Who Is Responsible for Storm Water Drains in SA

Who Is Responsible for Storm Water Drains in SA?

If you’re dealing with a blocked storm water drain, flooding around your home, or a storm water pipe that’s collapsed, the first question is always the same:

Who is responsible for storm water drains in South Australia — the homeowner or the council?

In most cases, property owners are responsible for storm water drains located on private property, including roof plumbing connections, downpipes, pits, and storm water pipes. However, local councils are generally responsible for the public storm water network, such as street drains, kerb inlets, and council-owned stormwater mains.

To make it simple, we’ve broken storm water drain responsibility in SA into clear categories, plus the common exceptions that cause disputes — including easements, shared drains, and legal points of discharge.

Quick Answer: Owner vs Council Responsibility for Storm Water Drains in SA

In South Australia, the property owner is generally responsible for storm water drains and storm water pipes on their private property. The council is generally responsible for the public storm water drainage system, including street storm water inlets and council-managed drainage infrastructure.

This concept is consistent with how storm water is managed across SA, where responsibility is shared between landholders, councils and government bodies depending on where the storm water is located and where it discharges.

Authority reference:

• SA Government / Environment: Storm water overview

• burnside.sa.gov.au/Environment-Sustainability/Water/Storm water

• Storm water Management Authority: FAQs on storm water responsibilities

• epa.sa.gov.au/environmental_info/water_quality/programs/storm water/understanding storm water
• westtorrens.sa.gov.au/Environment-and-Sustainability/Water/Storm water

Storm water Drain Responsibility Table (South Australia)

Here’s the simplest way to understand storm water responsibility in South Australia.

If you’re unsure, the determining factor is usually the Legal Point of Discharge (LPD) and whether the infrastructure is classified as private drainage or public drainage.

What Is Storm water Drainage (and Why Responsibility Causes Confusion)

Storm water drainage refers to water runoff from:

• roofs (via gutters and downpipes)

• paved areas (driveways, patios)

• yard surface runoff

• spoon drains, grated pits and channel drains

This water is then carried through pipes and pits to discharge into council storm water infrastructure or a lawful discharge point.

The responsibility confusion happens because:

• storm water often crosses property boundaries

• many pipes are hidden underground

• older suburbs may have shared or non-standard drainage

• easements and inter-allotment drains complicate ownership

When Is the Property Owner Responsible for Storm water Drains?

In South Australia, homeowners are usually responsible when the storm water problem is on private land.

That includes:

• blocked storm water drains in the yard

• collapsed stormwater pipes

• cracked joints causing washout or sinkholes

• roots invading stormwater lines

• stormwater pits overflowing on your property

• stormwater pipes connected to roof drainage (downpipes)

Even when the stormwater drain appears to run toward the street, the drain on your private property is still typically your responsibility.

Common homeowner responsibility example

If your downpipe leads into an underground storm water pipe and that pipe blocks or collapses before it reaches the street — you pay for the repair.

When Is the Council Responsible for Storm water Drains?

Councils in South Australia are generally responsible for:

• street storm water pits

• kerb inlets

• public storm water mains

• council-managed drainage infrastructure

So if the blockage or failure is inside council street drainage, it will usually be handled by council (or their drainage contractor).

However, if your storm water is causing a road issue and the cause is traced back to your private drainage being defective — the responsibility may return to the homeowner.

The Legal Point of Discharge (LPD): The Key Concept in SA Storm water Responsibility

The Legal Point of Discharge (LPD) is essentially the approved point where your property’s storm water system is legally allowed to discharge.

This is a major factor in determining:

• where your drainage is meant to connect

• who is responsible for the connection point

• who pays when something fails

Why this matters

Many storm water disputes happen because:

• drainage has been modified over decades

• extensions were added without proper drainage upgrades

• old drains don’t comply with modern discharge points

If your storm water is not connected to the correct point of discharge, you may face:

• repeated flooding

• neighbour complaints

• council involvement

• expensive re-routing / rectification works

Storm water Drains in Easements: Who Is Responsible in SA?

This is where most people get caught.

An easement allows drainage infrastructure to exist on land that may not belong to the person benefiting from it.

In most cases:

• if a storm water pipe runs through an easement on your land, it may still service another property

• responsibility may be shared depending on title, agreements, and pipe function

In practical terms:

• if it’s your storm water pipe serving only your home → it’s usually yours

• if it’s shared drainage (multiple properties) → it often becomes a shared cost/dispute

If you’re dealing with an easement drain, the best first step is a CCTV storm water inspection so the line path is proven, not guessed.

Shared / Inter-Allotment Drainage: Who Pays When It Blocks?

Some older parts of Adelaide and South Australia include shared storm water drainage systems where:

• multiple homes discharge into one underground line

• the line crosses private land

• the failure point is hard to identify

If a shared line blocks:

• the affected owners often need to jointly investigate

• costs can become shared depending on where the failure is and who benefits from the line

This is exactly why storm water issues should be diagnosed with:

• CCTV inspection

• drain location equipment

• flow testing (as required)

Who Pays for Storm water Drain Repairs in South Australia?

Here’s the simple answer:

If it’s on your property → you pay.

Examples:

• blocked storm water drain in yard

• broken storm water pit

• collapsed storm water pipe

• root damage inside private storm water drain

If it’s council infrastructure → council pays.

Examples:

• kerb inlet blocked

• street pit blocked

• council stormwater main collapse

If it’s shared drainage → depends.

It may become:

• split/shared between property owners

• handled by strata/body corporate

• disputed (requires evidence)

Deadshort Services regularly helps Adelaide homeowners figure out who is responsible by proving:

• pipe location

• pipe direction and discharge point

• the exact failure point

Signs Your Storm water Drain Is Blocked or Collapsing

If you notice any of the following, your storm water drainage likely needs immediate attention:

• pooling water after rain

• water running back out of grated pits

• driveway channel drain overflowing

• wet patches in the yard

• sinkholes or ground subsidence

• erosion and washout near storm water outlets

• stormwater drain smells / stagnant water

Stormwater issues don’t fix themselves — they get worse and can undermine driveways, paths, paving, and even slab edges.

How Deadshort Services Fixes Blocked Storm water Drains (Adelaide & SA)

Deadshort Services provides professional storm water drain diagnosis and repair, including:

• CCTV storm water drain inspections

• high-pressure drain cleaning / hydro-jetting

• blockage removal (roots, silt, debris)

• storm water pit repairs and replacements

• storm water pipe repairs and replacement

• locating and mapping buried storm water pipes

• drainage improvements (preventing repeat failures)

We don’t guess — we identify the problem properly, then fix it in a way that prevents repeat flooding.

Storm water Drain FAQ (South Australia)

1 – Who is responsible for storm water drains in South Australia?

Generally, the homeowner is responsible for storm water drainage on private property. Councils are generally responsible for the public storm water network such as street pits and storm water mains.

2 – Is the council responsible for blocked storm water drains?

If the blockage is in the street drainage system or council infrastructure, it is usually council responsibility. If the blockage is on private land, it’s generally the property owner’s responsibility.

3 – Who is responsible for storm water drains in an easement?

It depends on whether the easement drain is shared or services one property only. Many easement stormwater drains lead to shared responsibility and require investigation.

4 – Who pays for storm water pipe replacement in SA?

If the damaged storm water pipe is on private property, the owner pays. If it’s a council storm water main or street infrastructure, council generally pays.

5 – What is a legal point of discharge in South Australia?

It’s the approved location where a property’s storm water system is allowed to discharge (often into council infrastructure). It plays a major role in who is responsible and whether the system is compliant.

6 – What if my neighbour’s storm water floods my yard?

This requires investigation. Sometimes it’s caused by defective private drainage, illegal discharge, or incorrect site grading. Evidence (CCTV and discharge tracing) matters.

Adelaide & Deadshort Services – Multi-Trade Advantage

At Deadshort Services, Plumbing is just one part of what we do. Our clients often need more than one trade when upgrading their outdoor space—whether it’s lighting for a front fence, an irrigation system near a new boundary, or repairs to concrete paths during fence removal.

With Deadshort, there’s no need to coordinate multiple contractors. We offer a seamless, all-in-one experience through our in-house team of:

• Electricians (gate motors, lighting, intercoms)

• Plumbers (irrigation, garden taps, water systems)

• Roofers and guttering specialists ,

• Air conditioning installations and repairs

• Carpenters and general builders

• Garden and landscaping support

• Paving installations and repairs
• Retaining Walls 
• Artificial Grass Installations 

You get one number, one call, and a coordinated project—start to finish.

Need Help With Storm water Drains in Adelaide?

If you’re dealing with flooding, blocked storm water drains, or a storm water pipe collapse — Deadshort Services can inspect, identify the responsibility boundary, and fix the issue quickly. Click here to see if we cover your suburb.

We’re South Australian owned and operated, backed by 35+ years of experience, and we can support storm water issues through our multi-trade team when drainage has caused damage to paving, roofing, fencing or structures.