Why is the sewer boundary not the same across Virginia?
Each locality decides. Public utilities departments in Virginia write their own ordinances, so the point where the city's pipe ends varies.
Where we could not find a simple published rule, our city pages say so and suggest asking the department. Owners generally keep the private lateral, and the pages below explain how to find out where yours begins.
Tidewater: Virginia Beach and Chesapeake
These two neighbors share low ground, tidal influence and big tourist and residential loads.
Local pages: Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Crews also take calls from Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton and Newport News.
Central Virginia: Richmond
The state capital has some of Virginia's oldest housing, with clay laterals and mature street trees.
Local page: Richmond. Calls from just across the Potomac, including the District, are covered by the Washington, DC page. Callers also reach us from Henrico, Chesterfield, Glen Allen, Mechanicsville and Petersburg.
What stresses Virginia sewer lines?
Roots, grease and wet ground. EPA names grease and tree roots among the primary causes of sewer blockages.
Coastal moisture keeps roots active in Tidewater, Richmond's century-old rowhouses carry clay laterals with many joints, and the beachfront resort kitchens run grease-heavy loads through the summer. Each of those calls for a different first step, which is why the city pages treat them separately and say plainly where we could not find a published boundary rule. Services that match: sewer line jetting, tree root removal, sewer camera inspection, and storm drain jetting. Another state? Browse the areas we serve.