Sewer Camera Inspection in Boulder, CO

The City of Boulder Utilities runs the public sewer and treats wastewater at the Boulder Water Resource Recovery Facility, while the drain pipe leaving your house is handled by a plumber. A camera inspection records that pipe from the inside and shows whether roots, cracks, a sag or buildup is behind slow drains or backups. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Boulder.

Signs it is time for a camera

Backups in the lowest drain in the house, often a basement shower or floor drain
Gurgling from toilets when a sink or tub empties
Many fixtures turning sluggish together
Sewage smell in the basement or near an outside cleanout
A main line that needs clearing over and over

The pattern matters more than any single symptom. If only one sink is slow, look at that sink. If the whole house is affected, the shared building sewer is the likely source, and a camera tells you exactly what is wrong with it.

Local conditions in Boulder

Boulder is an old city by Front Range standards, incorporated in 1871 and set against the Flatirons, with the University of Colorado campus and the Pearl Street Mall at its center. Neighborhoods near downtown, Chautauqua and the university include many older homes, and older building sewers can be clay or cast iron with joints that let roots in over time. The city's own water service line inventory found no lead service lines, and it encourages owners of homes built before 1956 to verify their pipe material, a good reminder of how much of the housing stock predates modern plastic pipe.

The city maintains the public mains and treats wastewater at its Water Resource Recovery Facility, which returns treated water to Boulder Creek. For sewer maintenance questions or after-hours problems on the city side, the number is 303-441-3200. If the camera shows the blockage is beyond your lateral, that is who to call.

Call now to be connected with a local plumber in Boulder.

(303) 529-9880

What affects the cost

Getting in. A cleanout makes it simple. No cleanout means going through a toilet or vent.
Clearing first. A backed-up line has to be opened before the camera can see.
Distance and layout. Long runs and multiple bends take more time.
Documentation. Locating defects from the surface and saving the footage add a little time.

What happens when you call

You are connected with an independent local plumber who works in Boulder. Describe which drains are affected and whether there has been a backup. If the footage leads to a repair, City of Boulder Planning and Development Services issues plumbing permits; clearing a stoppage is exempt, but replacing concealed drain piping counts as new work that needs one.

Sewer Camera Inspection questions in Boulder

Do I need a permit if the camera finds a broken line?

For a replacement, usually yes. Boulder exempts minor work such as clearing stoppages, but replacing concealed drain piping counts as new work needing a permit from Planning and Development Services.

Can the camera tell what my sewer pipe is made of?

In most cases. That helps in Boulder, where the city encourages owners of pre-1956 homes to check pipe materials.

Does the drain have to be cleared before the camera goes in?

If wastewater is standing in the line, yes. The plumber clears enough of it for the lens to see the pipe.

Who should I call first when sewage backs up?

If it is only your house, call a plumber. If the problem may be in the city sewer, City of Boulder Utilities takes sewer calls at 303-441-3200.