"What's beneath your property
is our business."

San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission requires a lateral inspection — and a passing compliance certificate — before most residential properties can transfer title. The lateral is the private pipe running from your building to the city main. If it's cracked, root-intruded, or deflecting more than SFPUC allows, you must repair it before the certificate is issued. We inspect, report, and issue the certificate in one visit when conditions permit.

The camera scope takes 45 minutes to two hours depending on access and lateral length. You receive a written report with timestamped video stills the same afternoon. If your escrow is closing within 72 hours, call us directly — we maintain a same-day inspection slot for time-sensitive transactions.

Properties on private septic systems are not subject to the SFPUC lateral ordinance, but they are subject to San Francisco's Environmental Health septic regulations. Before a sale, you'll want a tank inspection, a leach field assessment, and documentation that the system is not in failure. We handle all three.

Common findings include root intrusion from street trees, offset joints in century-old clay pipe, belly sections where soil has shifted under the pipe, and concrete-to-clay transition cracks near the property line. Marcus walks every client through the footage on a tablet in real time. You will understand exactly what you're looking at before the truck leaves your driveway.

Trenchless CIPP lining typically runs $4,500–$9,000 for a standard 50-foot residential lateral, depending on diameter and access. Open-cut replacement in rock-heavy soil or under a concrete driveway can reach $18,000–$28,000. We provide a written repair estimate within 24 hours of inspection. We do not mark up subcontractors — every repair is performed by our own licensed crew.

Household size, garbage disposal use, and proximity to the water table all affect pump frequency. Hillside properties with high groundwater in the Outer Richmond and Sunset often see faster tank fill rates than properties on well-drained slopes in Glen Park or Noe Valley. We'll measure your sludge and scum layers on the first visit and give you a written schedule based on actual readings, not a sales pitch.

Most pre-1940 San Francisco Victorians have 4-inch clay laterals with cleanouts accessible from the basement or crawlspace. Our push cameras fit through 3-inch access points. In the rare case where no cleanout exists, we can install a temporary saddle cleanout without digging — same-day service in most cases.

Multi-unit buildings typically have a single shared lateral from the building to the main. One camera inspection covers the shared run. However, if the building has a central stack with individual unit connections, we scope the main lateral plus any accessible branch lines. We offer property manager accounts with invoicing net-30 and consolidated annual inspection scheduling.

A sewer lateral connects your building to the city's combined sewer main, which handles both wastewater and stormwater. A septic system is entirely on your property: tank, distribution box, and leach field. In San Francisco, most properties within the urban grid are on the city sewer. Properties in the far western neighborhoods, on larger lots, or in unincorporated areas near the county line may still have private systems. If you're unsure, we can pull your SFPUC property record and confirm in five minutes over the phone.

Call us immediately. We have a documented repair-and-re-inspect process that real estate attorneys and title companies recognize. In straightforward cases — a short section of root intrusion or a single offset joint — we can complete trenchless lining and issue a passing certificate within five to seven business days. We will communicate directly with your agent and the title company so you are not the relay point for technical questions at a stressful moment.