Who Is Responsible for Sewer Line Repair in Myrtle Beach and Horry County?
Who is responsible for sewer line repair in Myrtle Beach? GSWSA, the cities and GCWSD split the sewer lateral differently.
It depends on your utility. Across most of Horry County, Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority (GSWSA) standards end the utility’s service lateral at a connection and cleanout on the property line, so the pipe from there to the house is generally the owner’s to repair, while Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway and Loris set their own rules. At Myrtle Beach Sewer Line Repair, every sewer job starts with a camera inspection that shows which side of the line the problem is on.
Call (843) 429-6659 to have the line scoped and the problem located before anyone decides who pays.
Call nowWho is responsible for sewer line repair, utility by utility
The name on your water and sewer bill decides it. GSWSA’s standards and the Georgetown County Water and Sewer District (GCWSD) show where the owner’s pipe begins; in the four cities with their own systems, ask the city before anyone digs.
| Utility and area | Utility’s part | Owner’s part | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSWSA: Surfside Beach, Garden City, Socastee, Carolina Forest, Forestbrook, Little River, Longs and most of unincorporated Horry County | Main and service lateral to the property line, where its standards require a cleanout | Pipe from the property line to the house, plus everything inside | Inferred from GSWSA’s standards; confirm for your lot |
| City of Myrtle Beach | Its mains | Ask the city | Split not confirmed |
| City of North Myrtle Beach (land west of the Waterway is GSWSA unless annexed) | Mains; its duties include installing and maintaining “customer service connections” | Ask the city, 843-280-5500 | Split not confirmed |
| City of Conway (one zone southeast of town has Conway water and GSWSA sewer) | Its mains | Ask the city | Split not confirmed |
| City of Loris | Its mains | Ask City Hall, (843) 756-4004 | Split not confirmed |
| GCWSD: Murrells Inlet | Main and connection to your property line | Sewer line from the home to the property line; water line from the home to the meter | Stated by GCWSD |
| Atlantic Beach | Whoever bills you; the town does not own, manage or service water or sewer | Ask that utility | Provider not confirmed |
| Briarcliffe Acres: mostly septic | City of Myrtle Beach maintains the water lines and installed sewer with grinder stations for 11 parcels | Septic owners maintain the whole system | Grinder ownership not confirmed |
GSWSA’s 2023 service-area map shades Atlantic Beach as North Myrtle Beach water and sewer, but your bill is the proof, and annexed parcels or private subdivision systems can differ from any map.
What is a sewer lateral?
A sewer lateral is the pipe that carries wastewater from your house to the public main. Most people use the word for the whole run, but GSWSA’s standards split it: its service lateral runs from the main to the property line, and the owner’s house sewer runs from there to the house.
From the house out to the street:
- Building drain: the lowest drain pipe in the house, including the first 30 inches past the outside wall under the South Carolina edition of the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC).
- Building (house) sewer: the owner’s pipe toward the street. Older homes commonly have vitrified clay, cast iron or Orangeburg fiber pipe; for new work on the owner’s side, GSWSA requires Schedule 40 PVC (or DWV) with no rubber couplings.
- Cleanouts: capped access points. GSWSA wants one 5 feet from the building, at least every 75 feet, at bends over 45 degrees and at the property line.
- Property-line connection: the usual dividing point in GSWSA areas.
- Service lateral and main: the utility’s connection and the public pipe, usually under the street.
Where does GSWSA’s responsibility end?
Generally at the property line. GSWSA’s standards say house sewers run “from the lateral sewer to a point located at property line” and require a cleanout there, and its Service Line Maintenance plan covers lines from the road right-of-way to the building, which matches that split. GSWSA never states the split in one sentence, so confirm it for your lot.
That property-line cleanout is the practical dividing point: a camera run from there shows whether a root mass, offset joint or belly sits toward the house or toward the main.
Shared lines. GSWSA’s standards say the common line of a double residential service connection belongs to whoever owns the main it ties into.
Smoke testing. When GSWSA smoke-tests a neighborhood for defects that let stormwater in, it says it “will generally make all repairs found even on the customers service lateral.” If smoke rises from your yard, ask GSWSA at 843-234-8473 what it found before you pay anyone. Smoke indoors matters too: where smoke gets in, sewer gas can.
Who pays when sewage backs up?
The utility fixes blockages in its main or connection, and you pay for blockages in your pipe, so call the utility first. GSWSA’s rule is “Call GSWSA before you call your plumber”: its crews investigate backups at any hour at no charge and fix problems on GSWSA’s side. Call (843) 234-8460, or (843) 443-8200 after hours.
- Murrells Inlet: GCWSD after hours, (843) 546-8408. Members of its protection plan who call a plumber before calling GCWSD pay that repair bill themselves.
- Loris: City Hall, (843) 756-4004; the city’s Water Utilities page says to choose option 2 after hours.
- North Myrtle Beach: 843-280-5500.
- Myrtle Beach and Conway: call the city utility at the number on your bill.
If the utility finds its side clear, stop running water and call us; active sewage backups are scheduled first. Our sewer backup page covers the next steps.
How does GSWSA’s Service Line Maintenance plan work?
It is an optional monthly charge that makes GSWSA responsible for your water and sewer service lines from the right-of-way to the outside wall of the building. Water and sewer together cost $2.85 a month for the first unit; if the charge is not on your bill, you are not enrolled.
- Price: $0.60 for each additional unit (REU). Water only or sewer only is $2.60, plus $0.55 per added unit.
- Damage: it reimburses damage your service lines cause, including a sewer backup in lines outside the building, in an amount set before repairs by an independent adjuster GSWSA selects.
- Extras: GSWSA restores sidewalks, driveways and landscaping it disturbs and may remove plants whose roots affect the lines.
- Not covered: pipes inside the building, irrigation, and lines to outbuildings, pools or extra faucets.
- Sign-up: (843) 443-8202. Either side can cancel on 30 days’ notice.
GCWSD runs a similar Service Line Protection Program in Murrells Inlet (ask for current prices) and warns that most homeowners policies do not cover these repairs. Our guide to sewer line insurance in Myrtle Beach compares the options.
What ownership means for repair costs and permits
On your side of the line, the bill is yours unless you are enrolled in a utility plan. The price depends on where the defect sits, how deep the pipe runs, what has to be dug up and restored, and the permit.
- Depth and ground: GSWSA sets new laterals 36 inches to 4 feet deep. NRCS soil data puts the water table within 2 feet of the surface, at least part of the year, on roughly four in five acres of Horry County, so trenches can fill with water. GSWSA’s own standards call for stone bedding where trenches hit “muck, quicksand” or similar soil.
- Method: spot repair, lining, pipe bursting or open trench. See sewer line replacement for the options and our sewer line replacement cost guide for what drives the price.
- Permits: under South Carolina’s 2021 IRC, clearing a stoppage or stopping a leak is exempt, but replacing concealed drain or sewer pipe is new work that needs a permit and inspection. After an emergency repair, apply by the next working business day. In Georgetown County (Murrells Inlet), an $8,000 job carries a $75.50 residential permit fee before plan-check or impact fees.
- Licensing: plumbing work over $500 needs a state-licensed plumber; owner-occupants may do their own work.
- Locates: SC811 marks only public utility lines, not your private lateral or water line. We request SC811 locates and trace your line with the camera’s locator.
We pull the permits, schedule the inspections and put every quote in writing, itemized.
Who owns the water line?
In GSWSA areas, GSWSA staff set the meters, and its maintenance plan’s scope suggests the line from the right-of-way to the house is generally the owner’s. GCWSD makes owners responsible from the home to the meter. In Myrtle Beach and Briarcliffe Acres, ask the City of Myrtle Beach’s water repair line, 843-918-2000, where its part ends.
How do you know which utility serves you?
Check the name on your water and sewer bill. A mailing address is not proof: Myrtle Beach ZIP codes 29579 and 29588 take in Carolina Forest and Socastee, which GSWSA serves, and Surfside Beach notes that its mailing address does not always mean you live in town.
- Split service: GSWSA’s map shows areas with one utility’s water and another’s sewer, such as Conway water with GSWSA sewer southeast of Conway. For a sewer problem, call the sewer provider.
- No sewer charge: a water-only bill can mean a septic system, which the owner maintains.
- Buying a home: ask the seller for a recent bill and have the line scoped. Our guide to sewer scope inspection cost before buying a home explains what the video shows.
When the camera puts the problem on your side, our page on sewer line repair in Myrtle Beach explains how we fix it.
Sewer line responsibility FAQ
Who is responsible for sewer line repair in Myrtle Beach?
It depends on the utility on your bill. In GSWSA areas the owner is generally responsible from the property-line connection to the house; inside City of Myrtle Beach limits, ask the city where its part ends.
What is a sewer lateral?
The pipe that carries wastewater from a house to the public main. GSWSA calls its own piece, from the main to the property line, the service lateral, and the owner’s piece the house sewer.
Who is responsible for the sewer line under the street?
The utility owns the main under the street. In GSWSA areas the connection to your property line is generally GSWSA’s too, and in Murrells Inlet GCWSD makes owners responsible only from the home to the property line.
Who pays if tree roots damage my sewer lateral?
Whoever owns the damaged section, so roots between the house and the property line are generally the owner’s repair. For enrolled GSWSA customers, the Service Line Maintenance plan covers that stretch.
Who do I call first when sewage backs up?
Your utility. GSWSA investigates backups at any hour at no charge at (843) 234-8460, or (843) 443-8200 after hours; GCWSD’s after-hours line for Murrells Inlet is (843) 546-8408.
Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line?
Yes. South Carolina’s edition of the 2021 residential code treats replacing concealed drain or sewer pipe as new work that needs a permit and inspection; clearing a stoppage or stopping a leak does not.
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Sewer or water line trouble?
Call for a camera inspection and a written quote.
Call to book a camera inspection and a written, itemized quote for any repair on your side of the line.
Sewer and water line repair for Myrtle Beach, Conway and Horry County. Camera inspection first, written and itemized quotes, licensed plumbers.
Call (843) 429-6659