Who pays to clear a blocked sewer lateral in Orleans?

The homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral from the house to the property line; the City of Ottawa is responsible from the property line to the street.

When a lateral is blocked, the City names two situations where it considers the blockage its problem: roots from a City-owned tree have grown into the pipe, or the damage is on City property. For anything else, the cost falls to the homeowner. If you are not sure which side of the property line the blockage is on, ask the City before you hire anyone.

A few things are worth knowing before you call a plumber. The lateral under your property is your responsibility to clear and to repair if it is damaged. If a plumber finds the problem is on the City's side of the property line, contact the City. If the work is on your side and involves opening the floor or altering the drain line inside the house, that is plumbing work, and plumber is a compulsory trade in Ontario under O. Reg. 876/21, meaning the person doing it must be authorized under that regulation.

The City's protective plumbing program does not cover clearing or repairing a blocked lateral. The Compassionate Grant, a $1,000 payment the City offers after basement flooding, applies only where the flooding was caused by sewer surcharging, not by a lateral blockage. The City lists the grant as currently under review, so check ottawa.ca before counting on it.

If the lateral repair leads to excavation outside the house, the contractor doing the digging must submit a locate request before any digging starts. Ontario Dig Authority asks for that request at least 5 business days before work begins, and the request is free.

For a blocked lateral in Orleans, start with a plumber, and check their certificate on the Skilled Trades Ontario Public Register.