Elyria, OH Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

Elyria Codified Ordinances § 939.407 splits responsibility for a service line at the curb stop. The City of Elyria maintains, at no cost to the customer, the part of a two inch or smaller service line running from the corporation stop up to and including the curb stop inside the road right-of-way or water line easement limits. The property owner maintains everything on the property side of the curb stop, keeps it in good repair, and protects it from frost or other damage at the owner's own cost. The account holder must prevent waste of water, unaccounted for use, and leakage. The City accepts no claim for damage from breakage of any service pipe or connection, or from shutting off water to repair mains.

For leaks between the curb valve and the meter, the section makes repair the duty of the property owner, to be done within an expedited period of time. The process starts with the City. When the City discovers a leak, the property owner is notified and instructed to repair it. The owner then has seventy-two hours to act. Acting means either completing the repair or giving the City a copy of an executed contract to do the work. If neither happens in that window, the City can shut off water to the premises at the curb stop, and service stays off until the ordered repairs are complete.

The section also sets the size line. Service lines larger than two inches are the owner's responsibility for the total cost of repairs. Under § 939.405(a), only authorized employees of the Division of Water are permitted to make repairs to the tap or service connection, so an owner fixes the private side but does not work on the City-maintained portion. Where the City is replacing water mains and finds a private line that needs replacement, § 939.417 gives the owner forty-eight hours after notification to elect to have the City's contractor replace the line from the curb stop to the meter at the owner's expense, with an appeal to the Public Utilities Department on undue hardship grounds within fifteen days of the bill.