines and will continue until all are replaced, that it does not currently have internal funding for customer side replacements although it continues to look for funding, and that anyone planning to replace their portion of the service line should notify OCWA on 315-455-7061 extension 3139 so records can be updated. Its 2024 Consumer Confidence Report adds that OCWA is required to replace its portion of a lead service line when a property owner notifies it that they are replacing theirs, and asks owners to contact OCWA before starting so the two halves can be coordinated.
Source: Onondaga County Water Authority, accessed 2026-09-13
The City of Syracuse Water Department application aid states that the Water Department will replace the public portion of a lead service if the owner has proof that the private portion has already been replaced, with proof being a basement inspection by the Water Department, a licensed plumber's inspection or a receipt for the work, and that a homeowner replacing the private portion either pays a licensed plumber to bring it to current code, with an inspection by the Water Department before backfill, or goes through the Lead Replacement Program that allows the cost to be put on the tax bill.
Source: City of Syracuse Department of Water, accessed 2026-09-13
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