A legal point of discharge (LPOD) is a location where stormwater from a private property has been permitted to discharge, usually into our drainage system or road reserve.
Property owner's responsibilities
On private property, roofing, gutters, downpipes, pits and underground drains etc, all form part of a privately-owned stormwater system. Property owners are responsible for:
- Ensuring their stormwater system is connected to the LPOD and operating properly.
- Maintaining and repairing their stormwater system up to and including the LPOD.
- Ensuring stormwater run-off on their property does not adversely affect other properties.
- Their stormwater system infrastructure, even if it is located on public land, in a road reserve or in an easement on neighbouring property.
We are not responsible for any private property stormwater system infrastructure.
We recommend that property owners engage a licensed plumber to investigate and resolve drainage and stormwater issues on private property.
We do not hold information about the location of stormwater systems and privately-owned underground pipes on private land because plumbers are not required to provide us with the plans for private drainage.
Our responsibilities
We are responsible for the care and maintenance of City-owned stormwater and drainage infrastructure such as kerb, channel, pipes, pits etc, from the LPOD. This does not include privately-owned stormwater drainage pipes connected to and upstream of the LPOD.
Easements
An easement preserves a section of land across a property which gives legal rights to authorised parties to use and access the land for a specific purpose. An easement may have stormwater drains, pits, sewerage pipes or other services in it.
Service authorities, including the City, are entitled to access easements on private property to inspect and repair infrastructure.
Further information about easements is available on our easements and our stormwater and drainage webpages.
Property owners need permission to build over an easement from us before any works commence.
Need to know more...
Find out more on our stormwater and drainage page.