Sewer line replacement cost
Replacing a sewer line costs $4,000 to $25,000, most often $6,000 to $15,000. The lateral is your responsibility to the main under the street in most jurisdictions.
National average
$11,000
per project
On this page
- Trenchless against digging
- What a job actually totals
- Get the camera inspection first
- Why sewer lines fail
- Insurance and the city
- Frequently asked questions
- How long does the work take?
- Will my yard be destroyed?
- Can I just keep having it cleared?
- How do I know a contractor is not overselling?
- Does a failed sewer line have to be disclosed when I sell?
Replacing a sewer line costs $4,000 to $25,000, with most residential jobs landing between $6,000 and $15,000. The line from your house to the street is usually 50 to 100 feet, and it is priced by the foot: $80 to $250 trenchless, $100 to $350 excavated.
The surprise for most homeowners is not the pipe. It is that the sewer lateral is your responsibility all the way to the main under the street in most jurisdictions, including the part beneath the pavement.
Trenchless against digging
Pipe bursting pulls a new pipe through the old one while a bursting head breaks the old pipe outward into the soil. It needs an access pit at each end and nothing in between.
Cured-in-place lining pulls a resin-saturated liner through the existing pipe and cures it in place, forming a new pipe inside the old one. It slightly reduces the diameter, which matters on an already undersized line.
Open trench digs the whole run out and lays new pipe. It costs less per foot of pipe and far more per foot of anything on top of it.
The honest comparison is not pipe against pipe. It is what is above the line. A sewer running under lawn is often cheapest to dig. A sewer running under a driveway, a patio, mature trees or a finished basement floor is where trenchless earns its premium, because the restoration you avoid costs more than the method difference.
What a job actually totals
| Scenario | Typical total |
|---|---|
| 50 ft under lawn, open trench | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| 50 ft under lawn, trenchless | $6,000 to $12,000 |
| 75 ft crossing a driveway, trenchless | $9,000 to $18,000 |
| 100 ft with street cut and permit | $15,000 to $30,000 |
| Spot repair, one section | $1,500 to $5,000 |
A street cut is its own category. Municipalities charge for the permit, require their own inspection, often specify how the road is restored, and sometimes require a bonded contractor. That alone can add $2,000 to $8,000.
Get the camera inspection first
Before agreeing to anything, have the line camera inspected. It costs $150 to $600 and it is the difference between a diagnosis and a sales pitch.
The inspection should tell you three things: where the problem is, measured in feet from the cleanout; what kind of problem it is; and whether the rest of the line is sound. Ask for the video file, not a description. A reputable contractor will hand it over without being asked.
That video also tells you whether you need a replacement at all. Roots in an otherwise sound clay line can sometimes be cut and the line lined. A pipe that has collapsed or lost its slope cannot be lined and has to be replaced.
Why sewer lines fail
Roots. Clay and cast iron lines have joints, and roots find them. This is the most common failure and the most often repairable.
Age and material. Clay was standard before the 1970s and cracks. Orangeburg, a tar-impregnated fibre pipe used from the 1940s to the 1970s, deforms into an oval and fails completely. If your house is from that era, find out what you have.
Bellies. A section that has settled holds water and collects solids. Lining does not fix a belly; only re-laying with correct fall does.
Ground movement. Clay soil, freeze cycles and nearby excavation all shift pipes.
Insurance and the city
Standard homeowners insurance does not cover a sewer line that failed from age or roots. Many insurers sell a service line endorsement for $30 to $80 a year that does, usually up to $10,000. If your house is older than about forty years, it is one of the better-value endorsements available.
Some cities own the portion under the street and will repair it. Many do not. Call the utility and ask where their responsibility begins before you pay to replace something that is not yours.
Some municipalities also run low-interest loan programmes for lateral replacement, because failing laterals put groundwater into their treatment plants. It is worth asking.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the work take?
Trenchless is usually one to two days. Open trench is two to five, longer with restoration. A street cut adds time for the municipal inspection, which is scheduled at the city's convenience rather than yours.
Will my yard be destroyed?
With trenchless, two pits of a few feet each. With open trench, a channel the length of the run. Neither restores mature landscaping, and replacing a established tree costs more than most people expect.
Can I just keep having it cleared?
For a while. Annual root cutting costs $250 to $600 and is a reasonable strategy on a line that is otherwise sound. It stops being reasonable when the interval shortens, when a backup causes damage inside the house, or when the camera shows structural failure rather than intrusion.
How do I know a contractor is not overselling?
Ask for the camera video, ask for the distance measurements, and ask what the option below full replacement is. Any competent contractor can explain why lining or a spot repair will not work in your case. One that cannot is guessing or selling.
Does a failed sewer line have to be disclosed when I sell?
In most states, yes, as a known material defect. A buyer's inspector will camera the line anyway on an older house, so it is rarely a fact that stays hidden.
Read next
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