Sioux Falls, SD Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- City-owned portion
- Main to first curb stop
- Owner-owned portion
- Curb stop to building
- Repair cost
- Owner/customer's sole expense
- Freeze protection
- Owner's responsibility
- Enforcement
- Service disconnection, § 50.007(d)
Summary
Sioux Falls property owners and customers, not the city, own and must repair the water service line from the curb stop to the building, keeping it leak-free at their own expense.
Water service lines shall be owned by the property owner and maintained by either the property owner or customer from the first service shutoff closest to the city main to the premises served including, but not limited to, the water meter shutoff valves and backflow prevention assembly.
(c) Private systems. Private water system lines shall be owned by the property owner and maintained by the property owner from the first shutoff valve closest to the city main to the premises served including, but not limited to, the private main, water supply piping, control valves, hydrants and other appurtenances, water meter shutoff valves, and backflow prevention assembly.
(d) Maintenance and repair.
(1) Property owner or customer maintenance, as required in divisions
(b) and (c) above, shall be at the property owner or customer's sole expense including, but not limited to, protection from freezing and other hazards.
(2) All owners must, at their own expense, keep the customer service line, water meter shutoff valves, water meter, and backflow prevention assembly in good working order and properly protected from freezing and other hazards. (Ord. 21-21, passed 2-16-2021)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-135: Current through local ordinance 54-26, passed 7-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
City crews maintain the water main and everything up to the first curb stop or shutoff valve. Past that point, the property owner or customer owns the service line and must keep the curb-to-building pipe, meter shutoff valves, meter, and backflow assembly in good working order at their own expense, including protecting them from freezing. A leaking service line on the customer's side is the customer's repair job, not the city's, and the city disclaims liability for resulting property damage unless its own construction work caused the leak.
Violations & Fines
No fine is set in the maintenance section itself, but § 50.007(d) lets the city disconnect water service for negligently wasting utility service through improper or imperfect pipes, and repairs on the customer's side of the curb stop are billed entirely to the owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who fixes a leaking pipe between the curb stop and my house in Sioux Falls?
Can Sioux Falls shut off my water over an unrepaired leak?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sioux Falls
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