Sewer Camera Inspection in Arvada, CO

Will the City of Arvada inspect my sewer line?

No. Arvada maintains more than 450 miles of sewer pipe and sends wastewater to Metro Water Recovery for treatment, but its utility pages are clear that the sewer service line from your house to the city main is yours, and that the city does not cut, clean or televise residential service lines. If you want to see inside your lateral, a plumber with a camera is the route. The exception to keep in mind is location: a few areas inside city limits are served by other districts, such as Clear Creek Sanitation District or Ralston Valley Water and Sanitation District, so check which one serves your address on the city's district maps before calling about a main.

What is a camera likely to find in an Arvada house?

That depends on when the house was built. The median Arvada home dates from 1979 and about 52.5% were built before 1980. Arvada grew quickly after World War II from its farming roots, so neighborhoods around Olde Town and along Ralston Road and Wadsworth Boulevard include plenty of older laterals. In those, a camera often finds root intrusion at joints, offset sections or cracked pipe. Newer homes toward the northwest are more likely to show settled spots or debris in plastic pipe. The city also points out that flushing wipes or paper towels violates city code, and those materials show up on camera as snags that catch everything else.

If the camera finds damage, who can fix it?

Repairs on your private property are plumbing work and need a city permit for water or sewer service repair. Arvada draws a line at the public right-of-way: work there requires a City of Arvada General Municipal Contractor's license, while plumbing license holders may pull permits for private-property work only. So if the footage shows a break under the street rather than in your yard, ask whether the plumber holds that municipal license or will bring in someone who does. Building Services at 720-898-7620 can answer permit questions.

A note on sump pumps

Arvada prohibits sump pump discharge into the sanitary sewer. If a camera shows clear water pouring into the lateral during dry weather, or a plumber notices a sump tied into the house drain, that connection needs to be rerouted. It can also overload a line that is already struggling with roots or a sag.