A utilities corridor or right-of-way is a strip of land adjacent to a residential property that protects buried underground services such as water, sewer and storm drains. The ownership of the land may lie with the property owner, but there are rules about how the land can be used. The District has the right to enter the right-of-way at any time to perform work on the underground utility services.
Although it may be tempting to landscape or build over these strips of land, doing so leads to expensive problems.
If you have landscaped or built structures to “improve” a utilities right-of-way, be aware that any future municipal service work will likely damage your improvements and that you will not be reimbursed for your expenses.
Landscaping on utility corridors can also directly cause damage to the underground pipes carrying water, sewer or storm water. Pipes damaged by roots of trees, bushes or other landscaping are repaired or replaced using tax dollars, which costs us all money.
Before making decisions about landscaping, make sure you know your property details and the location of underground utilities.