Gas piping
Gas Line Repair and Installation in Bothell, WA
New gas runs for ranges, dryers, fire pits, generators and pool heaters, plus repairs to existing and buried customer owned piping across 98011, 98012 and 98021.
If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 from outside. Do not touch light switches, garage door openers or a landline near the leak. PSE owns the gas pipe up to your meter and from there it belongs to you, including buried lines to a shop, pool, spa or generator. PSE will not set a meter and start service until gas piping has been inspected and approved by the City of Bothell.
If you smell gas right now
Leave first. Call from outside.
- Get everyone out of the building. Do not stop to gather anything.
- Do not operate anything electrical on your way out. No light switches, no garage door opener, no thermostat, no landline phone near the suspected leak. A spark is the entire risk.
- Do not try to find the leak yourself, and do not go looking with a flame or a lighter.
- From outside and well away, call Puget Sound Energy on 1-888-225-5773, or 911.
- Do not go back in until PSE or the fire department says it is safe.
- Then call us for the repair, once the utility has made it safe.
The ownership line
PSE owns the pipe to your meter. Past that, it is yours.
Puget Sound Energy is the sole natural gas provider for the entire City of Bothell, with more than 8,500 gas accounts inside the city, certificated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. That is true on both the King and Snohomish sides, unlike electricity, which splits between PSE and Snohomish County PUD roughly along the county line.
PSE states the ownership boundary plainly: Puget Sound Energy owns the natural gas pipelines up to your meter, and from there on, they belong to you.
What that means in practice
- Buried customer owned lines are yours to maintain. Runs to a detached shop, a pool or spa heater, a fire pit, a standby generator or a second meter are all on your side of the boundary. PSE warns that buried piping which is not maintained may leak or corrode, creating an unsafe condition, and recommends periodic inspection for corrosion on metallic buried pipe.
- PSE locate only goes to the meter. The free 811 locate covers PSE own facilities. Your private buried lines need a private locator, which is exactly the gap that gets lines cut during landscaping and excavation.
- Interior piping, appliance connections and shutoffs are yours. Including the flexible connector behind your range and dryer, which has a service life and should not be reused indefinitely.
Permits
PSE will not turn your gas on until Bothell inspects the work
This trips up more Bothell projects than anything else in gas work, and it is worth understanding before you schedule anything.
PSE requires that gas piping be inspected and approved by the local jurisdiction before PSE will set a meter and start service. In the City of Bothell, that jurisdiction is the City of Bothell, processed through the regional MyBuildingPermit.com portal. In unincorporated Snohomish County, including Bothell East, Bothell West, Maltby and Clearview, it is Snohomish County Planning and Development Services.
One point of confusion worth clearing up. Public Health Seattle and King County issues plumbing and gas piping permits, but only for Seattle, Clyde Hill and unincorporated King County. Bothell is not in that program. If a contractor tells you they will pull your Bothell gas permit through King County Public Health, they do not know this jurisdiction.
PSE Construction Services can be reached on 1-888-321-7779 for meter set and service questions. We coordinate that as part of the job rather than leaving you to chase it.
What we do
Gas work we handle in Bothell
New appliance runs
Ranges, cooktops, dryers, fireplaces and outdoor kitchens. Sized properly for the total connected load rather than guessed, because an undersized run starves everything on it.
Fire pits and patio heaters
Popular across Canyon Park and Thrasher Corner. Buried runs to a patio are customer owned piping, which means they are yours to maintain afterward.
Standby generator supply
Bothell sits in a region that takes real winter windstorms. A generator run has to carry surge load, not just steady state, and it is a genuinely different sizing calculation.
Pool and spa heaters
Long buried runs, which are exactly the customer owned lines PSE warns can corrode if they are never inspected.
Leak location and repair
After PSE has made the situation safe. Pressure testing, locating the failure, and repairing to code with inspection.
Water heater gas connections
Including the Washington requirement that in a garage, burners and ignition sources sit no less than 18 inches above the floor.
Capping and decommissioning
Removing a gas appliance properly rather than leaving a capped stub nobody documented.
Corrosion inspection on buried pipe
PSE recommends periodic inspection of metallic buried piping. Most homeowners have never had it done because nobody told them it was theirs.
What it costs
Gas line prices in Bothell
Gas work is quoted by run length, pipe sizing, access and the number of appliances on the line, so a flat price list would be dishonest. What we can commit to is how the number is presented.
| Item | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | 75 to 200 dollars, credited in full to any repair you approve |
| Hourly labor | 150 to 200 dollars per hour, market rate |
| Pipe, fittings and materials | Itemized separately, never bundled into one number |
| Permit | Listed as its own line, pulled in your name, City of Bothell or Snohomish County PDS |
| 811 locate | Always, before any excavation, at no charge to you |
| Private locate for customer owned buried lines | Quoted up front where the job needs one |
| Pressure test and inspection coordination | Included, along with the PSE meter set scheduling |
Washington policy
Is natural gas being banned in Washington?
Homeowners ask this constantly before committing to a gas appliance, so here is the accurate status rather than a talking point.
Initiative 2066 passed in November 2024 with about 51.7 percent of the vote. It would guarantee natural gas access and bar utilities and local governments from restricting it. King County Superior Court struck it down on 21 March 2025 on single subject and constitutional grounds. That decision was appealed, the Washington Supreme Court accepted direct review on 3 September 2025, and oral argument was heard on 22 January 2026.
What we can tell you concretely is the water heater side, because that one is settled. Washington does not require you to switch to a heat pump water heater when a gas unit fails. The mandate was removed before the 2021 energy code took effect on 15 March 2024, and section R503.1.3 exempts replacement water heaters from the conditioned space rule. New multifamily and commercial construction is different. The 2024 code cycle is scheduled for an effective date of 3 May 2027, so recheck before then.
Straight answers
Gas line questions from Bothell homeowners
What do I do if I smell gas in my Bothell home?
Leave the building first, taking nobody and nothing with you. Do not touch light switches, garage door openers, thermostats or a landline near the leak, because a spark is the risk. From outside and well away, call Puget Sound Energy on 1-888-225-5773 or 911. Do not go back in until PSE or the fire department clears it. Call a plumber only after the utility has made it safe.
Who owns the gas line at my house, PSE or me?
PSE states it directly: they own the natural gas pipelines up to your meter, and from there on they belong to you. That includes buried runs to a shop, pool, spa, fire pit or generator. PSE warns that unmaintained buried piping may leak or corrode, and their free 811 locate only covers their own facilities, so private buried lines need a private locator.
Do I need a permit for gas line work in Bothell?
Yes, and it matters more than usual here, because PSE requires gas piping to be inspected and approved by the local jurisdiction before they will set a meter and start service. In the city that is the City of Bothell via MyBuildingPermit.com. In unincorporated Snohomish County it is Snohomish County Planning and Development Services. Public Health Seattle and King County only covers Seattle, Clyde Hill and unincorporated King County, not Bothell.
Can a general handyman run a gas line in Washington?
No. Gas piping work requires proper licensing, and a general contractor cannot legally self perform plumbing without a separate plumbing contractor license, which carries its own 6,000 dollar bond and 250,000 dollars combined per occurrence liability with L and I as certificate holder. Verify anyone at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify before they touch gas.
Is natural gas being banned in Washington state?
Unresolved as of this writing. Initiative 2066 passed in November 2024 and would guarantee gas access, King County Superior Court struck it down on 21 March 2025, and the Washington Supreme Court accepted direct review and heard argument on 22 January 2026. We have found no reported decision, so treat confident claims in either direction with caution.
Does Washington force me off gas when my water heater fails?
No. The heat pump water heater mandate was removed from Washington 2021 energy code before it took effect on 15 March 2024, and R503.1.3 exempts replacement water heaters from the conditioned space rule. A gas tank can be replaced with a gas tank. New multifamily and commercial construction does require heat pump water heating.
How much does a gas line installation cost in Bothell?
It depends on run length, pipe sizing, access and how many appliances share the line, so any flat number would be dishonest. What we commit to is the presentation: diagnostic 75 to 200 dollars credited to the repair, labor at market rate of 150 to 200 dollars per hour, materials itemized separately, and the permit as its own line pulled in your name. Never one bundled figure.
Do you serve unincorporated Snohomish County for gas work?
Yes, including Bothell East, Bothell West, Maltby and Clearview. PSE is the gas provider across the whole area, but your permit and inspection come from Snohomish County Planning and Development Services rather than the City of Bothell, and that changes the scheduling.
Related
Other things we fix in Bothell
Water Heater Repair & Replacement
Tank, tankless and heat pump. Plus the PSE and Snohomish PUD rebate deadlines nobody explains.
24 Hour Emergency Plumber
Burst pipes, sewer backups and no-water calls, answered around the clock across 98011, 98012 and 98021.
Water Pressure, PRV & Expansion Tanks
The Alderwood pressure reduction project, and why your relief valve drips.
Leak Detection & Pipe Repair
Pinhole leaks, crawlspace leaks, and the free meter test you can run yourself first.
Repiping, Polybutylene & Galvanized
Canyon Park poly-B and Maywood galvanized, diagnosed honestly before anyone sells you a whole house.
Drain Cleaning & Clogged Drains
Cleared through a cleanout, then cameraed so you see the line is actually clear.
See the Bothell plumbing permit guide for the jurisdiction question in full.
Service area
- 98011
- 98012
- 98021
- Kenmore
- Woodinville
- Mill Creek
- Brier
- Lynnwood
- Bothell East
- Bothell West
Gas work, done to code and inspected
New runs, repairs and buried customer owned piping across Bothell, Kenmore, Woodinville, Mill Creek, Brier and Lynnwood.