Sewer Excavation in Lawrenceville, GA

Sewer excavation begins where cleaning and patching run out: the building sewer is dug up so a failed section can be cut out and new pipe set in its place. For a Lawrenceville homeowner it pays to know exactly where that boundary sits, because it decides what the job involves, what paperwork it needs and who has to see the work before the ground is closed again.

Three kinds of sewer work

Most sewer calls fit one of three groups, and people often blur them together.

• Maintenance. A cable or jetter is run through the line to clear a stoppage. Nothing is dug up and no pipe is replaced.
• Replacing private pipe. The yard is opened to remove a cracked, crushed or sagging piece of the building sewer, and new pipe is laid between the house and the public system.
• Work at the public sewer. The connection where your line meets the public main is uncovered, opened or changed.

Each step down that list adds digging, inspection and coordination, so the first task on any call is to work out honestly which group the problem belongs in.

Where the city draws the line

Lawrenceville's code is clear about the difference between the first two groups. Clearing a stoppage or stopping a leak needs no permit, but swapping a defective buried drain or waste pipe for new material counts as new work, which brings a permit and an inspection. A sewer excavation nearly always lands on that side, since its whole purpose is to take out pipe that has failed. The city's Planning & Development Department handles building permits for plumbing, and applications are filed online through its permits portal.

Where Gwinnett County comes in

Lawrenceville sits in Gwinnett County, and a section of the city code says nobody may expose, open, tie into or change a public sewer in the city without written permission from the county first. If the break sits on your own line, short of the public main, that step may never come up. If the trouble is at the connection itself, or the line has to join the public sewer in a new place, the county permit belongs on the schedule before the excavator arrives.

Sorting out which group your job is in

The evidence comes from inside the pipe. A sewer camera inspection shows what kind of defect is there, and the footage counter tells how far it sits from the cleanout. With a locator tuned to the camera head, that point and its depth can be flagged on the lawn. A grease plug or soft root mass in otherwise sound pipe points to maintenance, and hydro jetting may be all the line needs. A broken, offset or flattened section points to excavation, unless the old pipe still holds its shape well enough to be lined in place.

What the dig itself looks like

Once the job is confirmed as a replacement, the route is marked, buried utilities are flagged through Georgia 811, and the trench is opened over the damaged section. The crew cuts back to sound pipe on each side, sets the new length on firm bedding with a steady fall toward the street, and joins it with couplings made for both materials. After the line is tested and inspected, soil goes back in compacted layers and the surface is restored as agreed. A broken pipe under the slab or in a yard drain is a separate project, handled as drain excavation.

Questions about sewer excavation in Lawrenceville

Can the new pipe follow a different route from the old one?

Sometimes. If the old route runs under a patio, a large tree or an addition, the replacement can take a new path as long as it keeps a steady fall from the house to the connection, and the old pipe is cut off and capped so it cannot carry water. If the new route changes where the line meets the public sewer, though, the job becomes work at the public system and needs the county's permission.

What if sewage is backing up and the line has to be fixed right away?

Get the line flowing first if that is possible, since clearing a stoppage needs no permit. If the pipe has failed and must be replaced at once, the city's code handles emergencies by requiring the permit application within the next two working days. The repair still counts as new work, so the inspection still applies, and photos and footage of the failed pipe are worth keeping.

How can I tell whether my repair reaches the public sewer?

Ask where the defect sits relative to the end of your own line. A break near the house or in the middle of the yard is usually on the private building sewer. Trouble right where your pipe meets the public main, or a plan to connect at a new point, is public-sewer work, and that is when the county's written permission comes in. The utility can confirm where its side begins.

Talk it over first

Not sure whether your line needs a cleaning, a replacement or work at the public connection? Call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448 and we will help pin down which one it is before any digging is planned.