Trenchless Sewer Repair in Phoenix

Yes, we can, and most of the time we will tell you to dig and replace the line instead. That is not a dodge. It is how we build every sewer: to code, permitted, and where an inspector can see the work. If your camera run shows a pipe that suits trenchless, we will say so and quote it. If it does not, we will show you the video and explain why. HQ holds an Arizona A-12 license, the class for sewers, drains and pipe laying, so digging a sewer is work we are set up to do, not a last resort. Call us before you sign with anyone, because the first conversation is where we sort out which repair fits your line.

It allows it, with conditions. The 2024 International Plumbing Code, which Phoenix accepts, has a section for pipe bursting (716) and one for relining (717), and Section 718 covers cured-in-place repair standards. Bursting is limited to gravity building sewer and drain piping of 6 inches and smaller, replaced with HDPE pipe the same nominal size. Relining is limited to gravity piping of 4 inches and larger, again the same nominal size. Both start with a recorded camera survey, and both end with a camera survey the code official reviews. Phoenix's amendments to the 2024 IPC leave these sections alone.

So the code does not forbid trenchless. What it does is move the inspection from the pipe to a video of the pipe. We have no quarrel with a code official reviewing a recording, and a clean liner can seal cracks and open joints. The question is what that inspection can and cannot tell anyone.

A dug sewer is inspected in the open. Phoenix requires a rough-in or underground inspection of sewer piping before it is buried, so the inspector sees the pipe, the bed it sits on, every joint and the slope before a shovel of backfill goes in. The new pipe is then tested: the IPC's gravity sewer test holds a 10-foot head of water for 15 minutes.

A liner is checked from the inside. Section 717 relies on the pre-installation video, the installer's data report, a flush and flow test, a post-installation video and a written certification from the permit holder. Those are real records. But the pipe behind the liner stays buried, nobody sees its joints or its bed, and EPA lists a defective liner installation as something that "may be difficult to rectify." When a liner fails, the fix is usually the dig you tried to avoid.

A liner copies the pipe it lines, flaws included. A belly that holds water stays a belly. Section 717.5 says relining is not permitted where the video shows backgrade or insufficient slope, complete pipe wall deterioration, or complete separations, such as from tree roots or improper support. Those are the failures that need real repair, and the code sends them back to a trench. Our guides to a belly in the sewer line and an offset joint show what they look like on camera.

Two more limits matter. A liner thickens the pipe wall, so it reduces the inside diameter, and EPA lists that as a drawback of lining. And every branch connection has to be reopened after the liner cures. EPA notes that laterals are typically reinstated with robotic cutting devices working from the inside, which is another thing nobody can see once the work is done.

When the camera supports it and digging would cost you more than the pipe. A good candidate is a round, aligned line with sound grade and cracks or leaking joints, in the size range the code allows. Digging also gets hard when the pipe runs under a slab, a driveway, a patio or a finished commercial floor. In those cases we will walk you through lining or bursting, pull the permit, and give you the video and the paperwork. Our guides to pipe bursting versus pipe lining and to relining all of the line, part of it or none explain the trade-offs.

Step by step, in this order:

1. 1Clean and film the line. We hydro jet what needs clearing, then run a sewer camera and record it. You get the video.
2. 2Find and mark it. We locate the problem by footage and depth and mark it on the ground. For Phoenix, that mark also tells you whether the break sits on your side of the property line or in the public right-of-way.
3. 3Decide with the video in front of you. Dig and replace, line, or burst. If the line suits trenchless, you will hear that from us. If it does not, you will hear why.
4. 4Call the locate and pull the permit. Arizona requires a utility locate before digging. The plumbing permit comes next, and a right-of-way permit if the work reaches the street. See the permit to dig in the right-of-way.
5. 5Do the work to code and test it. The inspector looks at the pipe before it is covered.
6. 6Hand over the record. Video, permit paperwork and test results.

Ask five questions. Will you pull a permit? Will the city see the pre-installation video before the permit is issued? What is the pipe size, since bursting stops at 6 inches and lining starts at 4? How will every lateral connection be reopened? And if the liner fails, what happens next? A quote that skips the camera survey or the permit does not follow Sections 716 and 717. If you want the code details first, read Is trenchless sewer repair allowed by plumbing code?.

When the pipe has collapsed, lost its grade, separated at a joint, or when the camera shows damage the code lists as a bar to relining. Those lines need exposing and repairing. It is also wrong when nobody has put a camera in the line yet. Deciding on a method before filming the pipe is guessing. If the real problem is a clog, grease or roots, cleaning comes first; see hydro jetting and jetting before lining.

You do, up to the city main, with limits on what the city covers. Phoenix City Code 28-5 makes owners responsible for the line from the building to the main. The city repairs a broken section in the public right-of-way only for a single-family home or duplex. For any other property, including businesses and apartments, the owner repairs the street or alley section too, with a city permit. See who is responsible for the sewer line in Phoenix and sewer line ownership by Valley city.

Call with the address, the city, and any camera video you already have. We offer 24/7 emergency service for backups, free estimates and upfront pricing before work starts. For the full repair and replacement picture, see our sewer repair page.