Stretch III. The long line

Who owns the line

Who owns the water line between the meter and the house?

Chapter 12 of 34. Sources checked November 4, 2026.

In the rules quoted here, the supplier's part ends at the meter and the pipe from there to the house is yours. For a water supply corporation or special utility district, though, the deciding text is that supplier's own tariff or service rules, so read yours.

12-1 Which rule is yours

Chapter 2 sorted out who sells your water, and that answer decides this one. Most people who look this up find a state rule and stop. The rule is real, but it may not be about your supplier.

The Public Utility Commission's rule says: "The customer's responsibility shall begin at the discharge side of the meter or utility's cut-off valve if there are no meters. If the utility's meter or cut-off valve is not on the customer's property, the customer's responsibility will begin at the property line."¹ It makes the applicant "responsible for furnishing and laying the necessary service line from the meter to the place of consumption" and for keeping it "in good repair."

Note the word "utility". Water Code 13.002(23) leaves water supply corporations and political subdivisions out of that term.² Most rural systems in this book's counties are one of those, as the names in Chapter 2 show. So for a WSC or special utility district, the state rule is a useful picture of the usual split, and your tariff or service rules are what govern.

12-2 Four documents, side by side

Here are four such documents. Their words differ even where the practical split looks alike.

Where the supplier's part ends, in the words of four documents
Document	Who it speaks to	What it says
16 TAC 24.163	A "utility" as the Water Code defines it, not a WSC or district	Customer's part begins at the discharge side of the meter
Lamar County WSD service rules	Its own customers	Its "ownership and maintenance responsibility of water supply and metering equipment shall end at the meter or other service equipment"
Walston Springs WSC tariff, approved March 2014	Its own members; county not confirmed by this book	Meters and materials to the point of connection are the corporation's "and shall be maintained by the water system only"
Texas Rural Water Association sample language, as used by Hilltop WSC in McLennan County	Hilltop's members; not in this book's area	Same ownership sentence, plus a line leak on the member's side is "a potential hazardous condition"

Lamar County WSD also says "Customer service pipelines shall be installed by the applicant", citing 30 TAC 290.46.³ That text rests on a scan, so check your own copy. The Walston Springs and Hilltop documents come from the corporations' own sites.⁴⁵ The Hilltop language gives a member "up to five (5) business days" to repair a leak found on inspection, before disconnection. Other tariffs may differ.

For the rest of this book's counties the picture is thinner. North Hopkins WSC's draft bylaws say conditions of service "are established in the Corporation's tariff".⁶ The PUC's site would not open when checked, so no tariff was seen there. No tariff was found for MJC, Pattonville or Petty WSC. Ask the office for a copy.

12-3 The meter box is theirs

An opened meter box like Figure 12-1 is the place the line changes hands, and you can look but should not work there. Lamar County WSD says "No person, other than the properly authorized agent of the District, shall be permitted to tap or make any connection to the mains" or alter a fixture on the service pipe.³

Opened in-ground water meter box in a rural yard, with the lid set aside and grass around the rim — **Figure 12-1.** Picture of an in-ground meter box. It shows what to look for, not any one supplier's setup. In the rules quoted in this chapter, the supplier's part ends here. AI-generated picture.

The same rules ask for "a cut-off valve on the Customer's side of the meter", and they prohibit using the District's curb stop for that purpose. Lamar County WSD requires one; check yours. If it is missing, the fix is on your side of the line. Ball valves (Plumbing Supply and More, run by the same team as this book) are one common type, sold at this store. A licensed plumber can tell you what fits your pipe and what your supplier accepts. Chapter 31 covers who may install it.

12-4 Who pays for water that leaks

Water that passes the meter is measured, and the rules bill it. Lamar County WSD says "all water usage registering upon and/or damages occurring to the metering equipment... shall be subject to charges."³ The likely reading is that a leak past the meter shows on your bill, though the rule does not say so in those words.

No leak credit clause appears in any of the three documents looked at closely. Lamar County WSD's posted rules speak of "Bill Adjustment Due To Meter Error", with a meter test on written request and a test fee if the meter passes. If it fails, "a billing adjustment may be made as far back as six (6) months". Back-billing runs further the other way, "up to forty-eight (48) consecutive months" for meter error and similar causes.

Some boards may have a leak policy somewhere else. Do not assume one. Ask in writing, before the leak if you can, and keep the answer. Which paper governs a given dispute may need someone who can read your deed and tariff together.

The worn meter in Figure 12-2 is the piece all of this turns on. A meter that reads wrong is a billing matter you may raise. A meter that reads right on a leaking line is the owner's water bill.

Corroded old brass water meter seen from above, its black lid flipped open and cracked glass over the dial — **Figure 12-2.** An old meter, place not stated, out of the ground and resting on a terrazzo floor. Meters are the supplier's in the documents quoted in this chapter, and written requests for a test go to the office.

12-5 Two more lines that catch people

Lamar County WSD allows "No more than one (1) residential, commercial, or industrial service connection" per meter.³ A second house on the tract, or a barn apartment, may need a meter of its own. That is this book's reading, so ask before you build. Chapter 17 takes up barns.

Moving a meter on the same property is allowed if you grant an easement and pay "the actual cost of relocation plus administrative fees".³

Who decides this

Where does the owner's responsibility start?: Your supplier's tariff or service rules
Does 16 TAC 24.163 bind a WSC?: Water Code 13.002(23) leaves WSCs and districts out of "utility"; read your tariff
Who repairs a leak after the meter?: You, in the documents quoted above; your tariff has the final word
Is a leak credit available?: Ask your board in writing; no such clause was found in the documents quoted
Who may touch the meter and curb stop?: The supplier's authorized people

On your own place

Ask your supplier's office for a copy of its tariff or service rules, and read the section on service lines.
Find your meter box and note whether it sits on your land or in a road right of way.
Look for a cut-off valve on your side of the meter. Write down what you find.
Ask in writing whether the board has any leak adjustment policy, and file the reply.
Read your last 12 bills for a slow climb in use.
If you plan a second dwelling, ask about the meter rule first.

Notes

Cornell LII copy of 16 TAC 24.163(a)(2)(B). law.cornell.edu (read November 4, 2026) ↩
Texas Water Code 13.002(23) and 13.136(c). tcss.legis.texas.gov (read November 4, 2026) ↩
Lamar County Water Supply District, District Service Rules and Regulations, machine-read scan. lamarcountywatersupply.myruralwater.com (read November 4, 2026) ↩
Walston Springs WSC, Service Rules and Regulations, approved March 2014. walstonspringswsc.myruralwater.com (read November 4, 2026) ↩
Hilltop WSC, Tariff. hilltopwatersupply.myruralwater.com (read November 4, 2026) ↩
North Hopkins WSC, draft bylaws, machine-read scan, pending member approval as read. northhopkinswsc.myruralwater.com (read November 4, 2026) ↩

Read on: Chapter 13, Finding a buried line before you digChapter 13 takes the line you now know you own and asks where it actually runs, before anybody digs.