Bothell guide
Who Owns the Side Sewer at Your Bothell House?
Bothell is served by five separate water and sewer providers, the county line runs through the middle of town, and the state deleted the relevant plumbing code chapter. Here is the actual answer, with the phone numbers.
In Bothell, you own the side sewer from the property line to your house, and you own the water pipe from the meter to your house. Everything on the far side of those two points belongs to your district. Northshore Utility District states that sewer piping on private property is an extension of the customer plumbing system and the property owner responsibility. Before paying anyone, call your district, because they will come out 24 hours a day and confirm which side the fault is on free of charge.
The rule
Two lines on your property decide who pays
Almost every expensive misunderstanding in Bothell plumbing comes down to not knowing where these two boundaries sit.
Your district owns
- The water main in the street.
- The service line up to and including the meter.
- The meter itself.
- The public sewer main.
- Everything on the street side of your property line.
You own
- The water pipe from the meter to the house, including the buried run across your front garden.
- The side sewer, from the property line to the house.
- Every cleanout, every fixture, every drain inside.
- All repairs, on both, at your cost.
Silver Lake Water and Sewer District states it in exactly those terms: customers are responsible for maintaining and repairing their private water and sewer systems, water pipe from the meter to the home, sewer pipe from the property line to the residence.
Northshore Utility District is equally direct. Sewer piping located on private property is considered an extension of the customer plumbing system and is the responsibility of property owners. And, importantly, district personnel are not authorized or licensed to make repairs on private plumbing systems, so they will not fix your side even if they wanted to.
King County, which treats the wastewater for this entire area at the Brightwater plant on SR 9 in Woodinville, says the same thing. Side sewers need maintenance, and the property owner is responsible for it. King County also explicitly recommends a side sewer inspection when buying a home.
Step one, and it is free
Call your district before you call anybody else
This is the step almost nobody takes, and it is the one that decides whether you have a bill at all.
Northshore Utility District describes their service as expert advice and 24 hour emergency assistance free of charge, and says their crews will help determine if a problem exists in the private plumbing or if it is located within the district public system. Every district in Bothell runs an equivalent line.
| District | 24 hour line | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| City of Bothell | 425-488-0118 | Option 1 for water operations and emergencies. General Public Works 425-806-6881. Runs about 93 miles of water main and 62 miles of gravity sewer with five lift stations. |
| Northshore Utility District | 425-398-4400 | After hours 425-608-3751. Covers Kenmore, parts of Bothell, Lake Forest Park, Kirkland and Woodinville. About 22,000 connections. Issues sewer repair permits at no charge. |
| Alderwood Water & Wastewater | 425-787-0250 | After hours emergency. Admin 425-743-4605. Snohomish County side. Largest water and sewer district in Washington, serving since 1931. |
| Silver Lake Water & Sewer | 425-337-3647 | Press 1 after hours. Office is physically in Bothell at 15205 41st Ave SE, 98012. Provides As-Built side sewer drawings on request. |
| Woodinville Water District | 425-487-4100 | 24 hours. Serves part of the south east Bothell area. |
| Cross Valley Water District | 360-668-6766 | 24 hours. Maltby and the Snohomish fringe. |
Two free things most owners never ask for
The As-Built drawing and the meter test
Ask for your side sewer drawing before paying for a locate
Silver Lake Water and Sewer District will provide As-Built drawings of your side sewer on request. If you are looking at a camera inspection or locate charge, ask your district for the drawing first. It may already show where the line runs, its depth, and where your cleanout is. That is information you would otherwise be paying to rediscover.
The five minute meter test for the water side
- Shut off every fixture and appliance that uses water. Taps, dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker, irrigation.
- Find the low flow indicator on your meter, usually a small dial, triangle or snowflake shape.
- Watch it for a minute. If it moves with everything off, water is escaping somewhere.
- Shut the valve where supply enters the house. If the indicator stops, the leak is inside. If it keeps moving, it is in the buried run between the meter and the house, which is yours.
Why Bothell is unusually confusing
The state deleted the chapter that would have answered this
Here is the structural reason nobody can give you a simple answer.
Washington adopted the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code under WAC 51-56-003, effective 15 March 2024. But in doing so, the state deleted Chapter 7 Part II of the UPC in its entirety, which is the building sewer chapter, sections 713 through 723 plus tables 717.1 and 721.1.
That means there is no statewide code answer for side sewers. The rules come from your city or your utility district instead. It is exactly why Bothell, Northshore Utility District and Alderwood each publish their own side sewer standards, and why the answer genuinely differs street by street in one 13.64 square mile city.
Layer on top of that: Bothell straddles two counties. Roughly 60 percent of residents are in King County and about 40 percent in Snohomish, with the line running approximately along NE 205th Street on the King side, which becomes 240th Street SW on the Snohomish side. Outside city limits, in Bothell East and Bothell West, the permitting authority changes entirely.
The permit
You cannot legally touch a side sewer without one
This is municipal code, not a contractor preference, and a contractor offering to skip it is exposing you rather than themselves.
- BMC 18.03.340. It is unlawful for any person to make an opening in any public sewer, or to connect or disconnect any private sewer or side sewer, or to lay, repair, alter or construct any sewer to be connected to a public sewer, without first obtaining a sewer permit from the public works director.
- BMC 18.03.370. It is unlawful to cover or backfill a side sewer without inspection and approval by the public works director. Twenty four hours notice is required and the permit must be on site.
- BMC 18.04. Storm drainage side sewers require their own separate permit. Sanitary and storm are not the same permit.
- BMC 18.03.090. The city undertakes to use reasonable diligence and care to maintain free flow of sewage, but the user assumes risk past the connection point. City liability ends where your side sewer meets the main.
Permit costs run roughly 280 dollars for a repair and 375 dollars for a replacement, and in Northshore Utility District territory the sewer repair permit is issued at no charge. In the city, permits process through the regional MyBuildingPermit.com portal. Outside city limits it is Snohomish County Planning and Development Services.
Straight answers
Side sewer ownership questions in Bothell
Who is responsible for the sewer line between my Bothell house and the street?
You are, from the property line to the house. Northshore Utility District states that sewer piping on private property is an extension of the customer plumbing system and the property owner responsibility, and that district personnel are not authorized or licensed to repair private plumbing. Silver Lake puts the water break at the meter and the sewer break at the property line.
Will my water district come out for free to tell me whose problem it is?
Yes. Northshore Utility District describes it as expert advice and 24 hour emergency assistance free of charge, and says their crews will determine whether the problem is in your private plumbing or in the district public system. Every Bothell district runs an equivalent 24 hour line. Call them before you call a plumber.
Which water district serves my Bothell address?
It depends on your street. Bothell is served by the City of Bothell, Northshore Utility District, Alderwood Water and Wastewater District, Silver Lake Water and Sewer District and Woodinville Water District, with Cross Valley on the Maltby fringe. The City of Bothell maintains a find your water service provider lookup page because residents cannot tell.
Can I get a drawing of where my side sewer runs?
Silver Lake Water and Sewer District provides As-Built drawings of your side sewer on request. Ask your district before paying for a locate or camera inspection, because the drawing may already show the route, the depth and the cleanout position.
Is a leak between the water meter and my house my responsibility?
Yes. Your district owns the meter and everything upstream. From the meter to the house the pipe is yours, including the buried run across your garden. Alderwood tells homeowners plainly that as the homeowner you are responsible for locating and repairing the leak, and they offer a leak adjustment program on the bill.
Why is there no statewide rule for side sewers in Washington?
Because when Washington adopted the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code under WAC 51-56-003, it deleted Chapter 7 Part II, the building sewer chapter, in its entirety. That is why side sewer rules come from your city or district rather than from state code, and why the answer differs street by street in Bothell.
Do I need a permit to repair my own side sewer?
Yes. BMC 18.03.340 makes it unlawful to lay, repair, alter or construct any sewer connected to the public sewer without a permit from the public works director, and BMC 18.03.370 makes it unlawful to backfill without inspection, with 24 hours notice required. Northshore Utility District issues sewer repair permits at no charge.
Should I get the side sewer inspected before buying a house in Bothell?
Yes, and King County explicitly recommends it. It is the cheapest insurance in the transaction, especially on the 1950s to 1970s King County side around Maywood, Beckstrom Hill and Queensborough where clay and cast iron laterals are standard and mature bigleaf maples are everywhere.
Related
Other things we fix in Bothell
Sewer Repair & Side Sewer Replacement
Camera first, permit pulled, and the footage handed to you before anyone quotes a replacement.
Drain Cleaning & Clogged Drains
Cleared through a cleanout, then cameraed so you see the line is actually clear.
24 Hour Emergency Plumber
Burst pipes, sewer backups and no-water calls, answered around the clock across 98011, 98012 and 98021.
Leak Detection & Pipe Repair
Pinhole leaks, crawlspace leaks, and the free meter test you can run yourself first.
Sump Pumps & Crawlspace Water
Is it groundwater or a broken supply line? We answer that before anyone sells you a drainage system.
Water Pressure, PRV & Expansion Tanks
The Alderwood pressure reduction project, and why your relief valve drips.
Service area
- 98011
- 98012
- 98021
- Kenmore
- Woodinville
- Mill Creek
- Brier
- Lynnwood
- Bothell East
- Bothell West
Not sure whose side it is on?
Call your district first, it is free. Then call us if it turns out to be yours.