Pymble facts for a plumbing job
Ku-ring-gai Council
The whole suburb sits within the Ku-ring-gai council area, so Ku-ring-gai Council's tree and stormwater rules are the ones that count.
Houses, often owned outright
At the 2021 Census, 72.4% of the suburb's occupied homes were separate houses and 24.8% flats or apartments. 38.1% were owned outright, against 31.5% across NSW.
Digging near trees
Council's tree rules count trenching or excavating in a protected tree's root zone, and severing roots 50mm or thicker, as injuring the tree. Both need written consent.
Shared drains on the title
Private inter-allotment drainage easements are maintained by the owners they burden and benefit, Council says, and an easement on your land shows on the certificate of title.
Before anyone digs
Ku-ring-gai's Development Control Plan (Part 13, consolidated 19 March 2024) prohibits injuring a protected tree without Council's written consent. Injury includes changing ground levels in the root zone by excavating or trenching, and cutting roots with a diameter of 50mm or more. Pruning roots no thicker than 50mm is exempt.
On a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area the bar is higher: tree works need development consent, apart from minor work Council agrees to in writing. Ask Council whether that applies to your property before a trench is planned.
These rules are worth weighing when you choose between relining, which works inside the existing pipe, and digging a new trench.
Stormwater and sewer on your land
Ku-ring-gai Council says owners maintain the stormwater system from the house, garage and other structures, and repairs need a plumber or other licensed contractor. If a damaged system sends water across a neighbour's land, Council suggests talking to the neighbour before taking formal steps.
Where several blocks share a private easement, the owners coordinate maintenance and repairs between them. The sewer is similar at your end: private wastewater pipes belong to the owner up to and including the point of connection with Sydney Water's system. For a blockage or overflow, call a licensed plumber.
What we would do
Before agreeing to any digging, ask the plumber to film the pipe and note where the damage is and which trees stand nearby. If the fix means trenching in a root zone or cutting a root 50mm or thicker, apply to Ku-ring-gai Council first, or ask for a relining option that leaves the roots alone. We'll match you with a drain specialist who handles root-damaged pipes.