Am I responsible for neighbor's drainage?

I would say as long as you didn't build up near the property line outrageously they can't gripe

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grate

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The piece of property I bought had a small pond on it, dug in the 80s to raise some low spots.

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So why would their property drain into it? Is it supposed to drain towards the street?

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Oh, their house is for sale, so I don't have to deal with them for much longer.

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Unless it is actually flooding something, I'd ignore them.

It's not outrageous at all. It's a small berm to dry out that dirt and plant some bamboo. Going to ignore future calls and get to the ditch when it's dry.

I would go talk to them and explain that you are not responsible for their drainage, especially allowing their property to drain into yours. If they don't understand that then a and a is in order.

Being a good neighbor is easier than a bad neighbor in the long run. I would talk to them about what your plans are so they know it is temporary and see what they say.

If they are reasonable it will all work out. Legally I doubt you are responsible for their drainage, but why cause issues where there need not be any?

Not sure about the laws in your state. In many states, there can be implied and or prescriptive easements.

Was there a drainage easement on your property? You say that the neighbor's property has drained into this since the 80's. You may be looking at a Prescriptive Drainage Easement.

"An easement holder has the right to use his neighbor’s property in some prescribed manner to benefit his own adjoining land."

"Easements can be created in three ways: by express written grant, by implication, or by prescription."

"An easement by prescription is sometimes described as adverse possession. The existence of an easement can be declared by a court if the evidence shows (1) that use has continued for at least 10 years; (2) the user has expressly informed the owner of the servient estate that it is believed that a legal right to the easement exists; and (3) the owner of the servient estate has disagreed that the dominant estate has such an easement."

Drainagae Easements and Agreements

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Had slop removed from pond and pushed up near rear of property to dry and grade later

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So you created a barricade and now their property won't drain?

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So you created a barricade and now their property won't drain?

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I'm also digging a ditch from the rear of my property to the beginning (roughly 320') to ensure their back yard drains into it. With the rain yesterday, it just delayed the ditch digging by a day or 2. They're the ones calling non stop trying to get me to dig it and mess up the very expensive dirt work I just had done.