Location: Utah
The street in front of my house is undergoing a massive reconstruction project which includes a new water main and sewer. When the city tried to connect to my ~70 year old galvanized water line they broke it. The line keeps cracking when they try to attach and I currently have a watery sink hole where they want to put a sidewalk. This is an issue for multiple houses on my street. None of our water lines had issues before they disrupted the soil. We got a quote for a replacement which came to 5k.
I’m wondering:
Do we have a chance of winning a small claims court against the city?
If we open a case are the cops going to start “randomly” pulling us over?
I’m tempted to wait them out and watch them try to lay sidewalk over a watery sink hole, but I’m also curious I could be liable for the inevitable collapse of the sidewalk.
Comments
> If we open a case are the cops going to start “randomly” pulling us over?
Might want to dial the paranoia back a bit.
> Do we have a chance of winning a small claims court against the city?
Municipalities in Utah have sovereign immunity. That means you have to go to district court, not justice court.
You didn’t specify the city or the water district, but at least in Salt Lake and various other communities, you have the option of paying (either through the city or a third party) for water line insurance, which covers the stretch between the mains and the meters. Your homeowner’s insurance might also offer some coverage. Sorta depends on where the line got dug up.
You should probably call your city council member or county commissioner first and see what the UDOT/municipal contract called for, as the people laying the new pipe might be on the hook and would just prefer not to pay, and that’s a much easier push than going through the lawyers.