# Sewer Line Replacement Permit in Los Angeles: LADBS, S-Permits and Inspections | Angeleno Sewer Line Repair > Which sewer line replacement permit you need in Los Angeles: LADBS for the private side, a BOE S-Permit for the street, who pulls each and the inspections. URL: https://lasewerlinerepair.com/guide/sewer-permit-los-angeles/ Learn ## Sewer Line Replacement Permit in Los Angeles: What You Need and Who Pulls It Two agencies, two permits, and a line on the ground where one hands off to the other. Here is how the paperwork follows the pipe. By Angeleno Sewer Line Repair · Updated October 20, 2026 In the City of Los Angeles, a sewer line replacement permit comes from one of two agencies. Work on private property, from the house to the property line, needs an LADBS plumbing permit. Work on the lower lateral in the street or sidewalk needs a Bureau of Engineering S-Permit, which the City issues only to a Bonded Sewer Contractor. A typical full replacement touches both, so it carries both permits and two sets of inspections. [Angeleno Sewer Line Repair](/) arranges work through licensed, bonded and insured contractor partners, with right-of-way work done by a City of LA Bonded Sewer Contractor under a BOE S-Permit. This guide explains what each permit covers, who can pull it, what gets inspected and filmed, and the special cases: clearing, demolition caps, the Palisades rebuild and the neighboring cities. It assumes you know the basic parts of a lateral; if not, the [sewer lateral guide](/guide/sewer-lateral-los-angeles/) is the place to start. ### Where one permit ends and the other begins The handoff happens at the property line. **Private side: LADBS.** The Department of Building and Safety states that plumbing permits are required for any installation or modification of drainage systems. That covers the building drain and the upper lateral: open-trench replacement in the yard, a [spot repair](/sewer-spot-repair/) of one section, lining or bursting the private portion, a new cleanout, or a backwater valve. Bursting and lining on private property are covered in more detail on the [trenchless sewer repair](/trenchless-sewer-repair/) page. LADBS plumbing permits carry inspection types that include “Sewer” and “Sewer or Sewer Cap,” which is how the inspection of this work is recorded. **Public right-of-way: BOE.** The Bureau of Engineering’s S-Permit is required to construct a new house connection, connect at the property line to an existing one, or repair a damaged house connection lateral. BOE’s procedures say any repair, replacement or rehabilitation of the lateral within the public right-of-way requires an S-Permit issued to an active Bonded Sewer Contractor. Inspection of right-of-way work is done by the Bureau of Contract Administration. If a contractor proposes to replace “the whole line to the street” under a single plumbing permit, ask how the street section is being permitted. It should not be. ### Who is allowed to pull each permit **The S-Permit.** For anything in the right-of-way, the permit goes to a contractor on the City’s Bonded Sewer Contractor list. That list exists because a street cut puts public pavement, traffic and other utilities at risk, and the City wants a bonded, insured party answerable for it. This is the main reason fewer contractors bid street work: many plumbers are not on the list. The [street sewer lateral repair](/street-sewer-lateral-repair/) page describes the work itself. There is one exception worth knowing. Where a house connection already exists at the property line and the job is just connecting to it, BOE allows a plumber or contractor who is not on the Bonded Sewer Contractor list to obtain that “property line connection” S-Permit. It does not extend to repairing or replacing the lower lateral itself. **The LADBS permit.** The private-side plumbing permit is normally pulled by the licensed contractor doing the work. Ask that the permit be in the name of the company actually performing the work, and ask for the permit number before the trench is opened. A contractor who suggests skipping it to save time is also skipping the inspection that protects you and the paperwork that a rebate and a future buyer will ask for. ### The clearing exception, and where it stops LAMC 64.12(d) says no permit is required for the purpose of removing stoppages in any house connection sewer, except when it is necessary to replace any part or all of the sewer connection, or to excavate in any street, sidewalk or sewer easement. That draws a clear line between maintenance and repair. A cable machine, a root cutter or a [hydro jetter](/guide/hydro-jetting-vs-sewer-repair/) run through an existing cleanout is clearing, and it needs no City permit. The moment pipe is replaced, lined or burst, or the street or sidewalk is dug, the work needs a permit. Root cutting clears a line but does not repair the joint that let the roots in, which is exactly why it sits on the no-permit side. ### What gets inspected, and when the camera is required **Private-side inspection.** LADBS inspects the new pipe before it is buried. The inspector is looking at the material, joints, bedding and slope. For new house connections the City’s standard plans call for at least a 2% slope and at least 4 feet of cover at the property line, and a replacement is the moment to get those right. Leave the trench open until the inspection is signed off; covering it early can mean digging it up again. **Right-of-way inspection.** A BCA inspector inspects street-side work. Camera requirements depend on the method, according to BOE’s general conditions and processing procedures: Street-side work Who performs it Camera (CCTV) requirement Lining or other rehabilitation Bonded Sewer Contractor Before and after. The BCA inspector assesses the lateral and determines whether lining is feasible. Pipe bursting Bonded Sewer Contractor Before and after construction. Full replacement by open trench Bonded Sewer Contractor Not required unless the replacement uses trenchless methods. BCA inspects. Reconnecting a capped lateral Varies Required. The inspection is done by an LADBS plumbing inspector. The pre-work video is not a formality. City inspectors grade lateral footage Excellent, Fair, Poor or Very Poor. A Very Poor grade, which covers major cracks, offsets, collapse or a compromised connection, means repair is required under a supplemental S-Permit. A Poor grade makes repair a recommendation, except for cement pipe, where it is required. The [inspection report guide](/guide/how-to-read-a-sewer-inspection-report/) explains how those grades relate to what you see on the video. ### What the City charges The Bureau of Engineering’s posted fees for street-side lateral work include the S-Permit at $273, plus City surcharges of 7% and 3%; house connection inspection at $2.84 per linear foot; and $42 for each additional inspection trip. If the project removes asphalt pavement and base in the roadway, a Street Damage Restoration Fee applies per square foot, set by the street’s classification and how recently it was resurfaced: $8.24 per square foot on a local street and $19.44 on a select street in the current schedule. LADBS private-side permit fees are small relative to the job. LADBS publishes the current schedule, and a fee update was approved in 2026. The construction cost of street work, meaning excavation, shoring, traffic control and paving, is far larger than any of these fees. The [replacement cost guide](/guide/sewer-line-replacement-cost-los-angeles/) covers that side. ### Permits that ride along A lateral job can pull in other approvals: - **Street trees.** Pruning the roots of a City parkway tree requires a StreetsLA Urban Forestry permit, which is free. Removing the tree is a separate request. - **Traffic and work hours.** Street work must follow the City’s traffic control requirements and BOE’s peak-hour rules on busier streets, and BOE checks whether a street is under a moratorium, is a State highway, or is County-owned, any of which adds another agency. - **Recently paved streets.** Streets resurfaced recently can carry cut restrictions or higher restoration costs. Ask the bonded contractor to check the street’s status before you commit to an open cut. - **Trench safety.** On an [excavated replacement](/sewer-line-excavation/), trenches 5 feet and deeper require a protective system such as shoring under Cal/OSHA and federal OSHA rules. That is a safety rule, not a permit, but it is enforced on permitted jobs and it is non-negotiable: trench collapse is one of the most dangerous hazards in construction. ### Sewer caps before demolition If a building is being demolished, the sewer has to be capped first. LADBS requires the applicant to obtain a sewer cap permit, which is a plumbing permit, before demolishing a building that has a sewer line. The cap seals the lateral so soil, debris and groundwater cannot enter the public system while the lot is empty. When the new building is ready to connect, the capped lateral is not simply uncapped. BOE requires a camera inspection to reconnect a capped lateral, with inspection by an LADBS plumbing inspector, and the footage decides whether the old lateral is reused or repaired first. ### Rebuilding in Pacific Palisades The City’s recovery guidance for fire-damaged properties applies those rules directly. Reconnecting to the sewer requires an S-Permit, and the existing lateral must be filmed before reconnection, with a City inspection scheduled first. According to the City’s handout, a lateral in poor condition that poses no threat to the street may be reconnected as-is at the owner’s choice. A lateral that could damage the roadway, create sinkholes or leak must be repaired or replaced before reconnection. The same guidance notes that an existing 4-inch lateral in good condition may be reconnected without upsizing to 6 inches. Rebuild owners in the [Pacific Palisades](/service-areas/pacific-palisades/) area should schedule the camera inspection early, because its result can change the site plan and the budget. ### Outside the City of Los Angeles Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank and unincorporated County areas all issue their own permits for lateral work and inspect it themselves. The City of LA’s Bonded Sewer Contractor list and S-Permit do not apply there. Glendale, for example, uses a plumbing permit for private-side work and a separate Public Works right-of-way permit for work from the sidewalk to the street. Before any job outside the City, confirm with that city’s building and public works departments which permits apply and who may hold them. ### What to ask for before work starts Ask any contractor, in writing, which permits the job needs, who will pull each one, and who will meet each inspector. Then ask for three documents when the job is done: the finaled permits, the before and after camera video, and an itemized invoice. Those are what the City’s inspectors, the [LA Sanitation rebate](/guide/la-sewer-lateral-rebate/), a future buyer and your own records will all ask for, and they are much harder to assemble after the fact. Questions about your own line? Phones answered 24/7, every day. A camera inspection answers most of them. [Call (213) 782-3753](tel:+12137823753)[Get an Estimate](/contact/) ### Questions people ask #### Do I need a permit to have my sewer line cleared or jetted in Los Angeles? Not for clearing alone. LAMC 64.12(d) exempts removing stoppages in a house connection sewer from the permit requirement, except when any part of the sewer is replaced or when the street, sidewalk or a sewer easement has to be excavated. Rooting and hydro jetting through a cleanout are clearing. Replacing a section, lining or bursting is not. #### Can my plumber pull the permit for the part of the sewer under the street? Usually not. Repair, replacement or rehabilitation of the lateral in the public right-of-way needs a Bureau of Engineering S-Permit issued to an active Bonded Sewer Contractor. The exception is a simple property-line connection to an existing house connection, which BOE allows a plumber or contractor who is not on the bonded list to obtain. #### Is trenchless sewer work permitted and inspected in Los Angeles? Yes. On private property it falls under an LADBS plumbing permit. In the right-of-way, BOE requires an S-Permit, camera video before and after lining or pipe bursting, and a City inspector who assesses whether lining is feasible. Trenchless changes how the pipe goes in, not whether it is permitted. ### Keep reading - [What Is a Sewer Lateral? A Los Angeles Owner's Guide](/guide/sewer-lateral-los-angeles/) - [Who Is Responsible for Sewer Line Repair in Los Angeles?](/guide/who-is-responsible-for-sewer-line-los-angeles/) - [Sewer Lateral Repair Rebate in Los Angeles: Eligibility, Documents and Deadlines](/guide/la-sewer-lateral-rebate/) - [How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Los Angeles?](/guide/sewer-line-replacement-cost-los-angeles/) - [How to Read a Sewer Inspection Report](/guide/how-to-read-a-sewer-inspection-report/) - [Sewer Line Replacement →](/sewer-line-replacement/)