If the blockage is in the pipes on your property, it is yours to fix. If it is in Central Coast Council’s sewer main, it is theirs. The dividing line is called the point of connection, and a two minute check at your boundary shaft usually tells you which side the problem is on.
That check matters, because calling the wrong one first costs you time while the sewage keeps backing up.
Who is responsible for a blocked sewer on the Central Coast?
Central Coast Council runs the sewer network across the Coast. Its guide to maintenance, repairs and responsibilities splits it like this:
- You: every pipe and fitting on your property, up to and including the point of connection. That includes your boundary shaft and your overflow gully.
- Council: the sewer pipes and assets leading up to the point of connection, including the main in the street or easement.
The point of connection is not always at the front fence. On some blocks the sewer main runs along the back or side, so the connection can be near any boundary.
How do I check whose side the blockage is on?
- Find your overflow gully. It is the grated drain outside, usually near the kitchen, laundry or bathroom wall. If sewage is spilling from it, the gully is doing its job by keeping the overflow out of the house.
- Find your boundary shaft. It is a capped vertical pipe at ground level, near the boundary closest to the sewer main.
- Look inside the shaft, without putting your hands in.
Council’s guide says the problem may be theirs if your boundary shaft is flooded, the problem is visible outside your property boundary, your neighbours have the same problem, or there is widespread flooding in your area. In any of those cases, call Council straight away on 02 4306 7900.
If the shaft is not flooded but your drains are still backing up, the blockage is almost certainly between the house and the shaft. That is your side, and you need a licensed plumber.
Can’t find the shaft? Plenty of Central Coast homes have had theirs buried under garden beds, paving or turf over the years. A plumber can locate it, and it is worth keeping uncovered afterwards.
How do I know it is the sewer and not just one drain?
- More than one fixture is slow or backing up at the same time.
- You have gurgling drains when the shower or washing machine empties.
- Water rises in the shower when you flush.
- There is a sewage smell outside, or the overflow gully is spilling.
One slow basin is usually a local blockage. Several fixtures at once points to the main sewer line. Our guide to a blocked toilet versus a blocked sewer line covers the difference in detail.
What causes sewer blockages on your side?
Tree roots are the big one in older Central Coast suburbs, where original clay pipes have had decades to crack at the joints. Wet wipes, fat and grease do the rest. We have written separately about tree roots in drains and why drains keep blocking.
What should I do right now?
- Stop using water. No flushing, showers, dishwasher or washing machine until it is cleared.
- Keep kids and pets away from any overflow.
- Do the boundary shaft check above.
- Shaft flooded, neighbours affected too, or the problem is outside your boundary: call Council on 02 4306 7900.
- Otherwise: call a licensed plumber.
If sewage is coming up inside the house, treat it as emergency plumbing.
Not sure which side it is on? Council’s guide says to ring them and ask. A plumber with a CCTV drain camera can also show you exactly where the blockage sits, so nobody is guessing.
What happens when a plumber clears it?
We run a CCTV drain camera down the line first, so you can see the cause and the location on screen. Most blockages are then cleared with high pressure water jetting, and for some we use an electric eel. That is our standard blocked drain clearing process. If the camera shows cracked or root damaged pipe, we will talk you through repair options, including pipe relining, which can seal the pipe from the inside, often without digging up the yard.
If the camera shows the blockage is past your point of connection, we stop and you call Council.
Quick answers
Who pays for a blocked sewer on the Central Coast? The property owner pays for blockages in pipes on the property, up to and including the point of connection. Council is responsible for its sewer main beyond that point.
What is a boundary shaft? A capped inspection pipe near your property boundary that gives access to your sewer line close to where it meets Council’s main.
Who do I call if sewage is coming out of a manhole in the street? Central Coast Council, on 02 4306 7900.
I rent. Who do I call? Your property manager or landlord. The owner is responsible for the property’s plumbing.
Blocked sewer in Killarney Vale, Bateau Bay, The Entrance or anywhere else on the Central Coast? Call Miracle Plumbing on 0414 259 179 or get in touch online, and we will find out which side of the line it is on.
