Camera diagnosis first
Nothing gets quoted until we have seen the line. The defect type and its position decide which method is appropriate — or whether trenchless is appropriate at all.
Drain & Sewer · Northern Virginia
Replace the line without losing the driveway and the trees.
Quick answer
Trenchless sewer repair replaces or rehabilitates a failing sewer lateral through small access points instead of a full open trench across your yard. LeMaster Plumber uses pipe lining and pipe bursting for homeowners across Northern Virginia, which protects driveways, walkways, mature trees and landscaping. Whether a line is a candidate depends on what the camera shows — some failures suit lining, some suit bursting, and some genuinely need excavation.
The reason a failing sewer line feels so expensive is rarely the pipe. It is the driveway, the mature oak, the patio and the lawn that a traditional trench goes straight through. Trenchless methods change that arithmetic by working through access pits at each end rather than opening the whole run.
Nothing gets quoted until we have seen the line. The defect type and its position decide which method is appropriate — or whether trenchless is appropriate at all.
A resin-saturated liner is drawn into the existing pipe and cured in place, forming a new jointless pipe inside the old one. Well suited to cracked or root-invaded lines whose shape is still sound.
A bursting head is pulled through the old pipe, fracturing it outward while drawing new pipe in behind. The route for a line that is collapsed, badly offset, or needs to be replaced outright.
We pull the required county plumbing permit for work on private property and the repair is inspected, so the job is documented and closed out properly.
The access points are backfilled and the area left tidy — a fraction of the disruption of a full trench.
Being clear about the edges of a job is how you avoid a surprise halfway through it:
We video the lateral, identify every defect along the run, and locate the position and depth of the ones that matter.
Lining, bursting, a spot repair, or open excavation — the line decides, not the sales pitch. We explain why, and what each would mean for your yard.
A repair or replacement on private property requires a county plumbing permit. We handle it, and dig only the access pits the method needs.
The liner is cured in place, or the new pipe is drawn through as the old one is burst outward, depending on the method.
We camera the finished line so you can see the result, confirm flow, and the work is inspected before we call it done.
Why LeMaster Plumber
You approve the price before we start — no surprises and no pressure. You’ll always know the cost before any work begins.
Every job is backed by proper training, the right permits, and a workmanship guarantee.
We show up on time, protect your space, and leave the job cleaner than we found it.
We quote every job upfront and you approve the price before any work begins. What we cannot do honestly is put a number on this page without seeing your situation — so here is what actually moves it:
A longer, deeper lateral means more material and more excavation at the access points.
Lining and bursting are different jobs with different equipment; a spot repair on a short defect is different again.
Where the access pits can go, and what sits on top of the line, changes the work substantially.
A county plumbing permit is required on private property; work reaching the public street adds a state permit.
The tie-in at the house and at the public main can be straightforward or can turn out to need work of its own — which is one more reason we camera first.
Some homes have no usable access point, and adding one is part of the job.
The sewer lateral is yours. Fairfax County states plainly that the building lateral is considered part of the home, that maintenance, repair and replacement are the property owner’s responsibility under Section 504.1 of the Virginia Property Maintenance Code, and that the county is responsible for maintaining the public sewer in the street or easement (Fairfax County, Sanitary Sewer House Lateral).
On permits, the same county publication is specific: a repair or replacement on private property requires a plumbing permit from the county; if the repair extends into the public street (VDOT right-of-way) a state permit is required as well; the plumber must be certified, licensed and bonded; and repairs are inspected by the Building Inspections Branch. Be wary of any quote that treats permits and inspection as optional.
Sewer laterals are typically 4 inches in diameter and public mains 8 inches and larger, and the lateral sits on private property while the main is usually in a public street or a dedicated county easement — which is why locating the line matters before anyone commits to a method. For as-built information Fairfax County’s Wastewater Planning and Monitoring Division can be reached at 703-324-5015 (Fairfax County DPWES).
Ready to get it sorted? Pick your own appointment time online.
Or call (703) 832-9090 — we answer 24/7.
We cover all of Fairfax County — Fairfax, Centreville, Chantilly, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, Burke, Springfield, McLean, Annandale and every community in between — plus Ashburn, Sterling and South Riding in Loudoun, and neighboring Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and Manassas.
No, and anyone who says otherwise has not looked at your line. Lining needs a host pipe whose shape is still intact; bursting needs a path it can pull new pipe through. A severely collapsed line, a sharp offset, or certain tie-in conditions can still call for excavation. The camera decides.
Lining cures a new resin pipe inside the existing one, so the old pipe stays where it is and becomes the mould. Bursting destroys the old pipe outward and pulls a new one into its place. Lining suits cracks and root intrusion in a structurally sound line; bursting suits a line that is collapsed or has to be replaced entirely.
In Fairfax County, yes — a repair or replacement on private property requires a county plumbing permit, and work reaching the public street requires a state permit too. The county also requires that a certified, licensed and bonded plumber does the work and that it is inspected. We handle the permit as part of the job.
That is the point of the method. Instead of a trench along the whole run, trenchless work needs access pits — typically at each end. Driveways, walkways, patios and mature tree roots over the line generally stay where they are. Around the access points there is real digging, and we backfill and tidy it.
Most residential laterals are a job of a day or so once permitting is in place, but the honest answer depends on length, depth, method and what we find at the connections. We give you a schedule with the quote rather than after.
It is a reasonable prompt. Laterals in a neighbourhood tend to be the same age, the same material and under the same trees. A camera inspection is a much cheaper way to find out than a backup is.
Get In Touch
Pick your own appointment time online in about a minute — or call for emergencies, or send a few details with the form and we'll get right back to you.