Central Coast water and sewer · Point 3 of 5: the meter
Whose pipe is it on the Central Coast?
Central Coast Council looks after the water meter, the meter tap and the pipes leading to your point of connection; from that point into the property, every pipe and fitting is the owner’s to install, maintain and repair. The sewer splits at a point of connection too, but there the owner’s share includes the point itself, with the boundary shaft, the overflow gully and the inspection opening.
General information from Central Coast Council’s guide to maintenance and repairs, not advice about a particular property. If you are unsure whose a problem is, Council is the place to ask.
Two systems, two lines
Council’s guide treats the water supply and the sewer as two separate jobs, each with its own drawing and its own split. Read side by side, the difference is small, and it changes who looks after one part.
| System | Council looks after | The owner looks after |
|---|---|---|
| Water supply | The water meter and meter tap, plus the pipes and inspection points that run to your point of connection | All pipes and fittings on the property from the point of connection with the meter, garden taps, the hot water service and water tanks among them |
| Sewerage | Its own sewerage pipes and other assets, up to the point of connection | All sewerage pipes and fittings inside the property up to and including the point of connection, among them the boundary shaft, the overflow gully and the inspection opening |
So on the water side the point of connection is where Council’s part stops, and on the sewer side it is the last piece that is yours. The sewer side has its own guide, Blocked sewers, with the signs that point to Council there.
A Council meter, sometimes on your side of the fence
The boundary and the point of connection are not always in the same place. Council’s guide notes that some of its fittings, the meter tap and the water meter included, could sit inside your property boundary. They are still Council’s, but the guide gives the owner two jobs around them.
- Protect them. The owner is responsible for protecting the meter tap and the water meter from damage or theft.
- Keep the meter clear. The meter has to be easy to get to at all times, and the guide asks for a clear space of at least 50 centimetres on every side of it and 120 centimetres above it.
Signs a water problem may be Council’s
Under the heading for a leak or discoloured water, Council’s guide says the problem may be Council’s responsibility if one of these applies:
- you can see the problem outside your property boundary
- your neighbours are having the same problem
- your water meter or meter tap is leaking.
In those cases the guide asks you to contact Council immediately. If there is damage to your property or a loss, it also recommends contacting your insurer as soon as you can.
What Council does not pay for
Each half of the guide has a short list of what Council does not compensate for. The two lists are close, but not the same.
Water
- Lost time, lost business, or water lost through a leaking or broken water meter or a broken water main.
- The cost of a licensed plumber you brought in privately, even when the problem turns out to be Council’s responsibility.
Sewer
- Lost time or lost business from a sewerage overflow or incident.
- What you paid a private plumber you engaged on your own to fix a problem that was Council’s responsibility.
Put those lines beside the signs above and the order matters. Where one of the signs applies, Council asks to hear from you immediately, and its guide says it does not repay a private plumber’s bill even when the fault is its own.
When you cannot tell
Council’s guide covers this case too: if you are unsure who is responsible for a fault or incident, it asks you to contact Council to discuss it. The number it prints for exactly that question is 4306 7900.
The guide’s sewerage page is dated February 2019. In September 2026 Council adopted a revised Water and Sewer Customer Charter, which sets out the service standards customers can expect and the responsibilities Council and its customers share. The Charter itself is a large PDF on Council’s Charter page, beside a shorter summary from 2023.
For a sign that a problem may be Council’s main rather than your pipes, When the water goes off covers the outage map, and the Water Wise Rules cover what happens at the garden tap.
On your side of the point of connection, Council’s guide says a water leak, or a problem with your own plumbing, water tank or hot water system, means engaging a licensed plumber to fix it, at your own cost.