Sanitary Sewer Lateral Inspections

In accordance with the Utilities Water and Sewer Design and Construction Standards Manual, Spotsylvania County Utilities will require any new or existing homes or businesses connecting to the public sanitary sewer system to have the home or business sanitary sewer lateral to be inspected via video inspection.  Effective January 1, 2015, all homes/businesses connecting to Spotsylvania County sewer will be required to have the lateral inspection upon requesting the water meter to be set by the Spotsylvania County Utilities Department.  A passing sewer lateral inspection will be required before the water meter will be set.   

The purpose of this requirement is to ensure the integrity of all new sewer connections and to avoid future costly repairs.  This inspection also provides Spotsylvania County Utilities the opportunity to locate and record important external fixtures of the home/business, such as the water meter barrel and sewer cleanouts.

Video inspections can be performed by Spotsylvania County Utilities at the cost of $150 per connection.  The charge for the service will be added to the Spotsylvania County Utilities Department fee paid by the builder or owner if SCU is selected to perform the video inspection.  Prior to any inspections a minimum area of ten (10’) square feet around the sewer cleanouts and the water meter barrel must be within two inches (2") of final grade.  The response time for SCU to perform the sewer lateral inspection is generally two weeks, please plan accordingly.   Inspections are generally performed on Fridays each week, excluding holidays. Once the sewer lateral has passed inspection the water meter can be set as long the meter setting meets all requirements.  Please see Water Meter Set Requirements and Specifications in the Spotsylvania County Utilities Water and Sewer Design and Construction Standards.  To schedule Spotsylvania County Utilities to perform a Sewer Lateral Inspection, please dial (540) 507-7300, option 1.

The builder has the option to provide a compatible video inspection of the sewer lateral by a National Association of Sewer Services Companies (NASSCO) certified third party inspection firm for SCU department review, in lieu of the Spotsylvania County Utilities Department staff performing the inspection.

The inspection report will be evaluated and any defects/problems will be reported to the builder.  All noted defects must be corrected and the sewer lateral re-inspected before the water meter will be set.  Re-inspections performed by the Spotsylvania County Utilities Department staff will be completed at an additional fee of $150 per occurrence.

To schedule Spotsylvania County Utilities to perform a Sewer Lateral Inspection, please dial (540) 507-7300, option 1.