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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Sumner, 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 Sumner - permit center
    What it covers:
    repairing or replacing a private building sewer

    Sumner Municipal Code section 13.16.300 provides that "A permit is required to make repairs or to replace a private building 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 Sumner about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Sumner the City owns, maintains, repairs and replaces the part of the side sewer in the public right-of-way; the property owner owns the part on the property and keeps it in good working order. Section 13.16.290 of the Sumner Municipal Code provides that "The building (side) sewer located in the public right-of-way shall become the property of the city and will be maintained, repaired and replaced by the city's public works department."

Sumner
The part of the building (side) sewer in the public right-of-way.
The property owner
The part of the building (side) sewer on the customer's property. Section 13.16.290 provides that it "is owned by the property owner and shall be his responsibility to keep the sewer in good working order".

What else is worth knowing

The dividing point is the right-of-way line, where new side sewers have a cleanout at the property line. Section 13.16.450 makes the user or owner responsible for keeping the side sewer "clean and free of obstructions from the building to the main"; on a backup the City will check which part is blocked, and it repairs a broken City-owned part within 20 working days. 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

Sumner Municipal Code section 13.16.290, Building (side) sewers

Also quoted:

Checked

What is required

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Sumner - permit center
    What it covers:
    repairing or replacing a private building sewer

    Sumner Municipal Code section 13.16.300 provides that "A permit is required to make repairs or to replace a private building sewer."

    What to do: Before repairing or replacing the side sewer on your property, apply for a private side sewer replacement permit at the City of Sumner's permit center; the work is inspected before backfill.

    Why this matters

    The owner keeps the part of the side sewer on the property in good working order and must repair it when an inspection finds it broken, so the work is the owner's and needs the City's permit.

    Current wording dates from · Checked

    Sumner Municipal Code section 13.16.300, Private building (side) sewer replacement/repair

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

  • Sumner(this page)
    the property line
  • Edgewoodabout 2 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Auburnabout 6 mi
    the property line (conditions apply; see that page)
  • Fifeabout 6 mi
    the main
  • Tacomaabout 11 mi
    the main
  • Enumclawabout 11 mi
    the main
  • DuPontabout 21 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 property line; your water line stops being yours at the meter.

Who owns the water service line in Sumner

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address