French Drains & Drainage Systems in Auburn, WA

Drainage & French drains in Auburn: what to know

The city’s storm drainage page counts about 242 miles of pipe, 13,200 catch basins and manholes, 40 miles of ditch, and 7 pump stations. A private drain has to end in that system, in a ditch you are allowed to use, or in soil on your own lot. It cannot end on a neighbor’s land or in the sanitary sewer.

Private systems are the owner’s to keep up. The city requires owners to inspect and maintain their own stormwater systems and inspects them against Ecology’s maintenance standards, so cleanouts and reachable catch basins matter. On slopes the concern is concentration. The city ties landslides to heavy rain, so drain water should not be piped to a slope edge or ravine.

Permits and rules in Auburn

New development, redevelopment, and construction in Auburn fall under its Surface Water Management Manual, which pairs Ecology’s 2024 manual with a city supplement. Trenching in the street or planting strip takes a construction permit from the city engineer, and a mapped floodplain or critical area adds review. We confirm with Auburn’s Storm Drainage Utility and Permit Center that your outlet is allowed before we quote.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Find the legal outlet first: city storm line, ditch, or on-lot infiltration
Keep drain discharge off slopes and ravine edges that already shed water
Set catch basins and cleanouts where the owner can reach them
Probe for the seasonal water table before setting pipe depth

For the full process, see our Drainage Systems & French Drains page.

Questions from Auburn homeowners

Who maintains a catch basin or drain on my Auburn property?

You do, if it is a private system. Auburn requires owners to inspect and maintain private stormwater systems, and the city inspects them against Ecology’s standards. The city maintains the public system. We install cleanouts so your own drain can be serviced.

Can I run my Auburn downspouts to the street storm system?

Possibly, but not as a casual hookup. Work in the public way needs a city construction permit, and the storm system is the city’s, built to carry runoff from streets and properties to creeks and rivers. We confirm whether a connection exists and is allowed. The sanitary sewer is off the table.

Our Auburn street floods when it rains. Can a yard drain help?

Only with water coming onto your lot. The city says minor street flooding from clogged storm drains happens nearly every year, and that is a public-system problem a yard drain cannot cure. Keeping leaves off the grate in front of your house helps, and the city takes drainage reports online.