Lower Lateral Replacement and Repair

A lateral is a section of smaller pipe that transports sewage from a customer’s property to SacSewer’s main sewer line in a street or a utility easement (see our 3D Sewer Diagram for a good visual). The lateral consists of a customer-owned upper lateral and a SacSewer-owned lower lateral.

The upper lateral is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain, while SacSewer is responsible for the lower lateral. The length of the lower lateral may vary from a few feet to many feet depending on how a property was developed by the builder.

There are times when SacSewer may need to repair all or part of the lower lateral. This work is done when the lower lateral pipe is found to have a significant defect or condition that warrants repair rather than just maintenance.

Sometimes a repair or replacement decision is made because SacSewer sees a defect or problem that poses a clear risk of a sewer stoppage or overflow, such as may occur with some severely offset pipes.

Other times, less critical issues in the pipe—like recurring tree root intrusion—require such frequent maintenance that replacing the pipe is more cost-effective and less intrusive to our customer than continuing a maintenance program.

Impacts to a property, including the size of the excavation, depend on how much of the lower lateral is targeted for repair and where the cleanout is located.

During pipe connection, customers may be asked to refrain from water use for a short period of time (usually two hours or less).


When construction is complete, SacSewer provides full restoration, returning the impacted area to its original or better condition.