Pricing guide
Sewer line repair cost in Houston
Real 2026 ranges for the Houston area, by method, with the things that move a quote up or down. These are typical prices for typical houses, not a bid. A camera inspection turns them into one written number for yours.
Inspection and cleaning
| Service | Typical Houston price |
|---|---|
| Sewer camera inspection, recorded, with report | $250 – $500 |
| Hydrostatic test (under-slab drains) | $250 – $500 |
| Cable clearing, main line | $200 – $450 |
| Hydro jetting, main line | $350 – $900 |
| Add a two-way cleanout | $600 – $1,500 |
Half of the calls we take end here: a jetting job and a clean camera pass, and no repair at all. Sewer line repair cost Houston homeowners fear is often a $600 cleaning once someone actually looks.
Repair and replacement by method
| Method | When it applies | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Spot repair, yard, 2–5 ft deep | One break or offset, rest of line sound | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Spot repair under concrete | Same, under a walk or driveway | $2,500 – $4,500 |
| Spot liner (sectional CIPP) | One cracked section, pipe still round | $1,500 – $3,500 |
| Open-trench replacement, 30–50 ft | Whole lateral failed, grass yard | $4,000 – $8,000 |
| Open-trench replacement, 50–80 ft or deep | Long or deep run | $7,000 – $12,000 |
| Open-trench under driveway or patio | Cut and re-pour included | $9,000 – $15,000 |
| Trenchless lining (CIPP), full lateral | Pipe round, offsets under 1 in | $6,000 – $12,000 |
| Pipe bursting, full lateral | Collapsed, Orangeburg, upsizing | $7,000 – $15,000 |
| Trenchless, long or complex run | Deep pits, branches to reinstate | up to $20,000 |
| Under-slab tunnel, short | One section under a bathroom | $4,000 – $9,000 |
| Under-slab tunnel, long | Mid-house or two bathrooms | $12,000 – $25,000 |
| Overhead reroute | Abandon cast iron under slab | $8,000 – $20,000 |
Each row links to a page that explains the method: repair, replacement, trenchless, under-slab.
What moves the price
- Depth. Houston laterals are shallow — 2 to 5 feet on most lots — which is why our open-trench prices are below the national figures. A lateral that runs 6 feet deep to reach a main under a wide street costs more in shoring and spoil.
- What is on top. Grass is cheap. A driveway is $1,500–$4,000 of demolition and re-pour. A pool deck, a retaining wall or a big live oak's root zone pushes the job to trenchless.
- Length. Inside the Loop, 30–50 feet is typical. Memorial, Spring Branch and Kingwood lots can run 80–120 feet.
- Access. A cleanout at the house saves $600–$1,500 up front and makes every future visit cheaper. Most pre-1980 Houston homes do not have one.
- Material. Cast iron is heavier to remove and often means the under-slab section is failing too. Orangeburg means a full replacement, no exceptions.
- Restoration. Sod, sprinkler repair, concrete and landscaping are separate lines, and they should be on the estimate rather than the invoice.
- Permit and inspection. $100–$300 in the City of Houston, similar in the suburbs, listed as its own line.
A worked example
A 1972 house in Westbury, 45-foot lateral, 3 feet deep, ABS with two offset joints and roots, under grass with a sprinkler line crossing it. Camera and locate $350; open-trench replacement in schedule 40 PVC with a new cleanout, permit and inspection $6,200; sprinkler repair and sod $450. Total about $7,000, two days. The same house with the lateral under a stamped-concrete driveway would be a lining job at about $8,500 and one day, because the driveway would cost more to replace than the price difference.
Reading a Houston sewer quote
A real quote lists the method, the footage, the depth, the pipe material, whether a cleanout is included, the permit, the restoration, and the warranty. It comes with the camera footage the quote is based on. Things that should make you get a second opinion:
- A replacement quoted without a camera inspection, or with one you were not shown
- One number, no line items
- A "today only" price, or a large deposit before the permit is pulled
- Tunneling quoted for the whole house when the hydrostatic isolation found one leaking run
- No Responsible Master Plumber license number on the paperwork — Texas requires one for this work, and the City will not issue the permit without it
Sewer line repair cost in Houston goes deeper into each method, and sewer inspection before buying a house covers how to use a quote in a negotiation. Sewer line insurance Houston homeowners are sold — the utility-line protection plans on the water bill — is covered on the about page, and it is worth reading before you rely on one.
Services
Sewer Line Repair
One broken, separated or bellied section replaced in PVC after the camera finds it — dig or tunnel to that point only, $1,500–$4,000 typical.
Sewer Line Repair →Sewer Line Replacement
New schedule 40 PVC from the house to the property line, open trench, permitted and inspected — when the whole lateral has failed.
Sewer Line Replacement →Trenchless Sewer Repair
Cured-in-place lining or pipe bursting through one or two access pits — the fix when the line runs under a driveway, a pool deck or a live oak.
Trenchless Sewer Repair →Sewer Camera Inspection
A recorded look inside the line with the break located and marked on the surface — the $250–$500 visit that decides whether you need a $500 job or a $12,000 one.
Sewer Camera Inspection →Under-Slab Sewer Repair
Tunneling under the foundation to replace failed cast iron, or re-routing the drains overhead — the Houston job with the widest quote spread, explained.
Under-Slab Sewer Repair →Questions we get asked
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a sewer line?
Repair, if the camera shows one break or offset and the rest of the pipe is sound — $1,500–$4,000 against $4,000–$15,000. Replace when there are three or more failures, cast iron with channel rot along its length, or Orangeburg. Two spot repairs a year apart cost more than the replacement would have, and we will show you the footage that decides it.
How much does trenchless sewer repair cost in Houston?
Lining is about $90–$200 per foot and pipe bursting $100–$220 per foot with the pits included, so $6,000–$15,000 on a typical Houston lateral and up to $20,000 on long or complex runs. It costs more per foot than digging and less as a total job when the dig would go through a driveway, pool deck or mature tree.
Does homeowners insurance pay for sewer line replacement in Texas?
Usually not. Standard Texas policies exclude wear, corrosion, root damage and earth movement, which covers most sewer failures. A sewer backup endorsement pays for damage inside the house from a backup, not the pipe. Some carriers offer a service line endorsement for $30–$60 a year that does cover the lateral; check the declarations page.
Need sewer line work in Houston?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.