Houston · Harris County · Bellaire to Sugar Land
Sewer repair in Houston, from the slab to the street
A tub that fills when the washer drains, a wet spot in the yard that never dries, or a foundation crew that just found a leak under the slab. We run a camera before we quote anything, tell you where the break is to the foot, and put the price in writing before a shovel or a tunnel starts.
Sewer services across Houston
Spot repair when the pipe is mostly good, replacement when it isn't, trenchless when a trench would mean losing a driveway or a slab. We tell you which one and why.
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 →Why Houston sewer lines fail differently
Most of the country's sewer problems are roots in old clay pipe. Houston has those too, but the thing that keeps our phones busy is the ground itself. Harris County sits on gumbo clay — the Beaumont formation — that swells when it rains and shrinks hard in a dry August. A slab foundation rides up and down on it a fraction of an inch each cycle, and the cast iron drain lines cast into that slab in 1955 or 1968 do not flex. Joints pull apart, hubs crack, and the pipe rusts from the inside until the bottom of it is simply gone.
That is why the same call comes in from Meyerland, Bellaire, Oak Forest, Westbury and Sharpstown all year: a slow drain that has been snaked three times, a sewer smell in a back bathroom, a foundation company that ran a hydrostatic test after leveling the house and found it losing water. The line under the slab is leaking into the clay, the clay is swelling, and the slab is moving again. Foundation repair and sewer repair in Houston are the same problem seen from two sides.
Outside the slab, it is roots. Live oak, pecan and water oak roots follow moisture to any joint that has separated, and in the 1970s–90s subdivisions from Katy to Pearland that means the original PVC or ABS joints that the clay has racked out of line. Then there is flooding. Harvey, the Tax Day flood and every bad May since have put the city's mains under surcharge, and when a main is full, your lateral has nowhere to drain. Water comes up the lowest fixture in the house.
What we do
Sewer line repair — a spot repair on a section that has cracked, separated or bellied, when the rest of the line is sound. We locate the break with the camera, dig or tunnel to that point only, and replace it in schedule 40 PVC. Typical Houston spot repair is $1,500–$4,000.
Sewer line replacement — open trench from the house to the property line when the whole yard lateral is done. Most of the Houston work is $4,000–$15,000 depending on length, depth and what is on top of it.
Trenchless sewer repair — cured-in-place lining or pipe bursting when the line runs under a driveway, a pool deck, a mature live oak or a neighbor's fence. $6,000–$20,000, no trench, done in a day or two.
Sewer camera inspection — the first step on every job and the only honest way to quote one. $250–$500, with the recording and a written report. Hydrostatic testing for foundation work and pre-purchase inspections are on the same visit.
Under-slab sewer repair — tunneling under the foundation to replace cast iron, or re-routing the drains overhead and out the side of the house when the tunnel would be longer than the house is wide. This is the job Houston homeowners get quoted wildly different numbers for, and the page explains why.
Hydro jetting and drain cleaning are part of the repair work rather than a separate sales pitch. If the camera shows grease, scale or a root mass in a pipe that is otherwise sound, sewer line cleaning Houston homes need is a jetting job at $350–$900, not a replacement. We will tell you which one you are looking at.
Where we work
Inside the Loop, Bellaire and West University, Meyerland and Braeswood, Oak Forest and Garden Oaks, Spring Branch and Memorial, then out to Katy and Cypress, north to Spring, Humble and The Woodlands, south through Pasadena, Pearland and Friendswood, and Sugar Land and Missouri City in Fort Bend County. Area codes 713, 281, 832 and 346. Bellaire and Sugar Land have their own pages because the problems there are specific: Bellaire is under-slab cast iron, and Sugar Land is 1980s laterals under Fort Bend clay.
Licensed, not just insured
Texas is stricter about sewer work than most people expect. Anything that touches the drain, waste and vent system of a house — including the yard lateral out to the property line — is plumbing under Texas law, and it has to be done under a Responsible Master Plumber's license from the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. We hold one. Ask any sewer contractor Houston sends to your door for the RMP number on their truck and their paperwork; if they do not have one, they cannot legally pull the City of Houston plumbing permit that a replacement needs, and the work will not pass the inspection that follows.
What it costs, before you call
The pricing page has the full tables. The short version for Houston in 2026: camera inspection $250–$500, hydro jetting $350–$900, spot repair $1,500–$4,000, open-trench replacement $4,000–$15,000, trenchless $6,000–$20,000, under-slab tunnel work $8,000–$25,000 for a typical 1960s ranch. Those are typical ranges, not a quote. The camera visit turns them into one number for your house, and that number is good for 30 days.
How a job goes
- You call or text
Tell us what backed up, where, and how old the house is. If a foundation company or a home inspector has already been out, send their report. - We run the camera
Through the cleanout, or through a pulled toilet if there is no cleanout. You see the screen with us. We locate the problem on the surface with a sonde and mark it. - You get a written price
For the repair that fixes what the camera showed, with the method, the depth, the permit and the restoration spelled out. Good for 30 days, no deposit on the estimate. - We do the work
Spot repairs are a day. Replacements and tunnels are two to four days. A permit is pulled and the city inspects before the trench closes. - We prove it
A second camera pass on the new pipe, and a hydrostatic test where the slab is involved. You get the recording.
Questions we get asked
How much does sewer repair cost in Houston?
A spot repair on one broken section is typically $1,500–$4,000. Replacing the whole yard lateral runs $4,000–$15,000 open-trench or $6,000–$20,000 trenchless. Under-slab work in a 1960s home is usually $8,000–$25,000 depending on tunnel length. The camera inspection ($250–$500) turns those ranges into one written number.
How do I know if my sewer line is broken or just clogged?
A clog affects one fixture. A main-line problem shows up in the lowest fixtures first — a tub or shower that fills when the toilet flushes or the washer drains, gurgling from a floor drain, and more than one drain slow at once. If a plumber has snaked the line twice in a year, something is catching the cable, and that is a camera job.
Do you tunnel under the slab or reroute the pipes?
Both, and the camera decides. A short tunnel to one failed section under a bathroom is cheaper than a reroute. When the cast iron has failed under the middle of the house, running new drains overhead through the attic and down an exterior wall can cost less than a 60-foot tunnel and avoids disturbing the slab at all.
Can you come today if sewage is backing up?
Yes. Active backups go ahead of scheduled work. Emergency sewer repair Houston-wide is usually a same-day cable or jetting job to get the line flowing, then a camera to see why it stopped, and a written price for the permanent fix. Stop running water in the house until someone arrives.
Does my homeowners insurance cover a broken sewer line?
Usually not the pipe itself. Most Texas policies exclude wear, corrosion and root damage, and cover only sudden damage to the house from a backup if you bought the sewer backup endorsement. Some carriers sell a service line endorsement for $30–$60 a year that covers the lateral. Check the policy before you assume either way.
Who is responsible for the sewer line in Houston?
On a City of Houston connection, the homeowner owns and maintains the lateral on private property; Houston Public Works maintains the main and the connection in the public right-of-way. In a MUD district in Katy, Cypress or Sugar Land the line is usually the same — yours to the property line. Call 311 or your MUD operator to confirm before paying for a repair in the street.
Towns we cover
Houston, Harris County and the suburbs. Area codes 713, 281, 832, 346.
- Bellaire
- Sugar Land
- Katy
- The Woodlands
- Pearland
- Cypress
- Spring
- Pasadena
- Missouri City
- Humble
Need sewer line work in Houston?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.