SANITARY SEWER EASEMENTS FAQS
Easements are portions of private property dedicated for a designated purpose, while the property owner retains ownership of the property. A Sanitary sewer easement provides LRWRA access to inspect, maintain, observe, replace, or repair public sewer pipes on your property. In the City of Little Rock, these easements vary in width, based on the depth of the sewer line. However, per LRWRA Standards and Specifications requirements, easements shall be at least 10 feet wide and centered on the sewer lines.
Please review LRWRA’s Standards & Specifications. Easements requirements are found in Section 01100.
Easements are developed at the time the utility service is constructed or when a piece of property is subdivided for use. Sewer and utility easements are often shown on property surveys, subdivision plats, and descriptions of land, such as a deed.
LRWRA Staff may periodically need access to the portion of the public sewer in your yard for inspection, cleaning, or repair. Proper notification will be provided to you by LRWRA Staff prior to accessing the property. It is the responsibility of the resident to not cover or bury any points of entry to the public sewer, such as manholes. These typically have metallic lids with the label “SANITARY SEWER” and LRWRA’s Logo etched on them.
The land over an easement may be used if the use does not result in significant interference with the easement. Significant interference is anything that would prevent our work crews from accessing the area. Permanent structures are not allowed in or on an easement area. For example, you may not plant trees or construct permanent structures, such as a house, shed, deck, garage, retaining wall, or swimming pool, in or on an easement area. Temporary structures are allowed if they do not interfere with the easement. For example, landscaping, such as flowers and small shrubs, is allowed. If a fence has been constructed over an easement, it may have to be temporarily removed to access the easement.
Emphasizing the need to keep easements clear is a proactive approach LRWRA takes to save valuable time in the event of a sewer overflow or an emergency response. Having immediate access to areas of need during a sewer overflow or emergency is critical to limiting the extent of potential sewer discharges into the environment and minimizing the time taken to address such occurrences.
It is LRWRA’s mission to serve the Little Rock Community by protecting public health and the environment while leading the industry by reclaiming water for a more sustainable tomorrow. We adopt a proactive approach to prevent sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) in the collection system. This is done through continuous inspection and monitoring of our collection system using acoustic inspection technology.
Acoustic Inspection Program | LRWRA
LRWRA’s small-diameter system (pipes 8 to 12 inches in diameter), which equates to roughly 1,100 miles of underground pipes, is inspected each year by our field crews. This helps us stay ahead of the curve by identifying defects or conducting targeted cleaning and repair needs before they become environmental issues. Having unobstructed access to the portions of your property dedicated for public use (easements) is extremely critical to carrying out these various maintenance activities of our shared sewer system.
LRWRA does not issue construction permits. Please contact the City of Little Rock’s Planning and Development Department.
Once you establish there is an easement on your property, you may email questions to: sewereasements@lrwra.com
LRWRA’s General Sewer Use Ordinance, No. 22,185, was adopted by the City of Little Rock Board on November 1, 2022. The following sections of the Ordinance pertain to sewer/utility easements and obstruction to the access of easements:
Section 5.2. Unauthorized Covering
“Unauthorized covering with landscaping or permanent structures of any points of entry or access to the public sewer, such as manholes, is prohibited. Landscaping or permanent structures include, but are not limited to earth, shrubs, trees, buildings, walls, fences, or mailbox kiosks/shelters. The property owner shall be fully responsible for the cost of and physical removal of any such landscaping or structures installed in violation of this section.”
Section 7.1. Right of Entry
“The CEO or other duly authorized employee of Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, bearing proper credentials and identification, shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, holds an easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair, and maintenance of any portion of the public sewer system within said easement…”