Sewer Camera Inspection in Los Angeles and Orange County
A camera inspection, also called a sewer scope, shows what’s inside your sewer line without digging. Target Plumbers runs a waterproof camera from your cleanout to the city connection and records the whole trip. We mark on the ground where each problem sits and how deep it is, then give you the video and a written report you can use to buy a house, compare repair quotes or claim a rebate.
- Full recorded video, yours to keep
- Defects located and depth-marked on the surface
- Licensed plumbing contractor
When a camera inspection is worth booking
- You’re buying a home. A general home inspection usually stops at the foundation: the InterNACHI Standards of Practice say the inspector isn’t required to inspect underground utilities (InterNACHI SOP, section 3.2). A separate sewer scope during your inspection period covers the buried pipe.
- The same drain keeps clogging. If a line needs clearing every few months, something in the pipe is catching waste. The video shows whether it’s roots, a sag or a broken joint.
- Right after a backup is cleared. The line is open and clean, which is the best time to see its real condition.
- Before you build over it. A new driveway, patio, addition or ADU over an old lateral is the wrong place to find a crack later.
- You have a repair quote and want to check it. Footage with distances lets a second contractor price the same problem.
City of Los Angeles owners: up to $300 back on the inspection
LA Sanitation offers a rebate of up to $300 toward a CCTV inspection of your private sewer lateral if you pay the City’s sewer service charge, whether the property is a house, an apartment building or a business. Rebates are paid first-come, first-served from an annual quota (LA Sanitation sewer lateral CCTV rebate). To qualify:
- A licensed, bonded sewer contractor does the inspection.
- The video shows your property address at the very start. We film the address card before the camera goes in.
- You include the inspection report, an invoice showing the contractor’s license number, itemized costs and proof of payment, your latest DWP bill and your APN.
- You apply within six months of the inspection through MyLA311 under “Sewer or Sidewalk Rebates.”
If the video shows the lateral needs fixing, the same program offers a separate repair rebate of up to $2,500. That application has to be filed within 60 days of the repair and needs the signed final inspection card (LASAN rebate fact sheet). Check the current quota with LA Sanitation before you count on either one.
What happens during the inspection
- Access. We open your cleanout. If there isn’t one, we go in through a toilet flange or a roof vent.
- Address card and start point. The recording opens on your address and the access point, so the footage can be matched to your property.
- Camera run. A self-leveling camera head on a push cable travels down the lateral while a counter on screen logs the distance from the access point.
- Locate and mark. A transmitter in the camera head lets us find it from above at each finding. We mark the spot on the ground and note the depth.
- Walk-through. You watch the key moments with the technician before we leave and can ask what each finding means.
What you get afterwards
- The complete video file, not just clips
- A written report listing each finding with its distance from the access point
- Still images of the main findings
- Pipe material and approximate depth where we could measure it
- A plain recommendation: no action, maintenance, or repair, with the reasons
How to read your sewer camera report
Cities that inspect public sewers grade them under NASSCO’s PACP standard, which separates structural defects (damage to the pipe itself) from operation and maintenance defects (things that slow the flow). Structural problems usually need an engineering assessment and take priority (NASSCO PACP condition grading). Our reports use the same two groups:
| Term in your report | Group | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Fine roots / root mass | Maintenance (roots also mean an opening) | Roots got in through a joint. Fine roots can be cut out; a mass that fills the pipe usually means the joint needs sealing or lining. |
| Grease, scale or attached deposits | Maintenance | Buildup narrowing the pipe. Cleaning solves it; the pipe may be fine underneath. |
| Standing water / sag / belly | Structural (grade) | A section has settled and holds water. Small sags can be watched; deep ones keep collecting waste. |
| Offset or separated joint | Structural | Pipe sections have shifted. The lip catches paper, and the gap lets roots and soil in. |
| Crack or fracture | Structural | The pipe wall is split. How long it lasts depends on length, location and whether soil shows through. |
| Hole, broken section or collapse | Structural, urgent | The pipe has failed at that spot. Plan a repair soon. |
| Infiltration | Maintenance (often a structural cause) | Groundwater is seeping in through a defect, which can wash soil away around the pipe. |
Repair options for structural findings are explained on our sewer line repair page.
Other Services
What a camera can't show
- Under standing water. In a deep sag, the pipe floor is underwater. We note it as a sag rather than guess what’s beneath.
- Past a full blockage. If the line is plugged, it has to be cleared first. Then the camera can go through.
- Behind heavy buildup. Thick grease or scale can hide cracks. Sometimes the line is cleaned with hydro jetting and filmed again.
- Outside the pipe. The camera sees the pipe wall, not voids or soil around it. Depth readings from the locator are close but approximate.
What decides the price
- How the camera gets in: a cleanout is quickest, while a toilet pull or roof access takes longer
- Length of the run to the city connection
- Whether the line has to be cleared before filming
- Locating, depth marking and a written report for a buyer, insurer or the LA rebate
You get the price before the visit.
Sewer camera inspection FAQs
Is a sewer camera inspection worth it?
For an older home, a home you’re about to buy, or a line that keeps clogging, usually yes. The inspection costs far less than replacing a lateral, and it tells you whether there’s a problem before you’re committed to one. In the City of Los Angeles a rebate can cover part of it.
How much does a sewer camera inspection cost?
Access, line length, whether the pipe must be cleared first and the type of report you need all affect it. We give the price before booking.
How long does a sewer camera inspection take?
Most of the time goes to getting access and locating each finding from above. A home with an open cleanout and a short lateral takes far less time than one where a toilet has to be pulled.
Does a regular home inspection check the sewer line?
Usually not past the house. Under the InterNACHI Standards of Practice, home inspectors aren’t required to inspect underground utilities, so the buried lateral needs a separate sewer scope.
Do I get a copy of the video?
Yes, the full recording, starting with your address, along with a written report and still images. You can share them with a buyer, seller, insurer or another contractor.
Can you tell where the damage is and how deep it is?
Yes. A transmitter in the camera head lets us locate it from the surface. We mark each problem spot on the ground and record its approximate depth, so any repair can be targeted.
Is there a rebate for a sewer camera inspection in Los Angeles?
Owners who pay the City of Los Angeles sewer service charge can apply to LA Sanitation for up to $300. The video must start with the property address, and you have to apply within six months. Funding is limited each year.
Is a sewer scope the same as a camera inspection?
Yes. “Sewer scope” is the term home inspectors and buyers use. “Camera inspection” or “CCTV inspection” is what plumbers and cities call it. Either way, a camera is run through the line and the trip is recorded.
Related sewer services
- Sewer line repair for cracks, offsets and collapsed sections
- Sewer line clean out when the line is blocked before filming
- Hydro jetting to strip grease and roots before a second look
- Mainline cleanout installation for easier inspections in the future
- Re-routing sewer pipes when the old path can’t be saved
Camera inspections from our offices
Book any inspection on (844) 941-2727. The camera truck comes from the nearest of these offices:
- Huntington Beach — 16787 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 · (714) 930-2196
- Santa Ana — 2041 N Main St, Santa Ana, CA 92706 · (714) 386-1775
- Anaheim — 1110 E Orangefair Ln, Anaheim, CA 92801 · (714) 559-3502
- Long Beach — 4400 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814 · (562) 242-3929
- Santa Monica — 1053 18th St #755, Santa Monica, CA 90403 · (310) 388-3824
- Artesia — 18128 Pioneer Blvd #648, Artesia, CA 90701 · (562) 414-4415
Book a sewer camera inspection
Tell us why you want the inspection (buying, repeat clogs, after a backup, before construction or the LA rebate), whether you know where the cleanout is, and your city. If you’re in escrow, include your inspection deadline and we’ll work to it.