Who pays for sewer lateral repairs in Los Angeles?

In the City of Los Angeles, property owners are generally responsible for the lateral from the building to the public sewer main, including the stretch under the parkway. A camera inspection shows where any damage is, which helps you plan the repair.

Can you repair a sewer line on a Los Angeles hillside without major digging?

In many cases, yes. Pipe lining and pipe bursting work through small access points, which avoids removing retaining walls, steps or landscaping on steep lots. We confirm whether your line is a candidate with a camera inspection first.

Is the $199 sewer camera inspection available for apartment buildings?

It can be. Eligibility for the $199 inspection is confirmed when you schedule, based on the property and access. For landlords, recorded footage of the main lateral is a practical way to plan maintenance before a backup affects tenants.

What should I check before buying an older home in LA?

Ask for a sewer scope, since most home inspections do not look inside the lateral. It is also worth confirming whether supply lines are copper or galvanized and how old the water heater is. These are common big-ticket items in older city homes.

Plumber Los Angeles, Sewer and Trenchless

Los Angeles plumbing from hills to flats See it first, fix it once.

The City of Los Angeles covers everything from 1920s duplexes in Mid-City to hillside homes above Silver Lake and Los Feliz, apartment buildings in Hollywood and postwar houses near Westwood. Different eras mean different pipes, and different terrain means different repairs. New Flow Plumbing starts every sewer job with a camera so the recommendation fits your actual building.

Most requested here

Services Los Angeles owners and landlords request most.

Whether you own a single bungalow or manage a courtyard building, these four services cover most of the plumbing work we do across the City of Los Angeles.

01
Sewer camera inspection
We record your lateral from the cleanout toward the main, note roots, breaks and sags, and show you the footage, which is especially useful on older Los Angeles homes and multi-unit buildings.
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02
Pipe bursting
Bursting replaces a failed sewer lateral by pulling new pipe through the old path, a strong fit for hillside lots and narrow city properties where trenching is difficult.
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03
Commercial plumbing
Apartment buildings, restaurants and retail spaces across Los Angeles get drain service, repairs and planned maintenance that keep buildings running for tenants and customers, with work scheduled to limit interruptions.
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04
Water line repair
We replace corroded galvanized and leaking service lines between the LADWP meter and your building, restoring pressure and reducing leak risk in older Los Angeles homes and apartments.
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Los Angeles plumbing depends on the decade it was built.

Many of the city's older neighborhoods, including Mid-City, Highland Park, Echo Park and parts of Hollywood, were built up between the 1910s and 1940s with Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Revival homes and small apartment courts. Those buildings often still drain through clay sewer laterals and cast iron stacks, and some have galvanized supply lines that have narrowed with rust. Partial remodels over the years often leave old and new materials joined together.

Hillside streets in Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Mount Washington and the hills above Hollywood bring their own challenges: steep driveways, retaining walls, long laterals that drop to the street and limited room for equipment. Trenchless lining and pipe bursting are often the practical choice where open trenching would mean removing stairs, walls or mature landscaping. Access and parking on narrow hillside streets also shape how a job is planned.

Los Angeles is served by LADWP, and city property owners are generally responsible for the sewer lateral from the building to the public main. That includes the section under the parkway, where ficus, jacaranda and other street trees often push roots into older pipe. For apartment owners, a single blocked lateral can affect every unit, so regular inspection is worth planning.

Prewar housing. Clay sewer and cast iron are common in older districts.

Hillside access. Trenchless methods avoid tearing out walls and stairs.

Multi-unit buildings. One lateral can serve many tenants.

Theodore Nilsson

New Flow came out to my mothers house in Reseda and was able to clear the main line blockage. They were there within an hour and had very reasonable pricing. While there they identified another problem with the pipping(it is a 100 year old house lol) and came up with an option to replace some of the pipping. Definitely will be using them again for any problems down in the valley.

Valerie

Whenever something goes wrong at our North Hollywood condo property, Art answers the phone day or night, which is why New Flow Plumbing has handled our plumbing since the place was built. Just last week a huge problem hit at 10:00 pm with all the tenants stressing out, but they had someone walking through the door in twenty minutes to get it taken care of. They show up ready to work seven days a week for the small stuff and the emergencies alike, so I always know we are covered.

Michael

Had a sewage back up at a unit and Art was able to take care of my problem. Due to it being an older house it had quite significant problems (old piping, no clear out,etc). He took care of the clog, add clear out, and also discovered the toilets that were installed were incorrect ones since forever and replaced both toilets as well. He also gave me advice on what he would do with the current drainage problem and what he would do temporarily, and or the future for my piping. Was very reasonably priced. 100% satisfied with the service he provided.

Cherrie !

Shower was way too cold. Looked at the tank and could tell it was completely done, so we reached out to New flow to fix the plumbing in Granada Hills. The tech got the new hot water heater put in and even cleaned up some sloppy copper fittings left behind from our previous remodel so everything lined up straight. He was wrapped up and out the door by 3p, and the hot water was running before he left.

Ava-Lynnette De La Torre

Water was backing up into both my toilet and bathtub from a main line clog. A few plumbers gave weird replies, including one guy who threw out a random quote without even checking the pipes. I usually handle small things myself, but I needed real help here. Art came in and mapped out the whole line, running a camera to show me the blockages on the screen. He pushed past 60 feet clearing tree roots and debris, explaining the fix as he went. The final bill matched his quote. Thanks to them I can finally take a shower.

Melanie Hernandez

Great work from the best plumbers in the valley. I had a pretty big job done. They replaced the main water pipe out to the street. It was completed on time and they kept me informed during the down time (waiting for the city to approve the permit.) I would use them again. They are pleasant to work with.

Taye325

If you need a reliable plumber in Valley Village, save their number right now. Our new tenants moved into our rental last weekend and immediately hit us with a no hot water text. Found New Flow on Google, liked what I saw on their page, and gave them a call. Arman sent someone out just a few hours later. We looked at the old twenty year unit and agreed a full replacement made the most sense. They knocked it out the exact same day, saved my weekend, and kept the tenants happy. Already passed his name to a buddy of mine who hired him shortly after.

Ava Lamison

My parent's toilet was leaking and after messaging different places, I told my parents this place could fix our problem. Arman was the one who helped us out and after talking to him about a possible broken wax ring, he found the actual problem, roots in our pipes. He hydrojetted the roots and installed something to help keep the roots from growing for the next few years. So if you're have problems related to pipes, my family and I highly recommend coming here.

tal abutbul

We have been calling New Flow for plumbing services ever since they warned us six years ago that our ancient drain pipes were on their last legs. When the system finally failed, we shopped around for bids on a full repipe. Every single plumber gave us quotes without stepping foot under the house, except them. The team crawled under there, filmed the pipes, and showed us that our water lines were still completely fine. Arman gave us a fair quote for just the drains, and his crew finished the work in one day. Hard to find contractors this upfront and genuine.

Chloe

I cannot compliment New Flow Plumbing enough. They were recommended by our selling real estate agent for a sewage line inspection. They came out quickly, and Arman was very professional and polite right away. He was able to service the sewage line, provide thorough, expert knowledge, and give us recommendations. The pricing is excellent and fair, and I would definitely recommend using their services again. The HD video was provided for our own viewing, and it was emailed to us within hours of the visit. Overall a very enjoyable experience. 5 stars does not do it justice. Thanks again!!

Los Angeles plumbing from hills to flats See it first, fix it once.

Services Los Angeles owners and landlords request most.

Sewer camera inspection

Pipe bursting

Commercial plumbing

Water line repair

Los Angeles plumbing depends on the decade it was built.

What customers say about working with us.

Common plumbing problems across Los Angeles.

Plumbing questions in Los Angeles.

Serving all of Los Angeles, street by street.

Nearby areas we also serve

A Los Angeles plumber who shows you the problem.