When a lateral is collapsed, Orangeburg, bellied, or root-destroyed beyond repair, we replace it — by trenchless pipe bursting that spares your yard, or a precise dig where the line needs re-grading. Camera-diagnosed, permitted, and built to last 50 years.
A single crack or root-damaged section can often be spot-repaired or lined. Full replacement is the right call when the pipe is past saving:
We confirm with a camera inspection before recommending replacement — no guesswork.
A failed inspection during a Portland home sale doesn't have to kill the deal. We provide same-day scoping and a written, fixed-price replacement quote you can use to negotiate — repair before closing, offer a credit, or renegotiate.
Fast turnaround keeps your closing on track.
We match the method to the line's condition and grade — least-invasive option that lasts.
A bursting head fractures the old pipe outward and pulls a new seamless HDPE line in behind it — through two small pits, no trench across the yard. ~50-year pipe.
For suitable lines, a new pipe is pulled through the existing path with minimal excavation — preserving driveways and landscaping.
Required for bellied lines, total collapse, or grade correction — a precise excavation to install new PVC/HDPE at the right slope, then full restoration.
Trenchless bursting follows the existing path — so it leaves a sagging "belly" exactly where it is. A bellied line holds waste and keeps clogging until the low spot is dug up and re-graded. We'll tell you honestly when a dig is the only real fix.
| Trenchless pipe bursting (typical) | $4,000 – $15,000 |
| Open-trench replacement (per linear ft) | $60 – $120 / ft |
| Trenchless (per linear ft) | $65 – $260 / ft |
| City permit + inspection fee | ~$325 + ~$295 |
Estimates as of 2026 for guidance only; price depends on length, depth, pipe material, method, and surface restoration (landscaping, driveway, sidewalk). You always get an exact, on-site quote after a camera inspection — and financing is available.
In Portland, the property owner owns the sewer lateral from the house out to the city main — including the portion in the public right-of-way — while the City's Bureau of Environmental Services maintains the main. Replacement needs a city plumbing permit for the private side and a separate right-of-way permit if work extends into the ROW, plus 811 utility locates, inspection, and an as-built sign-off.
We pull every permit, coordinate locates and inspection, and submit the as-built so the job is fully legal and closed out.
Same-day camera diagnosis, trenchless and traditional replacement, permits handled, and a written fixed-price quote — financing available.
From the first call to a clean finish, our licensed Portland plumbers handle sewer line replacement with upfront, flat-rate pricing and no overtime fees — day, night, weekends and holidays.
Call (971) 386-1515Repair or replace? Call for a same-day camera diagnosis.
Most full replacements run roughly $4,000–$15,000, or about $60–$200 per linear foot depending on material, depth, length, method, and restoration. Portland also charges a permit plus a city inspection fee (around $295). You get an exact on-site quote after a camera inspection.
Trenchless pipe bursting saves your yard and is faster when the grade is sound. Open-trench is required when the pipe is bellied, fully collapsed, or the slope must be re-graded. We camera the line first, then recommend the method.
Trenchless pipe bursting is often a single day; open-trench typically one to three days plus restoration. The permit and city inspection usually add a few business days, which we coordinate.
The property owner owns the lateral from the house out through the right-of-way to the main; the City (Bureau of Environmental Services) maintains the main. Private-side work uses one permit and right-of-way work another — we pull both as needed.
Yes — a plumbing permit for the private side, plus a right-of-way permit if work extends into the ROW, with 811 locates, inspection, and an as-built sign-off. As a licensed Oregon contractor we handle all of it.
Almost always yes. Orangeburg (tar-and-fiber, 1940s–70s) softens, blisters, and collapses with age and can't be reliably lined. Replacement with PVC or HDPE — often by trenchless pipe bursting — is the lasting fix.
No — trenchless follows the existing path, so it leaves the low spot in place. A bellied line must be excavated and re-graded by open trench to restore proper slope and flow.
A bursting head is pulled through the old pipe, fracturing it outward while pulling a new seamless HDPE pipe in behind — through just a small entry and exit pit. The new HDPE line is rated for ~50 years with almost no digging.
Repeated backups after cleaning, a collapsed section, multiple bad spots, Orangeburg pipe, severe root destruction, or a bellied line all point to replacement over a spot repair. A camera inspection confirms it.
Yes — same-day scoping and a written, fixed-price replacement quote you can use to negotiate (repair before closing, credit, or renegotiate). Fast turnaround keeps your deal on track.