Is the leak in the street or inside your property line?
A wet patch near the curb, a sunken stripe of lawn or a meter box full of water raises one question first. Is the pipe the utility's or yours? The water line belongs to the provider up to the meter, and the sewer main under the street belongs to the sewer provider. Everything on your side of that point is your responsibility.
Check your bill for your water and sewer provider, then use the city's own flooding, water leak and sewer issue report page if the water is coming from public pipes. If the water is inside the house, under the slab, in the yard past the meter or coming up through a floor drain, call (206) 864-6558. A dispatcher can help you sort which it is before anyone digs.
Where we dispatch from and how Lynnwood connects
Mountlake Terrace sits directly north of Lynnwood, with the border near 212th St SW and the Interurban Trail. We work out of the Mountlake Terrace side, so Lynnwood is the next town over rather than a long drive across the county.
Lynnwood is the junction town for I-5 and I-405, about 13 miles south of Everett and about 16 miles north of Seattle. We do not promise arrival times, but the dispatcher will tell you what is open today.
Our ZIP coverage in the city is 98036, 98037 and 98087. The 98036 ZIP also covers Brier and includes Lynnwood City Hall, so the mailing address on your bill may say either name.
Call (206) 864-6558 and tell the dispatcher your Lynnwood address and what you see.
What Lynnwood households and businesses usually call about
Plumbing trouble tends to follow the building, not the ZIP. This is how we sort the first call.
| Your situation | Likely problem | First move |
|---|---|---|
| Several drains slow at once, gurgling after a flush | Partial blockage in the main line or lateral | Stop running water and call for drain cleaning |
| Sewer smell outside, soggy spot in the yard | Cracked or root-filled lateral | Ask for a camera inspection before any digging |
| Water pooling around the tank, rusty streaks | Failing water heater tank or fittings | Shut off the cold supply to the tank and call for water heater repair. |
| Water meter keeps moving with fixtures off | Hidden supply or fixture leak | Close the main shutoff, then call for leak detection |
| Restaurant floor drain backing up | Grease or debris in a building drain | Stop dishwashing, then call about commercial service |
| Low pressure in one tenant space only | Local valve or fixture problem | Check the supply stop first, then call |
Older Alderwood-era streets and what their pipes can hide
Lynnwood began as the Alderwood Manor farming community in 1917, so some lots carry houses that are many decades old and have been remodeled more than once. Homes built in the late 1940s and 1950s commonly started with galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron or clay drains. Many have since been partly swapped for copper or PEX.
If your house is from that era, ask for a camera inspection and a pipe-material check, not an assumption. We cannot tell what a house contains from the street. A camera on a flexible cable shows the actual pipe wall, and that picture decides the next step: clear, repair or replace.
Homes from the 1970s through the 1990s often have copper supply and ABS or PVC drains. Some regions saw polybutylene supply lines in the 1980s and 1990s, so it is worth checking if you are buying or renovating. Newer builds from 2009 onward commonly use PEX.
Alderwood, the freeway and a city center that keeps adding fixtures
Interstate 5 opened in 1965 and shifted commerce east toward Alderwood, where the mall opened on October 4, 1979. A convention center followed in 2005, the City Center Subarea Plan came in 2007, and city-center development has run since 2015. The Lynnwood City Center Link station opened on August 30, 2024.
For plumbing, that means shops, restaurants, offices and mixed-use buildings with many fixtures on shared stacks and long drain runs. A backup on one tenant's floor can come from a line two units away. If you manage such a space, tell the dispatcher how many tenants share the line and where the cleanouts are.
Before you call, and when to stop and call right away
Two minutes of looking saves guessing on the phone.
- Find the main shutoff. Know whether it is in the garage, a utility closet or a meter box, and test the handle if it is safe to reach.
- Stop using water in the affected area. Running a dishwasher into a backing-up line makes the mess larger.
- Skip chemical drain cleaners. They can burn skin, harm older pipes and make a later repair more dangerous.
- Smell gas? Leave first. Get out of the building, then call the gas utility or 911. We do not service gas lines.
- Water near outlets or a panel. Do not touch it. Turn off a breaker only if the floor is dry and you can reach it safely.
- Note your provider and address. Your bill names the water and sewer provider, and the dispatcher will want the street address.
Creeks, lake edges and the trees that grow beside them
Lynnwood has Scriber Lake, a nature reserve in the center of the city, plus Scriber Creek and Lund's Gulch as conservation areas, and 19 community and neighborhood parks. Wooded, wet ground tends to grow large trees, and their roots seek out the moisture inside sewer laterals.
If you live beside a green space and your drains slow every wet season, ask for a camera look at the lateral before paying for a repeat cable job. That shows whether roots, a belly in the pipe or a separated joint is the cause. For a recurring root problem, a sewer inspection is the useful first step.
Nearby towns we also hear from
Edmonds, Kenmore, Bothell, Brier, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline and Mill Creek callers reach the same line. See our service area page, or ask the dispatcher about your address.
Questions from Lynnwood callers
Yes. We dispatch to 98036, 98037 and 98087. Give the dispatcher your street address when you call.
Water lines in the street belong to the water and sewer provider. Pipes on your side of the meter and inside the house belong to you. Check your utility bill for the provider's name and report street leaks to them.
If you cannot tell which side the leak is on, call us. We can look at your side and tell you whether the problem is on your property.
Yes, we take commercial plumbing calls for drains, water heaters, restrooms and leaks. Tell the dispatcher if the trouble is a floor drain, a grease-related backup or a shared line that serves several tenants.
Yes. Our emergency line is open 24 hours a day, every day. Shut off the water at the fixture or the main, stay clear of any electrical equipment that is wet, and call. We offer same-day appointments when available.
Tell your landlord or property manager first, because the lease decides who pays and who may hire a plumber. If they ask us to come out, we can talk with the property manager directly and explain what we find.
Yes. We give you a clear price before work starts. Call (206) 864-6558 for your number, since the answer depends on the pipe, the access and what we find.
Standards and sources
These public references sit behind the rules and checks this page mentions.