Skip to main content
BelowGrid

Who pays for the sewer lateral in Kirkland, WA

Which part of the pipe is yours

  • Sewer lateral

    Yours all the way to the main under the road — unless Northshore Utility District is your sewer provider

    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 Kirkland - a side sewer permit from the city engineer
    What it covers:
    any connection with a public or private sewer, drain or natural outlet

    Kirkland Municipal Code section 15.28.040(a) provides that "It is unlawful to make any connection with any public or private sewer, drain or natural outlet without complying with all the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 15.36 in relation thereto and having a permit to do so from the city."

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 Kirkland about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Kirkland the property owner owns and maintains the whole side sewer, from the connection at the main to the building, including any stub the City put in. Section 15.28.135 of the Kirkland Municipal Code provides that "It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to own and maintain the side sewer from the connection at the main to the building."

The property owner
The whole side sewer. Section 15.12.050 adds that the owner is responsible for the installation and maintenance of the sewer service line "from the city-owned and maintained public sewer main to the point of service, including any sewer stubs installed by the city for the benefit of the property owner."

What decides which applies

Nothing splits a City of Kirkland side sewer between the City and the owner; the dividing point is the connection at the main. Section 15.12.050 puts on the owner the line from the city-owned and maintained public sewer main to the point of service, so this applies where the City of Kirkland is your sewer utility. Where one side sewer serves more than one property, all the owners using it jointly maintain the shared part, and a joint maintenance agreement must be recorded before side sewer permits are issued. Not all of Kirkland is on the City's sewer. King County's map of water and sewer districts puts about 49% of Kirkland's land, in the north of the city, inside Northshore Utility District, which states that "NUD is responsible for maintaining and operating the sewer system located in the public Right-of-Way" and that sewer piping on private property is the responsibility of property owners. Check the name on your sewer bill; if Northshore Utility District bills you, its side sewer permit and its own terms apply.

Sources

Kirkland Municipal Code section 15.28.135, Side sewer ownership (Ord. 3368

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you have a backup or blockage

No rule on file here is specific to a backup or blockage; that does not mean none exists.

Also in force here

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Kirkland - a side sewer permit from the city engineer
    What it covers:
    any connection with a public or private sewer, drain or natural outlet

    Kirkland Municipal Code section 15.28.040(a) provides that "It is unlawful to make any connection with any public or private sewer, drain or natural outlet without complying with all the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 15.36 in relation thereto and having a permit to do so from the city."

    What to do: Where the City of Kirkland is your sewer utility, apply to the Kirkland city engineer for a side sewer permit before connecting or reconnecting a side sewer; for work in the street, use a state-certified plumber or a state-licensed general contractor. If Northshore Utility District bills you for sewer, it requires its own side sewer permit for repairs.

    Why this matters

    The owner owns and maintains the side sewer from the main to the building. The city engineer may designate how and where the side sewer connects to the public sewer and its material, size and grade, and a permit is valid for one year unless extended or renewed.

    Current wording dates from · Checked

    Kirkland Municipal Code section 15.28.040, Connection

    Also quoted:

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
Kirkland (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

4 of the 8 nearest cities draw the line somewhere else. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

  • Kirkland(this page)
    the main (conditions apply)
  • Bellevueabout 7 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Seattleabout 9 mi
    the main
  • Shorelineabout 8 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Mercer Islandabout 9 mi
    the main
  • Kentabout 21 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Snoqualmieabout 21 mi
    the main
  • Auburnabout 27 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Enumclawabout 36 mi
    the main

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 Kirkland

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address