Service Line Coverage

Service line coverage is an endorsement on a homeowners policy that pays for physical damage to the underground utility lines you own and are responsible for maintaining — including water mains, sewer pipes, natural gas lines, electric service lines, and fiber or cable lines running from the street to your home.

What does service line coverage pay for?

The coverage pays for excavating and accessing the damaged line, repairing or replacing the damaged section, and restoring the landscaping and hardscaping disturbed by the work. Some policies also include loss of use while the line is out of service, and in some cases, related water damage when a burst line saturates the surrounding soil and affects the foundation. For example, a water main break under a front yard typically requires trenching, repair of the pipe itself, and re-grading and re-seeding the disturbed ground — costs that a standard homeowners policy excludes entirely.

What does a standard homeowners policy exclude that this endorsement fills?

Most standard homeowners policies exclude damage to buried utility lines, including the trench-digging and yard restoration required to repair them. That exclusion catches many homeowners off guard. A typical buried water line break costs $3,000 to $8,000 to dig, repair, and re-landscape. A sewer line collapse can run $10,000 to $25,000 or more. Homeowners commonly discover the exclusion only after filing a claim and receiving a denial.

Where does the homeowner’s responsibility for utility lines begin?

The city or utility company owns and maintains lines from the street to the property line. From the property line to the house, the line belongs to the homeowner. That stretch — sometimes only 30 to 40 feet — is where most failures occur and where the homeowner bears the full repair bill without this endorsement. For example, a sewer line break on a 1960s property in Decatur that runs 50 feet from the street to the house falls entirely within the homeowner’s financial responsibility from the property line inward, regardless of how old the pipe is.

What does service line coverage not pay for?

The coverage does not apply to lines outside your property line, damage from normal wear over the line’s useful life, or in many cases, tree-root intrusion if the pipe was already structurally compromised before roots entered it. Georgia’s older neighborhoods — Decatur, Candler Park, Grant Park, parts of Marietta and Savannah — carry particular exposure because clay sewer pipes from mid-century construction are well past their design life. Roots actively seek those pipes, and clay fractures rather than flexes under root pressure.

How much does service line coverage cost, and what limits are typical?

Cost runs roughly $25 to $50 per year for $10,000 of coverage, with most policies offering limits up to $25,000. That premium is low relative to the average claim. The decision turns on the age and material of the buried lines, whether large trees sit near the utility runs, and whether the neighborhood’s infrastructure predates the switch to PVC pipe. A coverage review can confirm whether your current policy already includes some version of this protection, what limits fit your home’s age and location, and whether any exclusions warrant attention. Learn more about home insurance options available through Olive Cover.