Skip to main content
BelowGrid

Who pays for the sewer lateral in Shoreline, WA

Which part of the pipe is yours

  • Sewer lateral

    Yours from your property line 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 Shoreline - a side sewer permit
    What it covers:
    maintaining, repairing or replacing an existing side sewer

    Shoreline Municipal Code section 13.05.170(E) provides that "Prior to maintaining, repairing, or replacing existing side sewers, the property owner or authorized agent is required to obtain a permit from the city."

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 Shoreline about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Shoreline the City maintains, repairs and replaces the side sewer stub and any part of a private side sewer in the public right-of-way; the owner is responsible for the side sewer on the property. Section 13.05.030(B) of the Shoreline Municipal Code provides that the City "shall be responsible for the maintenance, operation, repair, and replacement of the facilities and those portions of private side sewers located within the public rights-of-way but serving private property unless otherwise provided by agreement, local ordinance, or state law."

Shoreline
The public wastewater facilities, including side sewer stubs, and the portions of private side sewers within the public right-of-way.
The property owner
The private side sewer on the property and its appurtenances. Section 13.05.170(C) provides that "Property owner(s) shall be solely responsible for the development, maintenance, repair, and replacement of private side sewers and their appurtenances, including but not limited to connection to the public side sewer stub, check valves, cleanouts, and pumps."

What decides which applies

The dividing line is the edge of the public right-of-way. Section 13.05.030(C) provides that "Side sewers located on private property are exclusively owned by the underlying property owner(s)", unless assigned or dedicated to and accepted by the City, and the City's responsibility applies "unless otherwise provided by agreement, local ordinance, or state law." Maintaining, repairing or replacing an existing side sewer needs a City permit. This answer applies where the City of Shoreline is your sewer utility. King County's map of sewer districts puts about 5% of Shoreline's land, in the south-west of the city, inside Highlands Utility District, which may collect there; its side sewer terms are not set out here. Check the name on your sewer bill, and if the District bills you, ask it before paying for work in the street.

Sources

Shoreline Municipal Code section 13.05.030

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 Shoreline - a side sewer permit
    What it covers:
    maintaining, repairing or replacing an existing side sewer

    Shoreline Municipal Code section 13.05.170(E) provides that "Prior to maintaining, repairing, or replacing existing side sewers, the property owner or authorized agent is required to obtain a permit from the city."

    What to do: Where the City of Shoreline is your sewer utility, get a permit from the City before maintaining, repairing or replacing a side sewer. If Highlands Utility District bills you for sewer, ask the District what it requires.

    Why this matters

    The owner is solely responsible for the private side sewer on the property, including its connection to the public side sewer stub. Debris removed from the side sewer must not enter the public sewer main, and the owner is liable for damage from any downstream blockage it causes.

    Current wording dates from · Checked

    Shoreline Municipal Code section 13.05.170, Side sewer requirements (Ord. 928

    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
Shoreline (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.

  • Shoreline(this page)
    the property line (conditions apply)
  • Seattleabout 9 mi
    the main
  • Kirklandabout 8 mi
    the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Lynnwoodabout 5 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Everettabout 16 mi
    the property line
  • Bellevueabout 14 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Mercer Islandabout 14 mi
    the main
  • Kentabout 26 mi
    the main, including the connection fitting on the main (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Auburnabout 32 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)

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 Shoreline in general. To see which authorities serve one address, and what records exist for it, search for it.

Search for an address