To provide a valve unit allowing the opening-closing operation of a valve to be carried out from the ground distant sideward from the buried position of a pipe body, capable of improving the environment of a worker in opening and closing the valve and of enhancing earthquake resistance.

Since a lateral butterfly valve is used for this valve unit 10, the opening-closing operation of the valve can be carried out not on a dangerous road, but on a sidewalk. As a result, the safety of the worker can be secured. Since a valve operation shaft 15 and a valve operation box 22 are located on the sidewalk, even if a wheel load is applied just from the upper side of a water-supply pipe 11, the load is not directly transmitted to the valve unit 10 through both the members 15 and 22, so that the earthquake resistance is enhanced. The corrosion problem in the running water of a conventional valve shaft and the adhesion problem of dust to the valve shaft can be resolved, a long valve shaft 14 can be used even if the depth for burying the water-supply pipe 11 is small, and dust is hard to accumulate in the lower part of an inside passage 13a.