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 is a section of land registered on a property title that gives service authorities (including the City) right of access to this land. 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.
For properties with an easement (as per the land title), a property owner has responsibilities in that easement. Property owners must allow service authorities access to easements. Approval is not required to plant grass and small plants over an easement. Anything covering, planted in or constructed over an easement is a property owner's responsibility.
Should access to infrastructure in an easement be impeded, service authorities may remove, relocate and reinstate any obstructions at the property owner’s expense.
Property owners will need permission to build over an easement from us.
Need to know more...
Find out more on our stormwater and drainage page.