The water utility owns the main in the street and the meter. The pipe from the meter to your house, usually buried a foot or two deep, belongs to the property owner. It carries full city pressure all day, so a crack or failed joint wastes water continuously and can soften the soil around it.
Older homes in the area often have galvanized steel service lines that rust from the inside, slowly choking flow until the pressure at the house drops. Some homes from the 1970s through the mid 1990s have polybutylene, a gray plastic line known for failing at fittings. Newer homes usually have copper or plastic lines that fail less often but can be damaged by roots, settling or digging.
A single leak on an otherwise sound line is usually a spot repair. A line that is corroded throughout, or has leaked more than once, is usually better replaced, often by trenchless pulling or a narrow trench. If the leak is inside the house rather than in the yard, see our water leak detection service.