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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Arlington, WA

Which part of the pipe is yours

  • Sewer lateral

    Yours all the way to the main under the road

    Why, and what to do
  • Water service line

    Yours from the meter to your building — if certain conditions are met

    Why, and what to do
your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours. A dashed marker means the position depends on your property — see below.

If something’s wrong

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit

    Who issues it:
    City of Arlington - sewer utility
    What it covers:
    constructing a side sewer and making any additions, repairs or connections to an existing side sewer

    Arlington Municipal Code section 13.08.150(b)(1) provides that "A side sewer permit is required to construct a side sewer and/or to make any additions, repairs or connections to an existing side sewer."

The repair rule in full, with its sources

No rule on file here is specific to selling, buying, remodelling or adding a unit; that does not mean none exists.

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

BelowGrid has no first-call guidance on file from Arlington about the sewer lateral.

Arlington: official site(opens in a new tab)The documents this answer is built on

Who is responsible for which part

Arlington splits the side sewer stub by kind of work. Section 13.08.230(a) of the Arlington Municipal Code provides that "Property owners are solely responsible for operation and maintenance of private sewer systems, including the side sewer, as well as the side sewer stub", while section 13.08.230(b) gives the utility the repair and replacement of side sewer stubs located within a city right of way or in a utility easement.

Arlington
Repair and replacement of the side sewer stub - the part of the side sewer "in the right-of-way or easement dedicated to the utility" - which section 13.08.230(b) lists with the main line sewer infrastructure the utility repairs and replaces "unless otherwise provided by agreement, local ordinance or state law and located within a city right of way or in a utility easement".
The property owner
Operation and maintenance of the whole side sewer, "a conduit extending from the public sewer main to the connection with a building's plumbing system", including the stub, and the repair and replacement of the private sewer that is not within the city right of way or a utility easement. Section 13.08.230(b) provides that "Property owners are solely responsible for the repair and replacement of private sewer systems that serve the property and not within the city right of way or within a utility easement."

What else is worth knowing

The question is what work is needed. Keeping the line operating, such as clearing it, is the owner's from the building to the sewer main, even under the street; repairing or replacing the stub in the right-of-way or a utility easement is the utility's. These sections govern property on the City's sewer; check the name on your sewer bill if you are not sure the City serves you.

Sources

Arlington Municipal Code section 13.08.230

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you have received a notice from the city or district

No rule on file here is specific to a notice from the city or district; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Arlington - sewer utility
    What it covers:
    constructing a side sewer and making any additions, repairs or connections to an existing side sewer

    Arlington Municipal Code section 13.08.150(b)(1) provides that "A side sewer permit is required to construct a side sewer and/or to make any additions, repairs or connections to an existing side sewer."

    What to do: Before repairing, adding to or connecting to a side sewer, apply to the City of Arlington's sewer utility for a side sewer permit, as the property owner or through a licensed sewer contractor.

    Why this matters

    The owner operates and maintains the whole side sewer, so repairs to it are usually the owner's work, and they need a side sewer permit from the utility first.

    In force since · Checked

    Arlington Municipal Code section 13.08.150, Permits

What this page cannot tell you

  • No assistance or grant programme has been reviewed for this jurisdiction yet.
  • No sewer service territory has been mapped for this area, so BelowGrid cannot say who serves an individual address.

Who governs and serves this area

Jurisdiction
Arlington (municipality)
Sewer service
No map of sewer providers is held here. BelowGrid cannot say which sewer provider serves an individual address.

How this compares to neighbouring cities

2 of the 3 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Arlington(this page)
    the main
  • Everettabout 14 mi
    the property line
  • Monroeabout 23 mi
    the main
  • Lynnwoodabout 25 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)

Distances are approximate, in a straight line between the places’ centres.

Your other pipe: the water service line

The drinking water line coming into your property is a separate pipe, run by a separate authority, and who is responsible for it is decided separately. Your sewer lateral is yours to the main; your water line stops being yours at the meter.

Who owns the water service line in Arlington

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

This page describes what applies to properties in Arlington in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

Search for an address