Per the quote popularly attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Conversely, when it comes to your sanitary sewer, yuck is what happens when disregard meets eventuality. (See what we did there?) While there’s no guarantee against a sewer leak on your property, another old adage — this one courtesy of American philosopher Benjamin Franklin — states that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Again, in sanitary sewer terms, swap out “prevention” with “maintenance,” and “pound of cure” with “untold quantities of raw sewage not leaking into your home or yard.”

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As opposed to your water service line, which carries fresh water to your house, and storm sewer, which channels rainwater away from your house, your sanitary sewer rids your household of all that nastiness produced by the members of your household when they shower, brush their teeth, wash the dishes and, perhaps most pointedly, flush the toilet. As defined by Michigan State University: “The sanitary sewer is a system of underground pipes that carries sewage from bathrooms, sinks, kitchens, and other plumbing components to a wastewater treatment plant where it is filtered, treated and discharged.”

If proper maintenance isn’t performed over time, these underground pipes can rupture and leak. Even if you keep your line well-maintained, ground shifting, pipe separations, cracks and root infiltrations can cause problems. But keeping up with recommended sewer-line maintenance intervals helps ensure the odds are ever in your favor, per Seneca and Franklin … and that YA book series.

How Often Should Sewer Lines Be Serviced?

Homeowners should have their sewer pipes serviced at least every few years, and for large households with several residents creating a lot of sewage waste, at least every two years. This will ensure your sanitary sewer line remains free of gradual clogs and potential backups from debris buildup.

“Performing routine inspection and cleaning is the best way to keep a sewer or storm system working properly,” states Wisconsin-based trade publication Municipal Sewer & Water magazine. “Sewer systems around the world vary in many details, including the type of material for the pipe, shape, size and location. Regardless of these variables, sewer systems must be routinely cleaned to ensure safe, consistent movement of the material.”

According to the magazine, sewer cleaners use high-pressure water jetting and a high-flow vacuum force to scour pipes clean and vacuum up the material that causes would-be blockages. More severe clogs could necessitate rodding, according to the village of Glenview, Ill., “done by inserting a cutting tool into the sewer to cut away roots or blockages along the inside of the pipe.” Before committing to any work, however, have a sewer camera inspection performed to better determine the scope of work needed.

We at Service Line Warranties of America advocate for homeowners to do their own maintenance and repairs wherever they are willing, able and confident to do so, but this isn’t the type of job the vast majority of people can handle themselves without proper training, expertise, equipment and safety precautions. That means you’re going to want to have at least an idea of how much a repair job is likely to cost you before you start making calls to professional sewer contractors.

The good news: Maintenance (i.e., pipe cleaning and clog prevention) on average runs between one-tenth and a quarter of the price of a full repair or pipe replacement costs.

What’s This Gonna Cost Me?

To give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for sanitary sewer line maintenance, Service Line Warranties of America has calculated the average costs — both nationally and state by state — for comparison. In order to determine what’s wrong with your system, you’ll have to call someone out to diagnose the problem, which comes with its own cost. We’ve calculated that average, as well.

Below, you’ll find the average costs for sanitary sewer line maintenance in your state. All figures are based on aggregated HomeServe data reported by our network of thousands of contractors across the nation. Where insufficient data was available to determine a verifiable average, we’ve noted so.

(At the time of publication, pandemic-precipitated materials shortages were impacting home maintenance, repair and construction sectors across the board; price fluctuations caused by those supply-chain issues are not necessarily reflected here.)

Nationwide

• Diagnosis: $83 (CAD 106)
• Maintenance: $408 (CAD 520)

State by State

1. Alabama

• Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
• Maintenance: $467 (CAD 595)

2. Alaska

• Diagnosis: Insufficient data
• Maintenance: Insufficient data

3. Arizona

• Diagnosis: $75 (CAD 96)
• Maintenance: $324 (CAD 413)

4. Arkansas

• Diagnosis: $77 (CAD 98)
• Maintenance: $398 (CAD 507)

5. California

• Diagnosis: $67 (CAD 85)
• Maintenance: $450 (CAD 574)

6. Colorado

• Diagnosis: $99 (CAD 126)
• Maintenance: $455 (CAD 580)

7. Connecticut

• Diagnosis: $69 (CAD 88)
• Maintenance: $698 (CAD 890)

8. Delaware

• Diagnosis: $69 (CAD 88)
• Maintenance: $443 (CAD 565)

9. District of Columbia

• Diagnosis: $80 (CAD 102)
• Maintenance: $542 (CAD 691)

10. Florida

• Diagnosis: $103 (CAD 131)
• Maintenance: $496 (CAD 632)

11. Georgia

• Diagnosis: $97 (CAD 124)
• Maintenance: $378 (CAD 482)

12. Hawaii

• Diagnosis: Insufficient data
• Maintenance: Insufficient data

13. Idaho

• Diagnosis: $66 (CAD 84)
• Maintenance: $421 (CAD 537)

14. Illinois

• Diagnosis: $71 (CAD 91)
• Maintenance: $429 (CAD 547)

15. Indiana

• Diagnosis: $77 (CAD 98)
• Maintenance: $372 (CAD 474)

16. Iowa

• Diagnosis: $87 (CAD 111)
• Maintenance: $605 (CAD 771)

17. Kansas

• Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
• Maintenance: $340 (CAD 433)

18. Kentucky

• Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
• Maintenance: $363 (CAD 463)

19. Louisiana

• Diagnosis: $84 (CAD 107)
• Maintenance: $373 (CAD 475)

20. Maine

• Diagnosis: $95 (CAD 121)
• Maintenance: $413 (CAD 526)

21. Maryland

• Diagnosis: $87 (CAD 111)
• Maintenance: $544 (CAD 694)

22. Massachusetts

• Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
• Maintenance: $406 (CAD 518)

23. Michigan

• Diagnosis: $106 (CAD 135)
• Maintenance: $317 (CAD 404)

24. Minnesota

• Diagnosis: $99 (CAD 126)
• Maintenance: $435 (CAD 555)

25. Mississippi

• Diagnosis: $90 (CAD 115)
• Maintenance: $397 (CAD 506)

26. Missouri

• Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
• Maintenance: $331 (CAD 422)

27. Montana

• Diagnosis: $102 (CAD 130)
• Maintenance: $443 (CAD 565)

28. Nebraska

• Diagnosis: $70 (CAD 89)
• Maintenance: $441 (CAD 562)

29. Nevada

• Diagnosis: $69 (CAD 88)
• Maintenance: $391 (CAD 499)

30. New Hampshire

• Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
• Maintenance: $812 (CAD 1,035)

31. New Jersey

• Diagnosis: $74 (CAD 94)
• Maintenance: $365 (CAD 466)

32. New Mexico

• Diagnosis: $112 (CAD 143)
• Maintenance: $296 (CAD 377)

33. New York

• Diagnosis: $91 (CAD 116)
• Maintenance: $390 (CAD 497)

34. North Carolina

• Diagnosis: $98 (CAD 125)
• Maintenance: $406 (CAD 518)

35. North Dakota

• Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
• Maintenance: $495 (CAD 631)

36. Ohio

• Diagnosis: $88 (CAD 112)
• Maintenance: $420 (CAD 536)

37. Oklahoma

• Diagnosis: $89 (CAD 114)
• Maintenance: $620 (CAD 791)

38. Oregon

• Diagnosis: $106 (CAD 135)
• Maintenance: $421 (CAD 537)

39. Pennsylvania

• Diagnosis: $78 (CAD 99)
• Maintenance: $346 (CAD 441)

40. Rhode Island

• Diagnosis: $103 (CAD 131)
• Maintenance: $316 (CAD 403)

41. South Carolina

• Diagnosis: $81 (CAD 103)
• Maintenance: $307 (CAD 392)

42. South Dakota

• Diagnosis: $92 (CAD 117)
• Maintenance: $431 (CAD 550)

43. Tennessee

• Diagnosis: $85 (CAD 108)
• Maintenance: $445 (CAD 568)

44. Texas

• Diagnosis: $82 (CAD 105)
• Maintenance: $345 (CAD 440)

45. Utah

• Diagnosis: $64 (CAD 82)
• Maintenance: $466 (CAD 594)

46. Vermont

• Diagnosis: Insufficient data
• Maintenance: Insufficient data

47. Virginia

• Diagnosis: $83 (CAD 106)
• Maintenance: $330 (CAD 421)

48. Washington

• Diagnosis: $97 (CAD 124)
• Maintenance: $558 (CAD 712)

49. West Virginia

• Diagnosis: $80 (CAD 102)
• Maintenance: $391 (CAD 499)

50. Wisconsin

• Diagnosis: $62 (CAD 79)
• Maintenance: $372 (CAD 474)

51. Wyoming

• Diagnosis: $82 (CAD 105)
• Maintenance: $531 (CAD 677)