The oldest houses we cover
No city on our list has older housing than Lancaster. Census estimates put the median home in 1939 or earlier, with more than half built before 1940 and over seven in ten before 1960. More than half of all homes are rowhomes or townhouses, and only about one in nine is a detached single-family house.
So in Lancaster the standard assumption is old pipe, attached walls and a lateral that runs out under the sidewalk. Many houses have been re-plumbed in pieces over a century: a newer PVC stack here, original cast iron there, a galvanized line feeding the kitchen, a clay lateral that has never been touched.
The City’s rule: private laterals are yours
The City of Lancaster, which runs both the water and sewer systems, states that the property owner is responsible for hiring a licensed plumber to clear blockages or repair damage to private laterals. That is the pipe from your house to the City’s sewer main.
For an owner, the sequence that saves money is:
- Get the line flowing again with drain cleaning so the house is usable.
- Have a sewer camera inspection done and keep the video with measured distances.
- Decide from the footage: a single-spot repair, a liner for a line full of root-filled joints, or replacement where a section has sagged or collapsed. Our repair versus replacement guide walks through it.
- Ask the City about permits before anyone opens the sidewalk or street.
Combined sewers and storm backups
Much of Lancaster’s sewer system is combined. According to the EPA, the City owns about 88 miles of combined sewer, which carries sewage and stormwater in the same pipe, alongside about 60 miles of separate sanitary sewer, with five overflow outfalls on the Conestoga River. The City is required to carry out an EPA- and state-approved Long-Term Control Plan to reduce those overflows.
For a homeowner, combined sewers matter during heavy rain. When the pipes in the street run full, the lowest drain in a nearby basement can back up, especially if your lateral has open joints that let groundwater in. Steps that help:
- Fix the lateral’s defects so it isn’t taking on extra water.
- Keep downspouts and sump pumps out of the sewer. Route them to the yard or a rain garden.
- Ask about a backwater valve if your basement has fixtures below street level. Sewer backup repair explains how they work and their limits.
With sewage actually rising in the basement, the priority changes: every flush upstairs adds to it, so shut off water use across the house and go to emergency sewer repair.
Keeping rainwater out of the sewer
Because so much of the City’s system is combined, every downspout, sump pump or area drain that empties into a sanitary lateral adds water to the overflow problem the Long-Term Control Plan is trying to fix, and to the risk of your own basement backing up. In a rowhome block the options are limited by space, but there usually are some:
- Disconnect downspouts that run into the ground near the foundation and redirect them away from the house where the yard allows, or into a rain barrel.
- Reroute a sump pump that discharges into a laundry tub or floor drain so it empties outside.
- Cap and seal cleanouts so rainwater can’t pour straight into the lateral.
Buying a Lancaster rowhome
A standard home inspection rarely covers the lateral, yet in a century-old rowhome it is one of the likeliest expensive surprises. Add a sewer scope during the inspection period, ask how old the water heater is and where it vents, check the service line material where it enters the basement, and look for a working main shutoff. If the scope finds problems, a written quote gives you something concrete to negotiate with.
Rowhome plumbing in practice
- Basements are narrow and crowded, which makes water heater replacement and stack repairs slower than in a detached house. Plan replacements before a failure; water heater repair lists the warning signs.
- End units freeze first. The nearest NOAA station records roughly 111 nights a year at or below freezing. Walls that face the street or an alley lose heat fastest; see burst and frozen pipe repair.
- Old supply lines can drop pressure across the whole house. Water line replacement explains how to tell galvanized from copper or lead where the line enters the basement.
Local contacts
Water and sewer: City of Lancaster. Combined sewer overflow program: the City’s Long-Term Control Plan. Sources are linked below.
Lancaster plumbing questions
Is the sewer lateral the homeowner’s responsibility in Lancaster?
Yes. The City says owners are responsible for hiring a licensed plumber to clear blockages or repair damage to private laterals.
Why does my basement back up during storms?
During heavy rain the City’s combined pipes fill with stormwater as well as sewage. Groundwater leaking into a cracked lateral, or a downspout piped straight into it, adds to the load right at your house.
Who supplies water in Lancaster city?
The City of Lancaster runs the water system.
My rowhome’s water heater is in a tight basement. Should I replace it early?
If it is showing signs of age, planning a replacement is usually easier and cheaper than an emergency swap in a cramped space.
Can I disconnect my downspouts from the sewer myself?
Simple disconnections that redirect a downspout onto the yard are often a homeowner job; anything involving underground pipe or the lateral is better left to a plumber. Ask the City whether a permit is needed, and see how calls work before hiring.