Clear the roots
A cable machine or hydro jetter cuts roots out and restores flow. It treats the symptom, and roots usually return through the same joint.
Homeowner guide
Covina sewer lateral guide: the pipe you own, roots included
In Covina, the property owner maintains the sewer lateral from the house all the way to the City main, including the part under the sidewalk and street, and including tree roots. Here is what that means and how to stay ahead of it.
Call (626) 746-1970Request service
Written and fact-checked by John, editor, MBA in marketing
Updated against City, utility and state sources
Quick answer
A sewer lateral is the private pipe that carries waste from your house to the public sewer main. In Covina, City Public Works says the homeowner maintains it to the main, including under the parkway, sidewalk and street, and including roots. The City owns parkway trees but will not remove them solely for roots in a lateral. LA County Sanitation Districts relining work covers public trunk sewers only.
- Lateral owner
- Property owner, to the main
- Tree roots
- Owner's responsibility
- Homes before 1970
- About two-thirds
- LACSD relining
- Public trunk sewers only
What a sewer lateral is and who owns it in Covina
A sewer lateral is the pipe that carries everything from your toilets, tubs and sinks to the public sewer main, and in Covina the property owner owns and maintains all of it.
Every house in Covina that drains to the public sewer has one. It starts where the drain lines leave the house, usually near a cleanout, runs under the yard and front parkway, and connects to the City's sewer main, which is usually under the street. City of Covina Public Works says homeowners are responsible for the connection between their house and the sanitary sewer system, including the area around it, such as nearby trees and their roots.
The City's handout on tree roots and sewer laterals is more specific. The homeowner maintains the lateral from the home to the main sewer line in the street, and that includes the part under the roadway, the parkway tree area and the sidewalk, even though those sit in City right of way. Maintenance means keeping the line flowing and clear of debris, tree roots included. The owner's responsibility ends at the sewer main.
| Section | Who owns and maintains it | Who to call |
|---|---|---|
| Drains and vents inside the house | Property owner | A plumber |
| Cleanout and lateral under the yard | Property owner | A plumber |
| Lateral under the parkway, sidewalk and street | Property owner (City handout) | A plumber; work in the street may involve Public Works |
| Local sewer main under the street | City of Covina | Public Works, 626-384-5220 |
| Regional trunk sewers | LA County Sanitation Districts | Handled through LACSD and the City |
Tree roots and Covina sewer laterals
Roots get into a lateral through cracks and leaking joints, and in Covina keeping them out is the owner's job, even when the tree is a City parkway tree.
The City's handout explains how it happens. Roots look for water and nutrients. A sound lateral is usually left alone, because roots grow over and around it. But a leak, even a small one at a joint, lets fine root hairs in. Inside the pipe they find steady water and nutrients, grow fast and eventually catch paper and debris until the line blocks and backs up into the house.
The City maintains about 9,400 street trees. It owns the parkway trees, and its handout says parkway trees will not be removed solely because of roots in a sewer lateral. So the practical fix is in the pipe, not the tree. The best protection, the City says, is keeping the lateral intact and leak-free.
Find the entry point
A camera shows which joint or crack the roots come through, how far from the cleanout and how deep.
Seal the pipe
A spot repair, liner or new section closes the gap so roots no longer have a way in.
For a City tree that is hazardous above ground, such as a broken limb or sidewalk uplift, Public Works takes reports at 626-384-5220 or through the Covina At Your Service app. That is a separate issue from the lateral. Our hydro jetting page explains root cutting and jetting, and our sewer lateral camera and repair page covers sealing the pipe for good.
Old sewer pipe in pre-1970 Covina homes
About two-thirds of Covina homes were built before 1970, and laterals from that era are commonly clay or cast iron pipe that has had decades to crack, shift and rust.
The City's Housing Element, certified in March 2024, says about two-thirds of Covina's homes were built before 1970 and about 58 percent are single-family detached houses. City code enforcement estimates that about 30 percent of homes need some repair and about 10 percent need major rehabilitation. Many of those houses still have their original lateral, the one put in when the house was built.
Homes of that era were commonly connected with vitrified clay pipe or cast iron. Both can last a long time, but they age in different ways. A camera is the only way to know which one you have and what shape it is in.
Clay pipe
- Short sections joined every few feet, which gives roots many joints to find
- Joints can separate or offset as soil settles
- Brittle, so it can crack under a tree root or heavy load
- Does not rust; the pipe wall itself can stay sound for a long time
Cast iron pipe
- Fewer joints than clay
- Rusts and scales from the inside over time, narrowing the pipe
- The bottom of the pipe can wear thin and crack lengthwise
- Rough interior scale catches paper and grease
Newer laterals and repairs usually use plastic pipe, which has fewer joints and does not rust. A house can have a mix: an original clay lateral with a plastic section where someone once dug up a root problem. If your house dates from before 1970, in downtown Covina, ZIP 91722 or anywhere else in town, assume the lateral may be original until a camera says otherwise.
Signs your Covina sewer lateral has a problem
The clearest sign of a lateral problem is more than one drain acting up at once, especially the lowest drain in the house backing up when other fixtures run.
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| One sink or tub is slow | A branch clog inside the house | Drain cleaning on that line |
| Toilets gurgle when the washer drains | Partial blockage in the lateral | Clear the main line, then camera it |
| Water comes up in the shower when a toilet flushes | Lateral blockage below the lowest fixture | Stop using water; call a plumber |
| Backups that return every few months | Roots coming back through a joint, or a sag holding waste | Camera inspection to find the cause |
| Sewer smell in the yard or a soggy patch over the line | Cracked or separated pipe | Camera and locate |
| Neighbors backing up at the same time | City main problem | Call Public Works, 626-384-5220 |
For a one-drain clog, our drain cleaning page is the right place. For repeat main line backups, the camera is what turns guessing into a plan.
Get a sewer camera inspection before buying a Covina home
A sewer camera inspection before you close is the only way to see the condition of a lateral you are about to own, and in a pre-1970 Covina house it is well worth doing.
A general home inspection usually runs water through the fixtures, but it does not look inside the lateral. Since the buyer inherits the whole pipe out to the City main, a camera inspection during escrow answers questions that otherwise show up after move-in. A plumber feeds a camera on a cable through the cleanout, records video to the main, and notes the distance and depth of any defect.
Schedule it during your inspection period
Leave time to get a repair quote and negotiate if the camera finds a problem.
Find the cleanout
Most homes have one near where the drain leaves the house. If there is none, the camera may go in through a toilet or roof vent, or a cleanout can be added.
Ask for the full video
Get the recording, not just a summary. Ask for the footage numbers where defects appear.
Look for these defects
Root intrusion, offset or separated joints, cracks, sags holding water, heavy scale in cast iron and broken sections.
Get a written repair price
A defect report is only useful in negotiation if it comes with a real number for the fix.
Published cost range: Angi lists a sewer line camera inspection at $275 to $1,800 (2026). The range is wide because simple inspections cost far less than jobs with no cleanout or difficult access. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote.
- Is the lateral clay, cast iron or plastic?
- Are there roots, and at which joints?
- Are there sags (bellies) holding water?
- Is there a usable cleanout?
- Is any section broken or collapsed?
- How far is the main from the house, and how deep is the pipe?
Lateral repair options and published cost ranges
The right fix depends on what the camera shows: cleaning for a clean pipe with a clog, spot repair for one bad section, lining for long runs of cracked pipe, and replacement for collapsed or badly sagging pipe.
| Option | When it fits | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Main line clearing | A blockage in otherwise sound pipe | $100 to $800 per visit (HomeAdvisor, 2025) |
| Hydro jetting | Roots, grease or heavy scale | $350 to $600 per line (Angi, 2026) |
| Camera inspection | Repeat backups, buying a home, before any repair | $275 to $1,800 (Angi, 2026) |
| Spot repair | One cracked or offset section with the rest in good shape | Quoted after camera inspection |
| Lining | Long runs of cracked or root-damaged pipe that still holds its shape | Quoted after camera inspection |
| Replacement | Collapsed pipe, deep sags, or pipe too broken to line | $1,388 to $5,323 per job (Angi, 2026); Angi also lists $60 to $250 per foot |
These are national published estimates, not quotes. Covina permits, depth, access, and work under a sidewalk or street can push a job toward the top. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote, in writing, before any work starts.
Permits and digging
Replacing or relining a lateral is permitted plumbing work in Covina, pulled in person at Building & Safety, 125 E College St. The trench or liner has to be inspected before it is covered. Anyone digging must call 811 at least two business days ahead so buried gas, power and water lines are marked. Work that reaches the street can also involve Public Works. Our Covina plumbing permit guide explains the counter and email inspection process.
The LA County Sanitation Districts relining project covers public trunk sewers only
LACSD's District 22 trunk sewer project relines about 20,736 feet of large public sewer in Covina and nearby cities, and it does not touch private laterals.
A trunk sewer relining project is not a fix for your own line. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts filed the District 22 Trunk Sewers Group 4 Rehabilitation Project in July 2024. According to the state CEQA filing, it rehabilitates about 20,736 feet of existing trunk sewer with a cured-in-place pipe liner and coats 92 manholes. The pipes are 10 to 24 inches across and made of concrete and cast iron. The work spans Azusa, Covina, Irwindale, San Dimas and West Covina, with reaches of the Covina Connection Extension Trunk in West Covina and Covina and a section of the Walnut Creek Trunk in Covina.
Trunk sewers are the large regional pipes. Local mains under neighborhood streets belong to the City. The lateral from your house to the main belongs to you. LACSD's project improves the first of those three only.
- Before 1970
Most homes built
About two-thirds of Covina homes date from this period, many with their original laterals.
- 2024
City roots handout
The City posts its tree roots and sewer laterals handout restating that the owner maintains the lateral to the main.
- July 2024
LACSD trunk relining filed
District 22 Trunk Sewers Group 4 project filed: about 20,736 feet of public trunk sewer.
How to keep a Covina sewer lateral working
Keep grease, wipes and roots out of the pipe, know where your cleanout is, and camera the line before it fails rather than after.
- Find your cleanout now and keep it clear of plants and mulch.
- Do not pour cooking grease down the sink; let it harden and throw it out.
- Flush only toilet paper. "Flushable" wipes catch on roots and old joints.
- Think about the lateral before planting a new tree in the front yard.
- If roots have been cut out once, plan a camera check to find the entry point.
- After two root backups, price a permanent repair instead of a third cleaning.
- Keep camera videos and repair records with your house papers for resale.
For the other numbers you may need, including Public Works and every water supplier, see who to call for water, sewer and gas in Covina. When you are ready to look inside your line, we can schedule a camera inspection and give you a written price for anything it finds.
Water where it shouldn't be? Call now.
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Questions Covina homeowners ask
Who is responsible for the sewer lateral in Covina?
The property owner. City of Covina Public Works says the homeowner maintains the lateral from the house to the City sewer main, including the section under the parkway, sidewalk and street, and including tree roots.
Will the City of Covina remove a parkway tree whose roots are in my sewer line?
Not for that reason alone. The City's handout says parkway trees will not be removed solely for roots in sewer laterals. The fix is to clear the roots and seal the pipe so they cannot get back in.
Does the LA County Sanitation Districts relining project fix my sewer lateral?
No. LACSD's District 22 project relines about 20,736 feet of public trunk sewer. It does not include private laterals, which remain the owner's responsibility.
Should I get a sewer camera inspection before buying a house in Covina?
Yes, especially for a house built before 1970. The buyer inherits the lateral to the City main. Angi lists camera inspections at $275 to $1,800 (2026). Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote.
What kind of sewer pipe do older Covina homes have?
Homes built before 1970, about two-thirds of Covina's housing, commonly have clay or cast iron laterals. Clay has many joints that roots can enter; cast iron rusts and scales inside. A camera shows which you have.
How do I know if my sewer lateral is clogged or the City main is?
If several drains in your house back up but neighbors are fine, it is usually your lateral. If neighbors back up at the same time or a street manhole overflows, call Public Works at 626-384-5220.
Do I need a permit to replace a sewer lateral in Covina?
Yes. Lateral replacement or lining is permitted work through City Building & Safety, and the work must be inspected before it is covered. Call 811 before digging. See our permit guide.
How much does sewer lateral replacement cost?
Angi's published national range is $1,388 to $5,323 per job (2026), or $60 to $250 per foot. Depth, access and permits affect the price. Call (626) 746-1970 for an exact quote.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these public sources, checked November 1, 2026.
- City of Covina Public Works
- City of Covina: Tree Roots and Sewer Laterals
- City of Covina 6th Cycle Housing Element
- CEQAnet: District 22 Trunk Sewers Group 4 Rehabilitation Project (LACSD)
- City of Covina Handout #14: Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Permits
- Angi: hydro jetting and sewer camera cost
- Angi: sewer line replacement cost
- HomeAdvisor: drain and main line clearing cost