The sewer pipe from a house runs under the yard toward the street, and past the property line it feels like the city’s pipe. Some cities say otherwise. Seattle Public Utilities tells owners their side sewer extends beyond the property line all the way to the sewer main, and only the main is the utility’s responsibility.
The line is drawn city by city. Portland’s code has the city maintain a lateral from the main to the curb face on a curbed street; San Diego makes the owner maintain it all the way to the main. In No. 34343-0-III, a published opinion filed June 27, 2017, the Washington Court of Appeals, Division III, affirmed the dismissal of a suit two Othello homeowners brought after their line failed under an alley.
Drains keep backing up?YesGet it handledNot sureHave a pro checkFree · No obligation · Your number stays private
What actually happens
The house, built in 1957, connects by one line to a city main under the alley beside it…