Regents Park, the West End and the streets near Fircrest Park
Regents Park plats date to 1907, Fircrest has no designated historic district, and the housing runs from older plats to 1970s ramblers. Each corner of Fircrest asks something different of a plumber, and the address you give us decides what we bring.
Regents Park plats
These plats go back to 1907, so some homes have seen many remodels. We look hard at valves, drains and any addition tied into old work.
Around Fircrest Park and Whittier Park
Parks and street trees are part of the picture here. Roots are a common cause when a line clogs again, so a camera pass makes sense after a second backup.
Near the Murphy Center and Edwards Aquatic Center
Streets near the Roy H. Murphy Community Center on Contra Costa Ave are easy to name on the phone, and that speeds up a dispatch.
West End Addition and the 2018 annexation area
Some septic remains in these areas. Confirm if you are on sewer before you call about a backup.
Our dispatch line runs around the clock for every one of these neighborhoods, so describe your cross street and what the water is doing.
Where we serve in Fircrest, and the one ZIP you share
Fircrest has a single ZIP, 98466, and it also serves part of University Place. Give your street address, not only the ZIP, so the dispatcher knows which city you are in. We also reach DuPont on the same line.
Split-levels and ramblers: what 62 percent of the city's homes mean for drains
The 2024 city plan says 70 percent of Fircrest housing is single-family detached and that 62 percent of the stock is split-level and rambler homes from the 1950s through the 1970s. Older Census figures give a median build year of 1968, with about 37 percent built before 1960 and about 38 percent between 1960 and 1979.
In a split-level, the lowest bathroom or laundry sits closest to the sewer line. That is where a backup shows first, often as a gurgle in a floor drain or a toilet that rises when the washer drains. If that happens, stop using water and call.
A camera look through the cleanout tells us whether it is roots, grease or a belly in the pipe. See sewer camera inspection for how that works, and drain cleaning for the clearing step.
City water, city sewer and the exceptions
| Utility | How it works | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Water | City-owned system with five wells. Tacoma Public Utilities serves 24 parcels in the northwest | Check your bill to see your supplier. An emergency Tacoma intertie exists on Orchard St |
| Sewer | City-owned mains, about 32 miles, treated at Tacoma's Central plant | A public-main problem is a call to Public Works, 253-564-8900 |
| Septic | Remains in the West End Addition and the 2018 annexation area | Septic needs a different fix from a sewer line |
| Drainage | The Leach Creek subbasin carries stormwater | Yard drainage is a Public Works question, not a plumbing line, so ask them if water pools outside |
The city's water report lists no hardness figure. Test your tap if you want to know.
Backflow devices need an annual test in Fircrest, so keep the paperwork for any irrigation or commercial assembly you own. Ask the city who to send it to.
Permits at the Planning and Building counter
Plumbing permits, water heaters included, go through the city's Planning and Building permit center. A personal sewer-line repair has a no-fee Public Works permit, needed only if the work cuts into the street or right-of-way.
Our water heater replacement visits start with the tank's age and strapping. State code requires heaters to be strapped, and we tell you if the job looks like it needs a permit.
Before we pull up to your Fircrest house
- Close the main valveIn a split-level, look near the lowest level, a utility closet or the garage wall.
- Stay out of the lower floorIf a drain is backing up, keep people and pets away from the wet floor.
- Cut power to wet areasSwitch off power from a dry spot only. Do not walk through standing water to reach a panel.
- Tell us your levelSay whether the leak is on the upper floor, the lower floor or in the yard.
- Call the 24/7 lineCall (253) 275-5116, and name the nearest park or cross street.
Fixtures and installs in a Fircrest remodel
Many Fircrest homes are 50 to 70 years old, so owners often replace a toilet, a vanity faucet or a water heater during a remodel. Our toilet repair and installation team handles the swap. We confirm the shutoff valve works before we start, because an old stop that will not close can turn a simple job into a leak.
Fircrest plumbing questions
Yes. The line is open 24 hours every day. Describe the problem, and tell the dispatcher whether the main valve is closed. If you smell gas, leave first and call PSE or 911 from outside.
Fircrest has one ZIP, 98466, and we serve all of it, from the streets near Fircrest Park to the West End Addition. That ZIP also serves part of University Place, so give your address.
Most of Fircrest is on city mains, but some septic remains in the West End Addition and the 2018 annexation area. Call Public Works at 253-564-8900 to confirm, then tell us before we come out.
A personal sewer-line repair has a no-fee Public Works permit, needed only when the work cuts into the street or right-of-way. Call Public Works to confirm your case.
Plumbing permits, water heaters included, go through the Planning and Building permit center. Call them before the job.
The lowest drain is the first to show a restriction in the main line. Stop using water and call. A camera inspection finds the cause.