Dear Sir or Madam,
The Grand Council of Geneva (the cantonal parliament) has adopted a new Loi sur les eaux (Geneva Water Act, LEaux-GE, L 2 05), which came into force on 4 July 2026 and repeals and replaces the 1961 act.
The act sets out several obligations for property owners regarding all of their private drainage installations, in particular:
- Keeping the installations in perfect working order and maintaining them regularly, at intervals appropriate to the technical requirements (art. 71 para. 1);
- The obligation to have an up-to-date plan of these installations (art. 71 para. 2).
These obligations cover the entire private network: not only the horizontal sewer mains, but also the soil stacks and vertical pipework of buildings, which are often less closely monitored.
The installations also remain subject to oversight by the cantonal department (art. 72), and the owner remains liable in the event of inadequate maintenance (art. 78).
Yet in our day-to-day work we find that, while horizontal networks are often maintained regularly, vertical stacks frequently fall outside any maintenance contract, even though they are subject to the same requirements.
Likewise, many buildings do not yet have an up-to-date plan of their installations.
As your partner in the field, we felt it was our duty to bring this to your attention. We would be glad to help you:
- Extend maintenance to the vertical stacks of the buildings of your choice, in addition to the services already in place on the horizontal networks;
- Draw up the up-to-date plan of the installations by CCTV drain inspection where none exists, providing the document now required by law.
This approach lets you prepare with peace of mind, building by building, and give the owners you represent a concrete response to these new obligations.
For any information, or to arrange an initial review of your situation, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team is here to help.
Text of the act (in French): SIL - rsGE L 2 05: Loi sur les eaux (LEaux-GE)
Are your soil stacks being maintained?
Soil stack maintenance, CCTV drain inspection and up-to-date plans: let's talk about your buildings.