Water damage restoration in Kent, WA

In most places, the homeowner's sewer pipe ends somewhere near the property line. In Kent it goes further. Under city code, once your side sewer is connected, you're responsible for maintaining, repairing and clearing it all the way to the city's main — including the part under the street and the fitting where it joins the public sewer.

That's worth knowing before a backup, not after. If the city's crew finds its main is clear, the blockage is in your line, wherever it is. The city also won't mark private sewer lines before digging, though it may have the permit records for yours.

What came up into the house is a separate job: a sewage cleanup, whoever's pipe it was.

In December 2025, a run of atmospheric rivers pushed the Green River over its banks in Kent. Families sandbagged their homes, and the city worked on a temporary flood wall. The floods led to a federal disaster declaration covering King County.

River floodwater that gets into a house is treated as contaminated. It's a cleanup, not just drying, and a standard home or renter's policy generally doesn't cover flooding from a river.

Kent runs a Home Repair program that makes free repairs for low- and moderate-income homeowners inside city limits — including plumbing, electrical, furnace service, windows and roofs. You need to have owned and lived in the home for at least a year, and seniors and disabled residents may be given priority.

It's for small repairs, not emergency cleanup — the water still needs to come out first. But if the cause was a failed supply line or a leaking roof, it's worth a call once things are dry.