Skip to main content
BelowGrid

Who pays for the sewer lateral in Fife, WA

Which part of the pipe is yours

your buildingproperty linesidewalkstreetmain
The thick length is yours.

If something’s wrong

If a repair needs a permit or an inspection

  • Before work on the pipe · Permit

    Who issues it:
    City of Fife - utility superintendent
    What it covers:
    uncovering, connecting with, opening into, using, altering or disturbing any public sewer or its appurtenances

    Fife Municipal Code section 13.08.120 provides that "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof, without first obtaining a written permit from the utility superintendent."

The repair rule in full, with its sources

Buying or selling?

No rule on file here is specific to selling or buying; that does not mean none exists.

Who to call first about the sewer lateral

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

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Fife the property owner maintains and repairs the whole side sewer, including any part in the street. Section 13.08.200 of the Fife Municipal Code provides that "The owner of the property served by the side sewer shall be responsible for the maintenance and repair of the side sewer."

The property owner
The side sewer, which section 13.09.010 defines as "a pipe or sewer line connecting any house, building or structure with the public sewer, whether situated in a street, alley or an easement provided therefor".

What else is worth knowing

The dividing point is the public sewer. Pierce County's sewer service area map puts about 3% of Fife's land with Pierce County Sewer, whose own code also leaves the side sewer to the owner up to the main. Check the name on your sewer bill.

Sources

Fife Municipal Code section 13.08.200, Pipe connections

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 Fife - utility superintendent
    What it covers:
    uncovering, connecting with, opening into, using, altering or disturbing any public sewer or its appurtenances

    Fife Municipal Code section 13.08.120 provides that "No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof, without first obtaining a written permit from the utility superintendent."

    What to do: Before connecting a side sewer to the public sewer, or uncovering, opening into or altering the public sewer, get a written permit from the City of Fife utility superintendent.

    Why this matters

    The owner is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the side sewer, which connects the building to the public sewer. Work that connects to, opens into, uncovers or disturbs the public sewer needs the City's written permit first; the section does not say whether repair work wholly on private land needs this permit.

    In force since · Checked

    Fife Municipal Code section 13.08.120, Connections

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
Fife (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

3 of the 6 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Fife(this page)
    the main
  • Edgewoodabout 3 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Tacomaabout 5 mi
    the main
  • Auburnabout 8 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Sumnerabout 6 mi
    the property line
  • DuPontabout 16 mi
    the main
  • Enumclawabout 17 mi
    the main

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

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address