//Quick answer
- No permit: drain cleaning, hydro jetting, camera inspection.
- Permit: sewer line replacement, trenchless lining or bursting, most spot repairs that replace pipe.
- The inspection generally checks material, slope, bedding and the connection before the trench closes.
- Sewer replacement is priced by the length of the line and quoted after the camera inspection.
01Definition
What part of sewer work is permitted?
Anything that replaces or rehabilitates the pipe. A spot repair that cuts out a section and installs new pipe, a trenchless liner, a pipe burst, or a full replacement all change the lateral, and the city wants to inspect the new pipe before it is buried or put in service. Cleaning and inspecting the existing pipe change nothing, so they are not permitted work.
What does a sewer inspection generally cover?
The pipe material, the slope of the run, how the pipe is bedded and backfilled, the fittings at each connection, and often a test before the trench is closed. On trenchless work the inspector may look at the access pits and the connection points instead of an open trench. Specifics vary by jurisdiction; the building department that covers your address has the checklist.
02When it applies
When is the sewer agency involved as well as the building department?
Where the lateral connects to the public main, and where responsibility for the pipe changes from the owner to the utility. That line is drawn differently in different cities, so confirm it with your local sewer agency before assuming a repair near the street is theirs or yours.
When does an emergency change the process?
A sewer backup that has taken the house out of service is an emergency. In an emergency the permit does not have to hold up the repair: permits can be acquired quickly under emergency conditions, and Done-Rite handles that part while the work moves.
03What goes wrong
What goes wrong with unpermitted sewer work?
A buried pipe nobody inspected. If the slope is wrong or the bedding is poor, the belly that caused the first problem comes back, and there is no record of what was done or where. At resale, an unpermitted sewer replacement is a question with no good answer.
04Proof
- When a job needs a permit, Done-Rite pulls it and schedules the inspection.
- A camera goes down the line before anyone quotes a drain or sewer repair, and the camera inspection is included with the $99 drain snaking.
- California CSLB C-36 licence #998069. Licensed, bonded and insured, with workers compensation.
- Six plumbers averaging more than 9 years in the trade each, plus a General Manager with 25+ years.
05Action
Camera first, permit handled
Sewer line replacement is priced by the length of the line and trenchless varies by job, so both are quoted after a camera inspection. When the work needs a permit, Done-Rite pulls it. Financing is available with terms up to 10 years.
//Please read
Educational guidance, not legal advice. Permit and code requirements are set by the building department with jurisdiction over your address and change on adoption cycles. Confirm current requirements with your city's building department before acting on anything here. Done-Rite pulls the permit when a job requires one.
Authority cited: the California Residential Code as adopted by your city, and California Business and Professions Code section 7030.5 (licence display). Reviewed by Dee Alkouri, General Manager, Done-Rite Plumbing & Rooter. Re-review trigger: any code adoption cycle or a change in Done-Rite's permit practice.
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//Terms used in this guide
Where this applies
Done-Rite runs these calls across Orange County from its shop in Anaheim, CA, with no trip charge in any city it serves.
Common questions
Yes, sewer line replacement usually needs a permit. When a permit is required, Done-Rite pulls it.
No. Cleaning and inspecting the existing line is not permitted work.
