You will see that water utility lines are sometimes referred to as "service lines" and sometimes referred to as "service laterals." Here at the City of Roswell, we use the term "service lateral" to represent all water lines in our service area.
There are 2 types of laterals: Public Service Laterals and Private Service Laterals. A public service lateral is the pipe from the water main to the water meter. A private service lateral is the pipe connecting to the meter, and connects to a building's internal plumbing. The City of Roswell is responsible for maintaining the public service lateral, and the property owner is responsible for maintaining the private service lateral.