Accepting or Adopting a Private Sewer in the Right-of-Way

Information
The City of Portland code requires individual properties to have direct and independent connections to the public sewer. However, the City may accept or adopt a private sewer line in the right-of-way serving residential properties under certain conditions.
On this page

Residential Sewer Line Acceptance

If the City of Portland accepts your private residential sewer line, it means the City will assume ownership of your private line. You will not have to pay a city branch charge if the private sewer is in good condition and meets all acceptance criteria.

Acceptance Criteria

  • The sewer line serves residential properties
  • The sewer line is at least eight inches in diameter
  • There is a clean-out for the line where it connects to the city sewer system
  • The line meets current city standards or standards in effect at the time of original construction:
  • All property owners served by the sewer which are requesting the adoption of the sewer line must have paid the applicable charges and fees outlined in Section 9 of the Nonconforming Sewer Conversion Rules
  • All property owners served by the sewer have signed and notarized transfer-of-ownership agreements relinquishing ownership of the sewer
  • The line has been cleaned and its condition verified with a video or other city-approved inspection method within the previous six months, and Environmental Services has given the line a grade of 2 or better according to the scale in Section 7.A.7 of the Nonconforming Sewer Conversion Rules
  • A pipe survey and as-built drawings are not required. Environmental Services will provide them as part of the permitting process

Residential Sewer Line Adoption

If your private sewer line does not meet all the acceptance criteria, the city may adopt your private sewer line. In this case, the city will assume responsibility for the line but require you to pay a branch charge.

Adoption Requirements

  • The line is at least six inches in diameter
  • The line has a clean-out upstream of the portion to be adopted
  • Environmental Services has graded the line as 4 or better according to the scale in Section 7.A.7 of the Nonconforming Sewer Conversion Rules
  • All property owners served by the private line must sign and submit to the city a transfer of ownership
  • The property owners pay a city branch charge
  • All property owners connected to the line make an official adoption request that includes the following:
    • Documentation of the physical location of the sewer, either electronically or physically, and its route from the properties being served to the existing public sewer connection
    • Documentation that the sewer is clean and that the pipe's condition has been verified with a video  or other city-approved inspection method within the previous six months

The City's Decision

Environmental Services staff will evaluate the request and make one of four decisions:

  1. The City will adopt the line as-is
  2. The line needs repair to meet the eligibility criteria in Section 7.B.1  of the Nonconforming Sewer Conversion Rules
  3. The properties served by the sewer meet the Systems Improvement Decision Criteria in Section 6 of the Nonconforming Sewer Conversion Rules, and the city already has plans (subject to change) to provide a new public sewer adjacent to the property within two years based on current budget priorities
  4. The line does not meet the criteria, and the city will not accept or adopt the line

Encroachment Permits 

Continued use of a private sewer in the public right-of-way that the City has refused to take ownership of, or for which the property owners have decided not to seek adoption will require a private utility encroachment from the Portland Bureau of Transportation per Portland City Code, Title 24.

Apply for a Private Sewer in the Public Right-of-Way Acceptance or Adoption

To apply for a private sewer in the public right-of-way acceptance or adoption, visit the application page for information on how to apply.