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Who pays for the sewer lateral in Walla Walla, 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 Walla Walla - the city engineer
    What it covers:
    constructing or repairing any sewer in a street, alley or easement in which the sewer is located

    Walla Walla Municipal Code section 13.03.860 provides that "Any person desiring to construct or repair any sewer in any street, alley or easement in which the sewer is located, shall first obtain required permits, and shall give at least twenty-four hours' notice before actually commencing work to the city engineer."

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 Walla Walla about the sewer lateral.

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

Who is responsible for which part

In Walla Walla the property owner is responsible for the whole side sewer, from the building drain to and including its connection with the public sewer. Section 13.03.940(D) of the Walla Walla Municipal Code provides that "All expense and liability for loss or damage for cleaning, repairing and maintenance of a side sewer or a private sewer from the building drain to and including connection with the public sewer shall be the responsibility of the property owner."

The property owner
The side sewer and its connection with the public sewer, including any side sewer stub. Section 13.03.440 provides that "Side sewers are a maintenance responsibility of the property owner", and section 13.03.450 defines the side sewer stub as part of the side sewer "which is also maintained by the property owner."

What else is worth knowing

The dividing point is the public sewer: the owner's part includes the connection with it. Section 13.03.670(G) provides that the City "assumes no responsibility for the maintenance or replacement of any building sewer lines on private property or in easements or street rights-of-way or building sewer connections to the public sewer system." Constructing or repairing a sewer in a street, alley or easement needs City permits and 24 hours' notice to the city engineer.

Sources

Walla Walla Municipal Code section 13.03.940, Responsibility for sewers

Also quoted:

Checked

What the rules say

Most relevant if you are repairing or replacing the pipe

  • Before work on the pipePermit
    Who issues it:
    City of Walla Walla - the city engineer
    What it covers:
    constructing or repairing any sewer in a street, alley or easement in which the sewer is located

    Walla Walla Municipal Code section 13.03.860 provides that "Any person desiring to construct or repair any sewer in any street, alley or easement in which the sewer is located, shall first obtain required permits, and shall give at least twenty-four hours' notice before actually commencing work to the city engineer."

    What to do: Before repairing or replacing a side sewer in the street, an alley or an easement, get the required permits from the City of Walla Walla and give the city engineer at least 24 hours' notice before work starts.

    Why this matters

    The owner is responsible for the whole side sewer, including its connection with the public sewer and any part in the street, so a repair there is the owner's work and needs City permits first. Sewers must be inspected and found satisfactory before the pipe is covered.

    Current wording dates from · Checked

    Walla Walla Municipal Code section 13.03.860

    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
Walla Walla (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

The nearest city draws the line in the same place. Each authority publishes only its own rule.

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 Walla Walla

Nearby cities and further reading

Look up a specific address

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

Search for an address