Sewer line repair and replacement in Ventura

We repair and replace private sewer laterals, the pipe that carries waste from your house to the City of Ventura's main in the street. Every repair starts with a camera inspection, so you pay to fix the actual defect.

Who owns the sewer lateral in Ventura?

The property owner owns the sewer lateral. The City of Ventura's private sewer lateral fact sheet places the owner's responsibility from the building to the main connection in the street, up to and including the wye. That means a root-filled or broken lateral under the sidewalk is still the owner's repair.

Signs of a sewer line problem

• Several drains clogging at once, worst at the lowest fixtures.
• Sewage backing up into a tub or shower when the toilet flushes.
• Gurgling toilets and slow drains that return soon after drain cleaning.
• Sewer odor in the yard, or a wet, sunken strip of lawn over the line.
• Rodents or insects entering through drains.

Common lateral defects in Ventura

The City of Ventura's inspection report form lists the defects plumbers look for. These are the ones we find most in older Ventura laterals.

How we repair sewer lines

Spot repair

One defect in otherwise good pipe is dug out and replaced with a short section of new pipe and approved couplings.

Trenchless lining

In trenchless sewer replacement, we pull a resin-saturated liner into the old pipe and cure it in place, so you get a new pipe inside the old one. It seals cracks and root entry points without trenching the yard, driveway or sidewalk.

Pipe bursting

A bursting head pulls new pipe through the path of the old line, breaking the old pipe outward. It replaces the full length through two small access pits.

Open-trench replacement

The traditional method: dig along the line and lay new pipe. It's the right choice for a severe sag, which trenchless methods can't correct.

The City of Ventura requires a plumbing permit for building sewer work, and we pull it. Work in the public right-of-way may need additional city approval.

How pricing works

Every job is different, so the cost depends on the type of work and what the job requires. We look at the problem first, explain your options, and confirm the price with you before any work starts.

Selling your home?

A Ventura home sale usually needs a private sewer lateral inspection report before close of escrow. If the inspection finds defects, the city doesn't require repairs before closing, but the report must be disclosed to the buyer.

Sewer line questions