Township, city or Hamilton? Sorting out who handles what
Fairfield Township is a separate township, not part of the City of Fairfield or the City of Hamilton, even though annexations by both cities shaped its borders. It covered about 50 square miles before those annexations. Today it is roughly 16 square miles of mostly residential land between the two cities.
That matters for plumbing in two ways. Water and sewer in most of the township come from Butler County Water & Sewer, not from Hamilton or Fairfield. And plumbing permits in the township are issued by the Butler County General Health District, which handles permits across the county outside the cities of Hamilton and Middletown and inspects to the Ohio Plumbing Code, based on the 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC).
| Question | In Fairfield Township | In the City of Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Who supplies water? | Butler County Water & Sewer | City of Hamilton utility. |
| Who issues plumbing permits? | Butler County General Health District | City of Hamilton, under a Master Registration. |
| Who owns the sewer lateral? | The owner, under county sewer rules | The owner, under city code 931.031. |
Leak or flooded basement in Fairfield Township? Before we arrive
Close the main or the tank valve
For a leaking water heater, turn the cold valve on top of the tank. For anything else, close the main where the county water line enters the basement.
Shut off wet circuits
If water is spreading across a finished lower level, switch off those breakers from a dry spot first.
Check the sump
If the pit is overflowing, make sure the pump is plugged in and the float can move freely.
Call the 24/7 line
Phone (513) 796-9381 and give your street and nearest cross road. The township is in our home dispatch area.
Your water comes from Hamilton's wells anyway
Butler County Water & Sewer does not pump its own groundwater. It buys treated water from the City of Hamilton, which draws from the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, and from Greater Cincinnati Water Works. Butler County is Hamilton's largest water customer.
So the water at a Fairfield Township tap often started in the same aquifer wells as water in Hamilton itself. Water heater sediment and fixture scale behave much the same on both sides of the line, which is why a yearly water heater flush is good advice here too.
Plumbing emergency in Fairfield Township? We answer 24/7.
Call (513) 796-9381A township that more than doubled in thirty years
The township grew from 9,648 residents in 1990 to 22,645 by 2020. Much of that growth came as subdivisions on either side of Bypass Ohio 4, along with the Bridgewater Falls shopping area on Princeton Road. Homes built in those years are now old enough for their original equipment to wear out.
The most common calls are first-generation water heaters giving out after fifteen or more years, sump pumps in full basements, and early PEX fittings that start to weep. Our water heater replacement and sump pump repair pages cover the two biggest ones.
Where in the township we work
Most township addresses use 45011, which they share with Hamilton, and some southern streets use Fairfield's 45014. If the address on your water bill says Butler County Water & Sewer, you are almost certainly in the township rather than the city.
Neighbors to the south in Fairfield run their own city water system, while homes to the northeast in Liberty Township share the same county water and a similar housing age.