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Underground service lines and parkade piping

Water main repair
& replacement.

When the water line into your home or your building fails or ages out, we replace it: underground service lines for houses, and overhead water piping in strata parkades, with the permit and the inspection handled for you.

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Home · Services · Water Main Repair & Replacement

In every municipality we serve, the pipe from the property line to your house is yours to repair or replace, and replacing it needs a permit. Prosafe replaces failing water service lines for houses and townhomes, and overhead water piping in strata parkades, across the North Shore and Metro Vancouver. We replace a buried service line by open trench, with backfilling included. You get a written quote before any digging, and we apply for the permit and book the inspection at no extra service charge.

Two different jobs

Underground service lines and overhead parkade piping.

Both are called the water main, but they are planned and priced very differently.

Underground service lines

The buried pipe from the municipal connection at your property line to the shut-off inside your house. We open a trench along the line, lay the new service, connect it at both ends, then test it and have it inspected under the permit before backfilling, which is included. Usually a house or a townhome.

Overhead parkade and strata piping

The domestic water piping that runs along a strata parkade ceiling and feeds the building. The work is planned in sections with the council and the property manager, so each shut-down is short, scheduled and announced to residents.

Ready to talk about your job?

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Who owns which pipe

Where the city’s pipe ends and yours begins.

Each municipality sets its own rules in its water bylaw. Plain-language summaries, each with its official source. Always check the current version for your property.

MunicipalityThe city’s pipe ends atYour partAfter a leak noticePermit to replace yours
City of North VancouverAt or near the property line, at the curb stop.The private service pipe from there to the building, kept free of leaks.Repair within 96 hours of the City’s notice, or sooner if the notice says.A plumbing permit for any alteration. A new or replaced service connection gets a water meter. Source: Bylaw 6417 · permits
District of North VancouverWithin 18 inches of the property line.The service pipe on your lot, kept in repair at your own expense.Repair within 48 hours of notice.A plumbing permit for a water service. Repairing a leak needs none. Source: Bylaw 2279 · permits
West VancouverThe curb stop in the street or right of way.The waterline from the curb stop to the outside wall of the house, at your expense.Repair within 48 hours of notice.The District calls it a drainage permit for on-site water service lines. Every service has a meter. Source: Bylaw 5260 · Bylaw 5340
VancouverThe City fitting, 0.3 to 1.0 m from the property line, on City land.The pipes, pressure-reducing valves and fittings on your side, kept free of leakage.The City does not repair leaks on private property.A plumbing permit (a leak repair is exempt). Once you replace your pipe, the City will, at your request, replace its old service pipe at no charge if it has deteriorated to the point of leaking or losing much of its capacity. Source: By-law 4848 · water shut-off · permits
BurnabyThe property line.The pipe on your lot.Repair within 72 hours of the City’s written notice.A plumbing permit (a leak repair is exempt). The City began a phased residential water meter program in June 2026, with meters at the property line at its own cost. Source: Bylaw 3325 · Bylaw 11148 · permits · meters
CoquitlamThe service valve (curb stop) at or near the property line.All the water pipes from the service valve to the building.Keep your pipes in good condition to prevent leaks. The City can do required work and bill it.A plumbing permit to install or replace a water service on private property. Source: water problems · Bylaw 4428 · permits
Port CoquitlamThe property line. Only the City operates the curb stop.The service pipes inside your property, at your own risk and expense.Repair within 48 hours of notice, or at once if water is being wasted or causing damage.A plumbing permit to install or replace a water service on private property. Source: Bylaw 3935 · permits
Port MoodyThe curb stop, on the City side of the property line.Your private water system, which must not leak.The City may correct a leak at the owner’s expense.The City’s Plumbing Permit Services cover outside services, including water, sewer and storm. Source: Bylaw 3026 · permits
In Vancouver: once you have replaced your own service pipe, the City will, at your request, replace its old service pipe at no charge if it has deteriorated to the point of leaking or losing much of its capacity (By-law 4848, s. 5.5). We tell you when to ask.
Signs of a failing water line

What a leaking service line looks like.

  • A wet, soft or greener patch between the street and the house in dry weather
  • Water pressure that has dropped across the whole house
  • A higher water bill on a metered home, with no change in use
  • The sound of running water with every tap and appliance off

A check you can do: if your home has a water meter you can read, turn off all water use in and around the house and watch the meter for a few minutes. If it still moves, water is leaving somewhere after the meter, often through the service line or an outdoor line. It tells you there is a leak, not where; a free assessment of the line is the next step. Do not operate the valve at the property line unless your municipality allows it: some, such as Port Coquitlam, want a City crew to do it.

How a replacement runs

From the first visit to the inspection.

  1. A free assessment

    We look at the line, the shut-off and the meter, find where the service enters the house, and talk through what is above the pipe: lawn, driveway, paths or planting.

  2. A written quote

    One written price for the work we agreed, before anything is dug. Backfilling is included. Lawn, pathway and driveway restoration is available, and what your quote includes is written into it.

  3. Permit and locates

    We apply for the permit and book the inspection at no extra service charge; the municipality’s fees are charged at actual cost, with no markup. Buried utilities are located and marked before any digging.

  4. The shut-down, planned

    You know the day and the hours your water is off. For a strata, the notices go out through the council or the property manager.

  5. The new line

    A new service from the connection at the property line to the house, with an accessible shut-off valve where it enters the building, as the plumbing code requires.

  6. Test and inspection

    The new line is pressure-tested and inspected under the permit before the trench is backfilled, and you keep the permit record.

While the line is open: the plumbing code calls for a pressure-reducing valve where the static pressure at a fixture can exceed 550 kPa (about 80 psi), and the District of North Vancouver asks for a regulator where street pressure is 75 psi or more. A new service is the right moment to check yours: see water pressure & PRVs for each city’s rule.
For stratas and property managers

Parkade water piping, replaced in planned sections.

In a BC strata, pipes inside the walls, floors and ceilings between strata lots and the common property, and pipes that serve more than one strata lot or the common property, are usually common property (Strata Property Act, s. 1), and the strata corporation must repair and maintain common property (s. 72). Check your strata’s own bylaws and strata plan.

  • A walk of the parkade with the property manager to map the runs and the isolation points
  • A written scope and quote the council can review
  • Shut-downs in sections, on dates set with the strata, with notices for residents
  • Testing of each section before it goes back into service, and the documents the strata keeps on file

More: BC government, strata repairs and maintenance.

How it is priced

A written quote for your line.

No two water lines are the same length, depth or route, so every water main job is quoted in writing after a free assessment: what is above the pipe, how deep it runs, how far it goes and how we reach it. The price is agreed before any work starts.

  • Water-main replacement, underground service line

    A custom written quote after a free replacement assessment. Replaced by open trench, with backfilling included; lawn, pathway and driveway restoration as written in your quote. Exploratory digging and spot repairs are quoted separately.

    By quote

  • Water-main replacement, overhead parkade or strata piping

    A custom written quote after a free replacement assessment. Spot repairs are quoted separately.

    By quote

Prices in CAD, plus GST. See all our prices

Water mains, answered

Questions owners and stratas ask us.

Is a leak on my water line mine to fix, or the city’s?

Usually yours if it is on your side of the property line. In every municipality we serve, the City or District owns the pipe from the main in the street to the property line or the curb stop, and the owner is responsible for the service line from there to the house. Several also set a deadline once they notify you of a leak: 48 hours in the District of North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Port Coquitlam, 72 hours in Burnaby and 96 hours in the City of North Vancouver.

Do I need a permit to replace my water service line?

Yes, in all eight municipalities on this page, replacing a water service on private property needs a permit from the City or District, and the work is inspected. A simple leak repair is exempt in some of them, such as the District of North Vancouver, Vancouver and Burnaby. We apply for the permit and book the inspection at no extra service charge; the permit and inspection fees are charged at the municipality’s actual cost, with no markup. In Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, we take out the City business licence once your job is booked, before work starts.

Is a water main the same as my water service line?

Not quite. The water main is the large pipe under the street, owned and repaired by the municipality. The pipe that runs from the main to your home is the water service. Most people call their own section the water main too, and that section, from the property line to the house, is the part we replace.

How can I tell if my water line is leaking?

Signs include a wet or soft patch between the street and the house in dry weather, lower water pressure, a higher water bill on a metered home, or the sound of running water with every tap off. If your home has a water meter you can read, turn off all water use and watch it: if it still moves, water is leaving somewhere after the meter. That tells you there is a leak, not where. Book a free assessment and we look at the line and quote its replacement.

Will a new water line improve my water pressure?

It can, when the old line is undersized or narrowed inside by corrosion. The plumbing code sets the minimum size of a water service pipe at 3/4 inch. Low pressure can also come from a failing pressure-reducing valve or the street pressure itself, so we check those too before recommending a new line.

Do you replace water piping in strata parkades?

Yes. We replace overhead domestic water piping in strata parkades and plan the work with the council and the property manager: where the pipe runs, where it can be isolated, when the water is off and how residents are told. Under the Strata Property Act, pipes that serve more than one strata lot or the common property are usually common property, which the strata corporation must repair and maintain.

What are your hours?

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are closed on weekends and statutory holidays. You can send us a request through the website or WhatsApp at any time, and we reply during business hours.

Related services

Often done with a new water line.

Poly-B replacement & repiping

Replacing the pipes inside the house, our leading specialty.

Backflow testing & prevention

Testing by a BCWWA-certified tester, with the report filed for you.

Hot water tanks & tankless

Gas and electric tanks replaced, and tankless installed.

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Who does the work: about Prosafe Plumbing & Mechanical.

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