Sewer lateral repair and replacement

What a sewer lateral is

People use "lateral" in slightly different ways. In general it means the service pipe between a building and the public sewer main. It usually includes:

• The building drain where it leaves the foundation
• The cleanout, often near the house and sometimes near the property line
• The private line under your yard
• The connection, or tap, where it joins the main, often under the street or in an easement

The point where your maintenance responsibility ends and the utility's begins is set by your utility, not by a contractor. On many systems it is at a cleanout or the property line, but you should not assume that for your address.

Who is responsible for which part in Sarasota

Three things decide who maintains the section that failed:

1. Which utility serves the property. The City of Sarasota inside city limits; usually Sarasota County Utilities in unincorporated areas; private franchise utilities in some neighborhoods; and a Manatee County provider in parts of the 34243 ZIP code. Your sewer bill shows which one.
2. Where the defect is. The camera and locator tell us how far out the problem is and whether it is on your side of the property line or cleanout.
3. That utility's rules for service connections.

Common lateral problems

• Roots entering at joints, often near trees between the house and the street
• A cracked or broken section, sometimes from driveway loads or past digging
• A failed connection at the tap
• A sag that collects solids
• A broken or missing cleanout cap, which lets debris and stormwater in

Repair and replacement options

The options are the same as for any building sewer: a section repair where the damage is local, lining or pipe bursting where surfaces should stay intact, or full replacement when the lateral has failed along its length.

What changes near the street is coordination. Work at the connection, in the right-of-way or in an easement may need the utility's involvement, its own permit or an inspection by the utility in addition to the building department.

How we handle a lateral job

1. Camera and locate to find the defect, its distance from the cleanout and its depth.
2. Confirm responsibility by checking the defect location against the utility's connection rules.
3. Estimate for the private-side work, noting anything that depends on the utility.
4. Permits and coordination with the building department and, where needed, the utility.
5. Sunshine 811 locates before excavation; streets and easements often hold other buried utilities.
6. Repair, inspect, camera-verify and restore.

What affects lateral repair cost

• Whether the damage is near the house, mid-yard or at the connection
• Depth, which usually increases toward the street
• Surfaces over the line, especially driveways and sidewalks
• Utility requirements at the connection
• Permits, inspections and right-of-way restoration

Where we do this work

We work across Sarasota and nearby Sarasota County communities, including downtown and the in-city neighborhoods, North Sarasota and The Meadows, Siesta Key, Gulf Gate and South Gate Ridge, Palmer Ranch and Fruitville and the Sarasota County side of Lakewood Ranch. The service area page lists every ZIP code we cover. If you are near the edge of that area, ask; we will tell you plainly whether we can reach you.