Repair of the main sewer lateral between your home and the municipal main — camera-diagnosed and located first, then fixed by spot repair, trenchless lining, or targeted excavation. We fix root intrusion, bellied lines, offset joints, and collapsed clay or Orangeburg pipe.
Sewer Line Repair is one part of our plumbing repair coverage in Iowa. For the full picture — symptoms, costs, and when to repair vs. replace — start with the complete Plumbing Repair guide, or browse every plumbing repair service we offer.
The sewer lateral is the single pipe carrying everything the house drains out to the municipal main, and when it fails there's no fixture that isn't affected. Sewer line repair starts with a camera run and a line locate so we know exactly what's wrong and where — root intrusion at a joint, a bellied section holding waste, an offset or separated joint, or a length of collapsed clay or Orangeburg pipe. Diagnosing before digging is what keeps a sewer repair from becoming a blind, expensive excavation.
How we repair depends on what the camera shows and where the damage sits. An isolated break under an accessible spot is a straightforward spot excavation and replacement. A longer failing run of old clay or cast iron is often a candidate for trenchless repair — pipe bursting pulls a new HDPE line through the old one's path, or cured-in-place lining forms a new pipe inside the existing one — both of which avoid trenching the whole yard or driveway across {city}. We price the options against each other so you're not paying to dig up a lawn a liner could have saved.
Sewer work is permitted work, and we handle it: pulling the municipal permit, scheduling the inspection, protecting the excavation, and restoring the surface where we do open ground. Where roots are the cause we cut and jet them, then repair or line the joint they entered through, because clearing roots without fixing the entry point just resets the clock. Every {county} sewer repair ends with a follow-up camera pass so you see the finished line runs clean and true.
Signs you need sewer line repair
Multiple drains backing up at once
When toilets, tubs, and floor drains all back up together, the blockage or break is in the shared main lateral, not a single fixture. That points the diagnosis straight at the sewer line.
A persistent sewage odor outside — especially over the line's path — means waste is escaping a cracked or separated the United States lateral into the soil. A camera run confirms the break location.
Soggy or unusually green patches in the lawn
A wet, sunken, or extra-lush strip of yard following the sewer's route is leaking effluent feeding the grass. It marks where the pipe has failed underground.
Gurgling toilets and slow whole-house drains
Air pulled through a partially blocked or bellied lateral makes toilets gurgle and every drain run slow. It's an early warning before a full backup across your area.
Recurring main-line clogs
A main line that clogs again within weeks of clearing has a structural problem — roots, a belly, or an offset — not just buildup. Repeated clogs are the line asking to be repaired, not re-snaked.
Common causes & what we fix
Tree-root intrusion
Roots seek the moisture and nutrients in a sewer line and enter through joints and hairline cracks, then grow into a mesh that snags waste. In older the United States neighborhoods with mature trees it's the leading cause of lateral failure.
Bellied or sagging line
Soil settling or poor original bedding lets a section of pipe sag into a low spot that holds water and solids. The belly clogs repeatedly until the sagging section is re-supported or replaced.
Collapsed clay or Orangeburg pipe
Homes plumbed before the 1980s often have vitrified clay or tar-paper Orangeburg laterals that crack, shear, and collapse with age. Once the pipe deforms, lining or replacement is the only fix.
Offset and separated joints
Ground movement and root pressure push pipe sections out of alignment, creating a lip that catches waste and lets roots in. Each offset joint is a failure point on the the United States line.
Grease and scale buildup
Years of grease and mineral scale narrow the lateral until it can't pass solids, especially where a belly or offset already slows the flow. Jetting clears it, but the structural cause still needs repair.
Our process
1
Call or schedule online. Book your sewer line repair in Iowa online or by phone and pick a 2-hour window. We confirm in under five minutes with the assigned tech's name and photo.
2
On-site diagnosis. On arrival we diagnose the sewer line repair on-site — free for most repairs, $39 on minor service calls (waived if you proceed). You see the issue and the fix before we start.
3
Flat-rate quote. You get a flat-rate sewer line repair quote in writing, good for 30 days — no hourly creep and no add-ons after the fact.
4
Same-visit fix. Most sewer line repair work finishes the same visit: our trucks carry the common valves, fittings, water heater parts, and fixtures, so a second trip is rare.
How much does sewer line repair cost in Iowa?
Sewer Line Repair the United States starts at from $499, every sewer line repair quote is flat-rate and presented in writing before work begins — no surprise add-ons, no hourly creep. Seniors (65+) and military save 10% on labor, and financing covers projects over $1,500 at 0% APR for 12 months, with no prepayment penalty.
Why homeowners in Iowa choose us for sewer line repair
We've been a trusted choice since 1974 — over 50 years of family-owned plumbing service across Iowa. Our techs are CSLB-licensed (#1098234), background-checked, and complete an internal 12-week training program before rolling on calls alone.
Our sewer line repair carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee — separate from any manufacturer warranty on the parts themselves. If the sewer line repair we performed fails because of how we did it, we come back and fix it free for a full decade. Water heaters and fixtures we install are backed by their full manufacturer warranty, and the parts and accessories we fit carry standard 1–5 year warranties by item.
We quote sewer line repair on honest scope: no unnecessary up-sell, salaried (never commissioned) technicians, and a transparent diagnostic so you see exactly what we see — including the parts still in good shape. If a repair is the right call we say so; if replacement is the better long-term economics, we say that. The flat-rate sewer line repair quote is written and good for 30 days.
Areas we serve for sewer line repair
We provide sewer line repair throughout Iowa, with fast coverage in every major Iowa metro.
Reach times for sewer line repair vary by traffic and time of day, so we quote an accurate ETA when you call — and the dispatch line routes straight to an on-call technician, no voicemail in between.
Frequently asked about sewer line repair
Top questions homeowners searching for Sewer Line Repair near me ask us:
Do you have to dig up my whole yard?
Often no. After the camera locates the damage, many repairs qualify for trenchless methods — pipe bursting or cured-in-place lining — that rebuild the line through its existing path with only small access pits. We reserve full excavation for collapses and situations a liner can't fix across the United States.
How do you know exactly where the problem is?
We run a sewer camera down the lateral and use a locator to mark the camera head's position and depth from the surface. That gives us the precise spot and nature of the failure before any digging in the United States — no exploratory trenching.
What causes a sewer line to fail?
The big four are root intrusion at joints, a bellied section that holds waste, collapsed old clay or Orangeburg pipe, and separated joints from ground movement. The camera tells us which one you have and we repair the cause, not just the symptom.
How long does a sewer line repair take?
A spot repair is often a one-day job including excavation and backfill. Trenchless lining or bursting a full run typically runs one to two days plus the inspection. We handle the the United States permit and schedule the city inspection as part of the job.
Is trenchless repair as durable as replacement?
Yes — a cured-in-place liner or a burst-in HDPE line is a seamless, jointless pipe with a service life measured in decades, and no joints means nowhere for roots to re-enter. We finish every repair with a camera pass so you see the result, serving ZIPs .