Sewer Lateral Repair Program

A sewer lateral is defined as the portion of the sewage system that carries household wastes to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) or private sewer main and which begins approximately six inches from the cast iron or plastic stub-out point outside the foundation or exterior wall of the residential dwelling structure and ends at the MSD or private sewer main. A defective lateral sewer service line is a line that is not functioning properly.

The City of Brentwood’s Sewer Lateral Program applies to single-family residential and single-family fee simple ownership. The Board of Aldermen updated the sewer lateral repair program in October 2019, with an effective date of January 1, 2020. Key points:

  • For non-emergency qualified repairs, it is the property owner’s responsibility to obtain a minimum of three (3) quotes.
  • The Sewer Lateral Repair Program is intended to assist property owners who have continuous sewer blockages and no sanitary sewer service. The program is not intended to satisfy a home sale contingency. If the home buyer, seller or Realtor has the sewer lateral inspected and defects are noted with no history of blockages, or otherwise not meeting the repair program criteria, then the repair request will be rejected.
  • The qualified repair cost limit of up to $3,500 remains unchanged for the City of Brentwood. Repairs above the $3,500 qualified repair cost limit are the responsibility of the property owner.

Sewer Lateral Repair Process Step-by-Step Overview

as of January 1, 2020

1. Sewer lateral backup occurs.
2. Property owner contacts licensed plumber to open sewer lateral blockage.
3. Property owner pays plumber for opening sewer lateral flow.
4. If sewer lateral flow opens and no qualified defect exists, then the issue is resolved at this point.
5. If sewer lateral shows evidence of defect(s), the property owner contacts Brentwood Public Works, completes Sewer Lateral Repair Program Application, obtains three (3) repair quotes and submits the quotes to Public Works.
6. Public Works staff conducts investigation to determine if repairs qualify for the program and reviews the three submitted repair quotes.
7. Public Works contacts property owner, discusses repair quotes, and with owner’s input accepts quote in the best interest to City of Brentwood.
8. Property owner hires mutually approved contractor and pays respective share of repair costs. Repairs up to $3,500 will be paid by City of Brentwood; property owner pays for repairs exceeding $3,500.
In an emergency situation, if the blockage is not removed/defect detected/sewer lateral collapsed, then the property owner may only need one quote in step 5. 

City of Brentwood Sewer Lateral Repair Program (PDF)

City of Brentwood Residential Sanitary Sewer Lateral Repair Policy & Procedures (PDF)

Resolution 1084.3: Administration of City of Brentwood’s Sewer Lateral Repair Program - Adopted October 2019 (PDF)

Brentwood Forest Condominium Association Sewer Lateral Program Participation Master List (PDF)