Title

Repair Solutions

Body

Repair notification letters will be accompanied with a Defect Report. To better understand the Defect Report, review our Visual Glossary.

Your Repair Notification Letter will indicate if your Sewer Lateral can be repaired, rehabilitated, or if replacement is necessary. We the recommended you take the following steps to when moving forward:

1. Obtain Multiple Quotes: Contact appropriately-licensed plumbing contractors to get quotes. Every lateral will have different repair needs, so be sure to ask your contractor about alternative repair methods.

2. Review your Contractor's Proposal and Make a Selection: Quotes or proposals should clearly explain work to be done, permits required, who will obtain and pay for permits, how the site will be restored and cleaned-up, and payment terms.

3. Obtain a Permit for the Work from the City through your Contractor: Although some Residential City Initiated SLIP permit fees may be waived, never hire a contractor who wants to complete the work without them.

What to Know Before Speaking to a Plumbing Contractor

Sections

Repair Rehabilitate Replace

Point repairs, or spot repairs, can work when the existing pipe is in good condition but there are only few, distinct repair locations.

If this is the option recommended by the City, your Repair Notification Letter will identify the locations of the repairs.

An illustration of a broken pipe underground

Pipe rehabilitation involves installing a liner to repair a portion of or the entire lateral. Access is typically through a small pit or clean-out.

This method, typically called Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) Lining, uses a seamless felt tube which is saturated with resin and then hardened or cured. This is a cost effective repair option to rehabilitate an entire sewer lateral, please scroll to the bottom of the site for more information about this method.

This method may also require point repairs prior to inserting the liner or when the connection requires replacement.

An illustration of a broken pipe being replaced underground

Replacement involves removing and replacing the existing pipe.

There are several methods available for pipe replacement. The City encourages you to determine the best option for you and your property, including trenching or pipe bursting.

Your Repair Notification Letter will state replace or rehabilitate lateral if there are several locations or defects that would make the replacement the best option.

Option 1 Option 2

An illustration of an underground pipe being excavated.

What is the repair option?
Property owner's plumber performs other work on the sewer lateral and prepares excavation for a City Contractor to replace the lateral connection

When is it recommended?
When making repairs to the sewer lateral near the connection to the city main or are replacing/rehabilitating the entire Sewer Lateral and the contractor needs an excavation near the connection.

Property owner's responsibility?
The property owner selects the plumber who obtains the necessary permits, schedules the Lateral Connection Replacement, excavates, performs the work within the excavated pit, back-fills and restore the excavated surface.

What do the fees cover?
City contractor to replace the Sewer Lateral Connection once it is exposed by your plumber. There may be other permit fees depending on the scope of the work and method your plumber elects

What is the repair option?
Lateral Connection Replacement by City contractor through traditional excavations methods and does not involve any repairs to the lateral outside the 4ft x 4ft excavation.

When is it recommended?
When the only defect on the Sewer Lateral is at the connection to the City main sewer line. If other work is necessary on the Sewer Lateral, this option might not be the most cost-effective to repair the defective Sewer Lateral Connection.

Property owner's responsibility?
SLIP staff will guide property owners through the process by coordinating work and notifying property owner once work is completed. Please visit the Public Works Permit Counter at 630 Garden Street to sign up for this option and pay for applicable permits.

What do the fees cover?
Locating services by City staff, Lateral Connection Replacement, back-filling and restoring pavement, all under City standards.

Trenchless rehabilitation called Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) lining is recommended whenever feasible. This method is an alternative to trenchless pipe bursting or conventional trenching methods to replace Sewer Laterals. The felt-resin liner is typically installed through a clean-out or a small access pit on your property and uses the existing clay or cast iron pipe already in the ground as a host pipe to rehabilitate or renew your sewer lateral. Because the liner does not have any joints, it is a great method to extend the useful life of your existing sewer lateral by improving the structural integrity of your sewer lateral and eliminate problematic maintenance and environmental issues commonly found on sewer laterals, such as roots, infiltration, and exfiltration.

The City does not specifically endorse any private plumbing company. The companies listed below are those who known to the City to install CIPP lining:

If you are contractor will be using CIPP, please ensure they are following our CIPP Installation Guidelines.

Repair Solutions

What to Know Before Speaking to a Plumbing Contractor

Sewer Lateral Connection Replacement

Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP)

City Hall

Mailing Address

Repair Solutions

What to Know Before Speaking to a Plumbing Contractor

Sewer Lateral Connection Replacement

Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP)

This is the prefooter section

City Hall

Mailing Address

Newsletters