Local guide
Tigard drains, flood maps and 811
Waterproofing ends with water leaving your lot. In Tigard that involves the city, a regional district and, if anyone digs, the utility locate service.
Which drain belongs to whom
Public
The grates and pipes in the street. Clean Water Services, the district for this part of Washington County, lists Tigard among the cities that manage the drainage system inside their own limits.
So a blocked street drain in Tigard is a call to the city.
Yours
Anything on your lot: downspout pipes, French drains, rain gardens, a sump discharge line. The district's fact sheet on lot-to-lot drainage says these are the owner's to maintain.
It also says the district does not maintain private systems and will not step into a drainage dispute between two lots.
When the street drain backs up
Tigard Public Works takes reports of flooding, high water and sewer overflows on 503-718-2591 during the city's working day and on 503-639-1554 at other times. Its service request page has a form for problems that can wait.
Clean Water Services asks people to keep leaves and yard waste out of the street and off the grates, and to clear gutters and downspouts before heavy rain.
If water over a grate is more than a few inches deep, the district says to stay off it and not try to lift it. Its flood prevention page also points to the self-serve sand stations around the county.
A threat to someone's safety is a 911 call.
Approval for a new drain or outlet
The district's fact sheet says owners may install a private drainage system or connect to a public one with approval from the right body. A connection to the public storm system needs Clean Water Services' approval.
A private system needs building approval. Inside the city, start with Tigard's Building Division, whose permit guide for homeowners notes that Oregon law requires permits for a range of work on a house.
The same guide notes that the city's planning rules still apply to work that needs no building permit, and gives the planning division's number, 503-718-2421, for questions before a project starts.
During the work, soil and muddy water must stay on your lot. The district's standards do not allow sediment to be carried onto another property or into the drainage system.
Look up your flood zone
Type your address into FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. The map shows the special flood hazard area, the ground with a one-percent chance of flooding in any year.
Washington County keeps a list of floodplain contacts for Tigard and each nearby city, with a link to the Tualatin River level.
Why it matters for waterproofing: a drain and pump are sized for ground water. They are not a defence against a creek leaving its banks, and work on a house inside a mapped flood area can need extra permits.
Clean Water Services' flood facts page adds two points on insurance. Most homeowner policies do not cover flooding, and you do not have to live in a floodplain to buy flood cover.
811 before any trench
Request the locate
Dial 811 or use the Oregon Utility Notification Center's homeowner page. There is no charge for the service. A contractor doing the digging normally files it, so ask who has.
Wait two business days
Digging starts after that. Weekends and holidays do not count, and a request made late in the day counts from the next business day.
Respect the marks
No power equipment within 24 inches of a mark in any direction. Marks should not be relied on after 30 days.
Find your own lines
Irrigation, yard lighting, private drains and the supply to a shed are not marked by the utilities. The notification center suggests a private locator where those exist.
Ready to have someone look at it?
Describe what you are seeing and where in the house it is. The company on the phone will tell you whether it is work they take on and when they could come out.
Get a waterproofing company on the phone
For homeowners with water coming into a basement or crawl space, or a yard that drains toward the house.
Call (503) 555-0120Calls can be recorded. Read how the referral is paid for and what happens to your details.