60-minute guarantee · Coupon
Later than 60 minutes from call to door?
Here’s $60 off.
No code to remember: tell your plumber or our dispatcher and $60 comes off the invoice. Good 24/7 on emergency calls in our service areas. Guarantee terms
Open 24/7 · 60-minute guarantee
Excavation & Underground Lines
When a water service or sewer line fails underground, someone has to reach it. We find the problem first, so the dig is as small as it can be and in the right place, then repair or replace the line — old lead service lines included — and put the surface back.
At your location in 60 minutes or you save $60.
The short answer
If water is bubbling up through the sidewalk or yard, or a broken sewer line has the building backing up, keep people away from wet or sinking ground and stop using water inside. Then call us. We find the problem before anyone digs, have every buried utility marked out through 811, tell you which permits the sidewalk or street work needs, and give you the scope and price before we break ground.
Is this an emergency?
Call now if…
- Water is flowing up through the sidewalk, street or yard
- The ground over a line is sinking or has opened into a hole
- A broken sewer line has left the building with no working drains
- A line has been hit during digging and water or sewage is escaping
Can usually wait for a scheduled visit
- Replacing a lead or galvanized service line that isn’t leaking
- A planned sewer replacement after a camera inspection
- A larger water service for a renovation
Not sure? Call anyway — we’ll tell you honestly.
Do this right now
- Keep people and pets away from sinking ground, open holes and water coming up through the pavement.
- If you smell gas, get everyone out and away, don’t touch switches or flames, and call 911 or the gas utility from a safe distance outside.
- Don’t start digging yourself — every buried utility has to be marked out through 811 first.
Signs you need us
- Water bubbling up through the sidewalk, driveway or lawn in dry weather
- A new dip or crack in the pavement over the water or sewer line
- A sudden drop in pressure at every fixture in the building
- Water seeping in at the foundation wall where the service enters
- A service pipe that a magnet won’t stick to and that scratches bright silver
- Camera footage showing a collapsed section beyond the foundation wall
- A renovation or sprinkler system that needs a bigger water service
- Repeated sewer repairs at the same spot under the sidewalk
How we handle the call
- 01
Pinpoint before digging
A camera and locator on sewer lines, testing and tracing on water services — so we open one small hole in the right place instead of a long trench.
- 02
Mark-outs and permits
Every buried utility is marked out through 811 before we dig. Street and sidewalk openings need permits from the local government, and connections to public water or sewer need the utility’s permit. We build those steps into the plan and tell you what each one is waiting on — permit and inspection dates are set by the local government and the utility, not by us.
- 03
Protect the site
The opening is fenced or covered, with a safe way past for pedestrians and access kept open for neighbors.
- 04
Repair or replace
We fix the failed section or run a new line — including replacing lead or galvanized service lines — and test it before it’s covered.
- 05
Backfill and restore
After the required inspection, we backfill the opening and restore the sidewalk, driveway or yard.
Know your building
Digging at rowhouses, detached houses and larger buildings
At rowhouses and apartment buildings set close to the sidewalk, there’s very little room between the building and the street: the sidewalk, other utilities’ lines, often a street tree, and in some older buildings an areaway or a vault under the sidewalk. Detached houses usually have more room, but the line may cross a lawn, a driveway or a patio before it reaches the street, and all of it has to be put back. Before anyone digs, every buried utility has to be marked out through 811. Opening the sidewalk or street needs a permit from the local government, and connecting to the public water main or sewer needs the utility’s permit, so the job is scheduled around permits and inspections as much as around our crew.
Some older homes and buildings still get their water through a lead or galvanized service line. Since 2014, federal law has required new pipe and fittings that carry drinking water to be “lead free” — very low in lead — so a replacement service line is held to that standard. Who is responsible for the sewer connection varies — often the owner is, all the way to the public sewer, including the part under the street — and your sewer utility can tell you where your part ends. In shops, restaurants and offices, a renovation or a new sprinkler system can call for a larger water service, which means a new line from the main. Whatever the building, the opening is protected while it’s open, and the surface is put back when we’re done.
One visit, whole job
Everything covered on the call
- Water service line repair and replacement
- Lead service line replacement
- Galvanized service line replacement
- Sewer line excavation and repair
- Camera and locating before the dig
- 811 utility mark-outs
- Permit and inspection steps spelled out before work
- Site protection for pedestrians and neighbors
- Backfill and sidewalk restoration
Upfront price, every time
What excavation and underground repair costs
The price comes from what has to be opened, how big and how deep. A hole in a yard is a different job from a sidewalk opening, and an opening in the street adds permits, protection for traffic and pedestrians, and restoring the street surface. The length and depth of the line, the soil, the other utilities nearby and what has to be put back — concrete, a driveway, a lawn — all shape the price.
That’s why we locate first: a small, accurate opening costs less to dig and less to restore than a trench dug while hunting for the problem. You get a written scope and price before we break ground, with the permit and inspection steps spelled out. We don’t promise dates that depend on permits and inspections, but we keep you posted at every step.
Honest advice
Dig and replace, or make one targeted repair?
If the camera or testing shows one failed spot — a broken joint, a leaking fitting, a short collapsed section — a targeted repair through one small opening is usually the right call. It means less digging, less restoration and less disruption for you and the neighbors.
Replacing the whole line makes sense when the pipe is failing along its length, when it’s lead or old galvanized steel, or when it has to be bigger for a renovation. If the sidewalk or street is being opened anyway, doing the whole run at once can save opening it again in a few years. We price both so you can compare.
Mistakes that make it worse
- Digging even a small hole before utilities are marked out through 811
- Opening a long trench to hunt for a problem that could have been located from the surface
- Ignoring water coming up through the pavement — it washes out the soil and the ground can give way
- Clamping a leak on a lead service line and leaving the rest of the lead pipe in service
Keep it from happening again
- Have the sewer line checked with a camera before you pour a new driveway, walkway or patio over it
- Replace an old lead or galvanized service line while the sidewalk is already open for other work
- Make sure anyone digging on your property — fences, landscaping, additions — has an 811 mark-out first
- Keep the camera footage and a sketch of where your lines run, so the next dig starts in the right place
The 60-minute guarantee
The clock starts when our dispatcher confirms your job. If we’re late, $60 comes off your invoice. No forms, no fine-print games. Read the terms
FAQ
Excavation & Underground Lines questions
Do I need a permit to dig up the sidewalk?
Yes. Opening a sidewalk or street needs a permit from the local government, and connecting to the public water main or sewer needs the utility’s permit. Every buried utility also has to be marked out through 811 before digging starts.
How long does the job take?
The pipe work is the predictable part; the schedule is mostly set by permits, mark-outs and inspections, which aren’t in our hands. We lay out each step and won’t promise dates we don’t control.
Can you replace a lead service line?
Yes. We replace the line between the street and the building with new lead-free pipe, and the written scope spells out the permits and inspections the work needs. If you’re not sure what yours is made of, we can check it where it comes into the building.
How can I tell if my service line is lead?
Look at the pipe where the water line comes into the building, near the main shut-off or meter. Lead is dull gray and soft, a light scratch shows shiny silver, and a magnet won’t stick; galvanized steel is gray with threaded joints, and a magnet sticks. Many water utilities can also tell you what your service line is made of or offer lead testing; otherwise, an accredited lab can test your water.
Will you fix the sidewalk afterward?
Yes. Once the line is repaired and has passed inspection, we backfill the opening and restore the sidewalk, driveway or yard.
Will you have to dig up my whole yard?
Usually not. When the problem can be pinpointed, one small opening is often enough; replacing a whole line takes more, and we show you exactly where we’ll dig before we start.
More we handle
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