The pipes under your yard, and the gap they leave

Mercury Insurance is reminding homeowners about a part of the property most people never think about until it fails: the water, sewer, and utility lines buried between the street and the house. Roots, corrosion, shifting soil, and age all take a turn at them, and the first sign is often a soggy patch of lawn or a water bill that jumped for no reason.

Here is the part that surprises people. The utility owns the line up to the connection point, and you own the rest. A standard homeowners policy generally covers sudden water damage inside the house but not the failed pipe itself, and not the excavation to reach it. Digging up a driveway or a mature yard is where the cost lives. Many carriers sell a service line endorsement that covers the repair, the excavation, and the landscaping put back, usually for a modest amount added to the annual premium. Florida and Texas homes both have working against them: sandy or shifting soils, aggressive tree roots, and plenty of housing stock old enough that the original lines are past their design life.

Pull out your declarations page and look for a service line endorsement. If it is not there, an independent agent can price it and check the rest of your policy for the same kind of quiet gap.