Pricing guide
Sewer line repair cost in San Diego
Real 2026 ranges for San Diego County: inspection, clearing, spot repair, full replacement by method, and under-slab work, plus the six things that move a quote. These are typical ranges, not a quote. Every real number starts with a camera.
Diagnosis and clearing
| Service | Typical San Diego price |
|---|---|
| Camera inspection, recorded, with locate | $250 – $500 |
| Cable clearing of a main line clog | $200 – $450 |
| Hydro jetting, roots or cast iron descaling | $350 – $800 |
| Jetting plus camera on the same visit | $350 – $700 |
| Add a two-way cleanout at the property line | $400 – $1,200 |
A house that backs up every spring and gets cabled for $250 each time is spending the price of a camera inspection every year to avoid finding out why.
Spot repairs
| Repair | Typical San Diego price |
|---|---|
| Spot repair, 3–10 ft, under lawn or dirt | $1,500 – $3,000 |
| Spot repair under a driveway or patio, concrete restored | $2,500 – $4,000 |
| Repair at the connection to the main, in the street | $3,500 – $8,000 |
| Short CIPP sectional liner, one joint | $1,200 – $2,500 |
A spot repair is the right call when the camera shows one problem in a sound pipe. Two spot repairs on the same run in three years is a replacement paid for in installments.
Full sewer line replacement cost San Diego
| Method | Per foot | Typical 50-ft lateral |
|---|---|---|
| Open-trench, under lawn or dirt | $80 – $180 | $4,000 – $9,000 |
| Open-trench with driveway and sidewalk restoration | $120 – $250 | $7,000 – $15,000 |
| CIPP lining | $90 – $200 | $6,000 – $12,000 |
| Pipe bursting | $100 – $250 | $7,000 – $14,000 |
| Either trenchless method, long or deep run under the street | $12,000 – $20,000 |
Permits, DigAlert marking, the city inspection, a new cleanout and a post-job camera are included in ours. Restoration of lawn and dirt is included; concrete, pavers and landscaping are separate lines so you can see them. Sewer line replacement explains when open-trench makes sense; trenchless explains when it doesn't.
Under-slab work
Lining under the slab $150–$300 per foot, tunneling $250–$450 per foot, a slab cut and short replacement $3,000–$8,000, a full under-slab re-pipe of a post-war ranch $12,000–$30,000. Details on the under-slab page.
What moves the price
- Length. A Clairemont lateral is 40–70 feet. A Mt. Helix or Poway lot can be 100 or more. Everything is per foot.
- Depth. Three to four feet is normal in the yard. Six to ten feet at the main on some streets means shoring and a bigger pit.
- What's on top. Lawn is free to restore. A driveway, a patio, a city sidewalk and a paved street are the expensive part of an open-trench job, and the reason trenchless usually wins here.
- The street. In the City of San Diego the lateral is yours to the main, so the right-of-way permit, traffic control and the connection inspection are on the owner's side of the bill. That last 15 feet is often the most expensive 15 feet.
- Pipe condition. A line that can be lined costs less than one that has to be burst, which costs less than one with a collapse or belly that needs a dig.
- Access and soil. A narrow side yard, a slope, rock in East County decomposed granite, or a high water table near the bay all slow the crew.
A worked example
A 1958 slab ranch in Clairemont Mesa: 55-foot clay lateral, 4 feet deep at the house and 7 at the main, roots at three joints, a small offset under the driveway, and the last 12 feet under the street. Pipe bursting from a pit at the house to a pit at the curb, then a short pull to the main: 55 feet at $160 is $8,800; the connection at the main with the right-of-way permit and traffic control, $2,200; new two-way cleanout, $600. About $11,600, one day, no concrete touched, camera before and after. The same lateral quoted open-trench would be around $7,000 for the dig plus $3,000–$4,500 to replace the driveway section and a sidewalk panel, and three days.
How to read a sewer repair quote
Ask for the footage of pipe, the method, the depth, who pulls the permit, whether the connection at the main is included, what restoration is included, and whether there's a post-job camera. A quote that's a single number with the word "replacement" on it can't be compared with anything. And a contractor who wants a decision today, or a deposit before a camera has been run, is selling something other than sewer repair. Our sewer line repair cost San Diego guide with worked examples by method is at sewer line repair cost in San Diego, and the trenchless-only version is trenchless sewer repair cost.
Services
Sewer Line Repair
Backups cleared, roots cut, the line hydro jetted and cameraed, and a spot repair where one section is broken and the rest is sound.
Sewer Line Repair →Sewer Line Replacement
A new lateral from the house to the main when the old cast iron or clay is done. Open-trench where it makes sense, trenchless where it doesn't.
Sewer Line Replacement →Trenchless Sewer Repair
Pipe lining and pipe bursting through one or two small pits, so the driveway, the patio and the city sidewalk stay where they are.
Trenchless Sewer Repair →Sewer Camera Inspection
A recorded camera run from the cleanout to the main, with the break located from the surface. The basis for every honest quote, and the first thing to do before buying an old house.
Sewer Camera Inspection →Under-Slab Sewer Repair
Rusted-out cast iron under the kitchen and bath of a 1950s slab home: lined in place, tunneled to, or re-routed, with the least concrete cut.
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 in a pipe that's otherwise sound. Replace, by lining or bursting, if there are problems at several points, the cast iron has channel rot along its length, or you've paid for clearing more than twice in a few years. On a 50-foot lateral the gap between a second spot repair and a liner is often only a few thousand dollars, and the liner ends the problem.
Does homeowners insurance cover sewer line replacement in California?
Usually not the pipe itself. Standard California policies treat a worn-out lateral as maintenance, though some cover sudden damage and the resulting cleanup inside the house. A service line endorsement, offered by several insurers for a small premium, covers the lateral to the main and is worth asking about on a pre-1970 home. Utility line protection plans sold by mail are a separate question; read the exclusions.
What does a sewer line repair cost for a typical 1950s San Diego house?
For a 40–70 foot clay or cast iron lateral: camera $250–$500, spot repair $1,500–$4,000 if there's one bad section, trenchless replacement $7,000–$14,000 if there are several, more if a long run is under the street. Under-slab cast iron is priced separately at $150–$450 per foot depending on method. Typical ranges, not a quote.
Need sewer line work in San Diego?
Call for a free estimate. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm.