Unpaid Water Bills Can Lead To A Lien On Your Home

If you do not pay the water bill for your home that receives water/sewer service, then that unpaid bill can become a lien on the home.  That lien, if not paid, can be foreclosed upon.  The statute that provides for this basic point is RCW 57.08.081.  In relevant part, it states that a water/sewer district may claim a lien for the unpaid balance and that the unpaid balance “shall be a lien against the property upon which the service was received, subject only to the lien for general taxes.”  The lien is given greater priority than even a mortgage.  This lien is second only to general property taxes.

This rule applies even to home with renters leaving an unpaid water bill.  In short, if the renter does not pay the unpaid bill then the homeowner is stuck with it.  This is not typically the same with, for example, cable or electric services.