Sewer Line Costs
Last updated: October 31, 2026 · Prices checked October 31, 2026
A sewer line fails underground and out of sight, so the first number a homeowner meets is usually a five-figure bid and a camera video they can't interpret. This hub collects every sewer cost we research — the per-foot price of digging, bursting and lining, what the camera scope itself should cost, and the smaller repairs a scope can justify instead of a replacement.
The number most homeowners need: replacement runs $50–$250 per linear foot installed, with typical projects at $1,388–$5,323 (avg $3,319). Camera inspection first: $100–$500.
National range, researched from published sources. Prices checked October 31, 2026.
Sewer line cost guides
Sewer Line Replacement Cost
Digging, pipe bursting and CIPP lining priced per foot and by line length — and what a camera scope should cost before you sign anything.
Septic System Costs
No city sewer? What a septic system costs to install and own, in the companion hub.
Sewer line prices at a glance
| Job | Typical US cost |
|---|---|
| Replacement, per linear foot | $50–$250 (avg $150) |
| Full dig replacement, per foot | $60–$250 |
| Pipe bursting, per foot | $60–$200 |
| CIPP lining, per foot | $90–$250 |
| Camera / video inspection | $100–$500 |
| Spot repair | $600–$1,050 |
| Root removal | $100–$600 |
| 40 ft replacement (HomeGuide benchmark) | $2,000–$10,000 (avg $6,000) |
Start with the question you're actually asking
Holding a replacement bid? The replacement cost guide checks the real ones from the forums — a $12,000 pipe-burst bid on a 1910 rental, a $2,000 dig quote after a camera found roots, a broken line under a neighbor's yard — against these per-foot bands. Not sure you need a replacement at all? Start smaller: a camera inspection ($100–$500) is the diagnostic every bid should be built on, and what it finds is often a $600–$1,050 spot repair or a $100–$600 root removal, not a new line. House drains to a tank, not the street? That's the septic hub.
Frequently asked questions
How much does sewer line replacement cost?+
$50–$250 per linear foot installed (Angi), with typical projects at $1,388–$5,323 and an average of $3,319. HomeGuide's 40-foot benchmark job runs $2,000–$10,000. Depth, footage and surface restoration move the total more than method does.
Is a $12,000 sewer line quote too expensive?+
It depends on footage and method: at published per-foot rates ($60–$250), $12,000 buys roughly 50–200 feet of work. For a short residential run it is high; for a long or deep line with concrete restoration it can be in range. The forum thread that asked exactly this collected real bids from $4,000 to $9,000 for the same job — get the footage and method in writing, then divide.
Should I get a camera inspection before replacing a sewer line?+
Yes — it costs $100–$500 (Angi) and it is the only evidence that distinguishes a $600–$1,050 spot repair from a full replacement. Any replacement bid written without a scope video is a guess priced like a certainty.
Digging, pipe bursting or CIPP lining — which is cheapest?+
Per foot they overlap: digging $60–$250, bursting $60–$200, lining $90–$250 (Angi). Trenchless methods win on restoration — no trench to repair — while digging wins when the line has collapsed, bellied or needs its slope corrected.