Sewer Line Responsibility
It depends on where you live. Pick your city below to see exactly which part of the pipe is yours, with the city's own rule for each.
The short answer
The part under your yard is yours. The part under the street is where cities differ: in Seattle, Kirkland and Redmond you own it all the way to the public main; in Shoreline, Bellevue, Everett and Kenmore, the city or sewer district takes the stretch in the public right-of-way; in Edmonds it isn't published, so we confirm it for your address. The main itself always belongs to the utility.
The stretch under the planting strip, sidewalk and street — inside the public right-of-way — down to where it taps into the main.
In Seattle you own the whole side sewer — across your yard and on under the street, all the way to where it connects to the public main. SPU owns only the main itself. So a break under the street in Seattle is still yours to fix, including digging up and restoring the street.
Some older Seattle blocks share one side sewer between houses. Each owner is responsible for their own branch; the common section from the junction to the main is shared by everyone upstream. Repairs need a side sewer permit from SPU.
“Homeowner side sewer pipe responsibility: … your side sewer which extends beyond your property line all the way to the sewer mainline, which is SPU responsibility.”Seattle Public Utilities — Side Sewer Maintenance(opens in a new tab)
General information, not legal advice. Each rule is summarized from the city's or district's own published guidance (checked October 2026) and can vary by street, easement, shared line, or which utility serves your address. Confirm with your utility before budgeting a repair under the street.
Every city we serve
Read from each city's or district's own published guidance. Where we couldn't confirm the rule for the section under the street, we say so rather than guess.
| City | Under your yard | Under the street | The main | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) | Yours | Yours | The utility's | Seattle (opens in a new tab) |
| Shoreline City of Shoreline Wastewater Utility | Yours | The utility's | The utility's | Shoreline (opens in a new tab) |
| Bellevue Bellevue Utilities | Yours | The utility's | The utility's | Bellevue (opens in a new tab) |
| Edmonds City of Edmonds Sewer Division | Yours | Confirm | The utility's | Edmonds (opens in a new tab) |
| Everett City of Everett Public Works | Yours | The utility's | The utility's | Everett (opens in a new tab) |
| Kirkland City of Kirkland | Yours | Yours | The utility's | Kirkland (opens in a new tab) |
| Redmond City of Redmond | Yours | Yours | The utility's | Redmond (opens in a new tab) |
| Kenmore Northshore Utility District | Yours | The utility's | The utility's | Northshore UD (opens in a new tab) |
| Lynnwood, Bothell, Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish | Yours | Confirm for your address | The utility's | Ask us — we'll check |
Some addresses are served by a sewer district rather than the city they're in, and the district's rule then applies — the name on your sewer bill tells you which. General information, not legal advice.
Who pays when it breaks
Standard policies treat the sewer line as maintenance and exclude the usual causes — roots, wear, settlement — so the pipe repair is usually out of pocket. A water/sewer backup endorsement covers damage to the house; a service line endorsement can cover the pipe itself. Check your own declarations page.
Does insurance cover it?Many older Seattle blocks share one line between houses. Each owner is responsible for their own branch up to the junction; the section from the junction to the main is shared by everyone upstream. A camera with a locator finds where the lines join.
Shared lines: who paysNorthshore Utility District (Kenmore) doesn't charge for sewer repair permits, and its crews will help work out whether a problem is in your pipe or theirs, 24 hours a day. In Seattle, if a backup came from a surcharged city main, file a claim with SPU promptly, with photos and dates.
Seattle side sewer permitsIt's yours — now what?
Knowing whose pipe it is only helps once you know what's wrong with it and where. A camera finds the defect, a locator marks it on the ground, and then you can see every option — not just the most expensive one.
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You are — all of it. In Seattle the property owner owns the entire side sewer, from the house, across the yard and on under the street, up to where it connects to the public main. Seattle Public Utilities owns only the main itself.
It depends on the city. Seattle, Kirkland and Redmond leave the whole side sewer with the owner, including the part under the street. Shoreline, Bellevue, Everett and Northshore Utility District (Kenmore) maintain the section in the public right-of-way themselves. Edmonds doesn't publish a rule for the street section, so confirm it for your address. In every one of these cities, the part under your yard is yours.
Usually not the pipe. Standard policies treat the sewer line as maintenance and exclude the ways most lines fail — roots, wear, settlement. A water/sewer backup endorsement can cover damage to the house; a separate service line endorsement can cover the pipe itself. Coverage varies a lot between insurers, so check your own policy.
In Seattle, each owner is responsible for their own branch up to the junction, and the shared section from the junction to the main is the joint responsibility of everyone upstream of it. A camera inspection with a locator finds where the lines join.
In Seattle, yes — repairing, replacing, lining or bursting a side sewer needs a side sewer permit from Seattle Public Utilities. The other cities permit side sewer work through their own public works department or sewer district. Northshore Utility District doesn't charge for sewer repair permits.
A camera inspection. The camera shows the defect and a locator marks its exact position and depth on the ground — which tells you whether it's under your yard or under the street, and so whose it is.
Ready when you are
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