Somewhere near the curb, the water line becomes yours
The curb stop or meter pit is often where a water utility's responsibility ends and yours begins. Stafford Township states it plainly, with mains maintained up to that point and owners responsible beyond it. Ask your own utility, because the wording is theirs to set.
Compiled from the sources listed at the end. Sources checked .
Stafford's Water & Sewer page is the only Ocean County wording of this we have read. Other towns have their own rules and may draw the line in a different spot, so treat Stafford's as an example. Who supplies your town tells you which office to ask.
What should you know about your own valve?
Know where the main shutoff inside your house is, and make sure everyone in the house can find it. It is the valve that stops a burst pipe, and you do not want to be hunting for it with water on the floor. Look where the line comes through the wall or up through the slab, and label it.
If it will not turn, or you cannot find one, have a New Jersey licensed master plumber look. Replacing valves does appear on the state's ordinary maintenance list, but a main shutoff sits on the line feeding the whole house, so this is not a casual swap. Our story on permits covers that list.
Who pays when the leak is out front?
That depends on which side of the boundary it is on, which is why the wording matters before anything goes wrong. Ask the utility in plain terms: if the line leaks between the curb and my foundation, whose job is it? Write down the answer. Lead line notices raise the same question, as our brief on them explains.
Also asked
What does a meter pit look like?
It is generally a covered box or lid in the ground holding the meter. Leave the lid to the utility and its meter readers.
My meter is in the basement. Does that move the boundary?
Maybe. Meter location and pipe responsibility are separate questions, so ask your utility instead of assuming either way.