The washing machine drains and, a few seconds later, gray water comes up through the floor drain in the basement. Nothing is wrong with the washer. Somewhere between the house and the street, or between the house and the cesspool, the pipe everything shares has stopped carrying water away.
On Long Island the sewer line runs one of two ways. In a sewer district it goes to the main under the street. Everywhere else it goes to a septic tank or a cesspool in the yard. Either way, the repair starts with someone looking inside the pipe.
The camera comes first
Long Island Sewer and Water Main in Sayville puts a camera inspection at $175 to $350, and says to get one before you agree to any recurring drain service. A camera shows whether you have a soft clog, roots at a joint, a sag that holds water, or a section that has broken. Each has a different fix and a very different price, and a repair quote given without footage is only a guess.
They also say roughly 60% of the sewer line problems they see trace back to root intrusion, and that clay pipe, common in Nassau houses built in the 1950s and 1960s, is brittle and lets roots in at the joints.
Repair prices by what the camera finds
From Long Island Sewer and Water Main’s September 2026 price guide:
| Problem | Typical fix | Their range |
|---|---|---|
| Soft clog | Snaking | Under $200 |
| Heavy buildup or roots | Hydro jetting | $300 to $800 |
| Main line clog | Video inspection plus jetting | $600 to $1,600 |
| One bad section | Spot repair | About $1,000 each in their example |
| Localized collapse, under 15 feet | Partial replacement | $500 to $3,750 |
| Extensive collapse or several sections | Full line replacement | $2,000 to $10,000 |
| Whole line, any method | Replacement | $1,200 to $15,000 or more |
Dig or line
There are two ways to fix a pipe that has to be replaced.
Dig and replace. Long Island Sewer and Water Main puts traditional excavation at $50 to $200 per linear foot, plus restoring whatever was on top. A driveway alone can run $5,000 to $15,000 to replace, by their numbers.
Trenchless. A liner is pulled into the old pipe and cured in place, or a new pipe is pulled through as the old one is burst. Long Island Sewer and Water Main lists lining at $60 to $250 per linear foot, or $2,400 to $10,000 for a standard house line. All Island HVAC and Plumbing cites $90 to $250 per foot for lining as a national benchmark, and names the ASTM F1216 standard for how the liner is installed and cured. Ask the company to show you on the footage why their method fits your pipe.
Who owns the pipe
Long Island Sewer and Water Main says most municipalities, Nassau towns included, make the homeowner responsible for the lateral all the way from the foundation to the connection at the street main, even the stretch under the sidewalk. The Nassau County Department of Health says to ask the local sewer authority about connection rules and permits, and notes that the county does not keep those records.
Nassau also requires homes in sewered areas to connect to the sewer, and says the old cesspools, leaching pools and septic tanks on those properties have to be abandoned following county guidelines.
Permits and the county license
Long Island Sewer and Water Main says permit fees vary by town, from a few hundred dollars to about $500 or more. Ask who pulls the permit and whether it is in the price.
In Suffolk, the county code calls for a waste line cleaning and inspection endorsement on a liquid waste license for work on these pipes. In Nassau, the Office of Consumer Affairs licenses sewer cleaners as home improvement contractors.
What insurance usually pays for
Standard homeowners policies are written around sudden, accidental losses, per Long Island Sewer and Water Main. Roots, corrosion, wear and an old pipe giving out are usually excluded. Water backup coverage may pay for the flooring and drywall, but not the pipe. A service line endorsement covers the pipe, typically $10,000 to $20,000 of coverage for $30 to $40 a year by their figures, and has to be in place before anything goes wrong.
Ask before you sign
- Can I see the camera footage, and keep a copy?
- Where exactly is the problem, and how deep?
- Is this a spot repair, or does the whole line need replacing?
- Does lining work here, and why or why not?
- Who restores the driveway, lawn or sidewalk, and is it in the price?
- Who pulls the permit?