Sewer Inspections 

Your private sewer lateral is the pipe that runs from your home to the public sewer main at the street — and it's entirely your responsibility as a homeowner. Unlike the public main, which the municipality maintains, any damage, blockage, or failure in your lateral comes out of your pocket. That's exactly what we inspect. Using a camera, we look inside that pipe to find cracks, root intrusion, buildup, or structural problems before they turn into a sewage backup or a major excavation job. Most homeowners don't know this pipe exists until something goes wrong — a lateral inspection makes sure you're not caught off guard.

A sewer inspection gives you a clear, accurate picture of what's happening inside your underground pipes — something no visual walkthrough can reveal. We run a camera through your private lateral to check for blockages, cracks, root intrusion, pipe misalignment, and buildup. Whether you're buying a home, dealing with slow drains, or just want peace of mind on an older property, an inspection tells you exactly what you're working with before a small issue becomes a serious one. 

A damaged lateral line doesn't fix itself — and the longer it goes unaddressed, the worse it gets. Cracks allow groundwater and soil to infiltrate the pipe, tree roots find their way in and grow, and sewage can begin backing up into your home. In serious cases, the pipe can collapse entirely, which means sewage has nowhere to go except back up through your drains and toilets. The good news is that catching damage early — through a camera inspection — almost always means less invasive and less costly repairs than waiting until there's an emergency. 

The biggest red flag is a compromised private lateral — and most standard home inspections don't even look at it. A general home inspector checks visible plumbing fixtures, not the underground pipe running to the street. That means a cracked, root-invaded, or partially collapsed lateral can sail through a home sale completely undetected. Buyers who skip a dedicated sewer lateral inspection are essentially inheriting whatever condition that pipe is in — with no recourse after closing. 

It depends heavily on the material. Clay and cast iron pipes — common in homes built before the 1980s — typically last 50 to 60 years, but they're also the most vulnerable to cracking and root intrusion as they age. PVC pipes, used in more modern construction, can last much longer under normal conditions. Age alone isn't always the deciding factor though — soil conditions, tree coverage, and how the pipe has been maintained all play a role. If your home is more than 30 years old and the lateral has never been inspected, that's reason enough to have it checked. 

The most common warning signs are drains that are slow across multiple fixtures, gurgling sounds coming from toilets or drains, sewage odors inside or outside the home, water backing up in unexpected places, and patches of unusually green or wet grass over where the lateral runs. Any one of these on its own is worth paying attention to. Multiple symptoms at the same time usually means something is already wrong in the line. Don't wait for a full backup — that's the point where a manageable problem becomes a much bigger one. 

Most private sewer lateral inspections take under an hour from start to finish. The camera portion itself is typically 15 to 30 minutes depending on the length of the line and what we find along the way. We locate the access point, run the camera through, and review the findings with you on the spot. It's non-invasive — no digging, no disruption to your property — and you leave knowing exactly what condition your lateral is in. 

Absolutely — tree roots are one of the leading causes of private sewer lateral damage. Roots are naturally drawn to the moisture inside sewer pipes, and they're remarkably good at finding even the smallest crack or joint gap to push through. Once inside, they grow and spread, causing blockages, cracking the pipe further, and eventually breaking it apart if left unchecked. You don't need a massive tree directly over the line — roots can travel surprisingly far from the trunk. Homes with large trees anywhere near the lateral should have it inspected regularly. 

For most homes, every 2 to 3 years is a reasonable baseline. For older homes, properties with large trees nearby, or homes that have had sewer issues in the past, annual inspections make more sense. If you've never had your lateral inspected and your home is more than 20 years old, that's the place to start. Regular inspections are far less disruptive — and far less expensive — than dealing with a backup or an emergency repair. 

We walk you through exactly what the camera found — you see the footage, we explain what it means, and we give you a clear picture of how serious the issue is and what needs to happen next. Not every finding requires immediate action; some are early-stage issues worth monitoring, while others need prompt attention. Either way, you leave the inspection informed, not guessing. If repairs are needed, we handle those too — so you're not starting over with a different company.