Sewer lateral and septic trenching in San Bernardino
Shandin Excavation does the digging for both kinds of wastewater work in the valley: open trench sewer lateral replacement from the house to the city main in the sewered cities, and septic tank, leach field and perc test excavation in Yucaipa, Devore and the county edges. The plumber or septic installer sets the pipe and the tank; the excavation contractor opens the ground, shores it where the law requires and closes it to the inspector’s spec.
Sewer laterals: what the trench looks like
A lateral leaves the house at four to six feet and falls toward the main, which sits six to ten feet under the street in most of San Bernardino and deeper in Colton where the mains were laid to drain toward the river. Everything past five feet needs sloped walls or a trench shield under Cal/OSHA, so the deep end of the trench is where the hours go. The crew saw cuts the driveway or sidewalk if the line runs under it, sets new SDR 35 on bedding, and the city inspector sees the connection at the main before backfill.
The housing stock is why this is daily work. Del Rosa, the Westside, Rialto between Foothill and Merrill, downtown Colton, Bryn Mawr in Loma Linda: block after block of 1950s and 1960s houses on original clay laterals with roots in every joint. Redlands has older ones still.
Septic: the excavation side
Thousands of homes in Yucaipa, all of Devore and Muscoy, and the Reche Canyon and Live Oak Canyon edges run on a tank and leach field, and a good share of those systems are 40 to 60 years old. Replacement starts with perc test holes dug to the engineer’s depth so the percolation rate can be measured. Fast rates in the Devore wash sand and the Yucaipa bench mean short leach lines and a conventional system. Slow clay near Wilson Creek pushes the design toward seepage pits or an engineered system that costs nearly double. Once the county or the city approves the design, the tank hole and the leach trenches are dug, the installer sets the system, the inspector sees it open, and it is backfilled.
The county’s rules live in its Local Agency Management Program through San Bernardino County Land Use Services and Environmental Health; inside city limits the city reviews. Trench safety on the tank hole follows Cal/OSHA Title 8 section 1541.
How a lateral replacement goes
- 1
Camera and locate
The plumber cameras the line and marks the break. The 811 ticket goes in two working days ahead.
- 2
Permits
An encroachment permit for any sidewalk or street cut, and a plumbing permit for the lateral itself, from the city.
- 3
Open the trench
Saw cut concrete, excavate from the house toward the main, shore or slope past five feet.
- 4
Set the pipe
The plumber sets SDR 35 or ABS on bedding with the right fall and connects at the main.
- 5
Inspect and backfill
The city inspector sees the connection, the trench is backfilled in compacted lifts, and the concrete or asphalt is patched to spec.
For an emergency backup today, the emergency page covers same day callouts. Ranges for every line are on the cost guide.
Get the trench priced
Call (443) 364-3676 or send the form below and one licensed contractor calls you back within one business day.
Sewer and septic questions
How do I know my sewer lateral has failed?
Slow drains in every fixture at once, gurgling, sewage backing up into the lowest shower or floor drain, a wet or sunken strip in the front yard, or roots on the plumber’s camera. One slow sink is a plumbing problem; the whole house at once is usually the lateral.
Open trench or trenchless?
Trenchless pipe bursting pulls a new line through the old one and avoids digging up the yard, but it needs the old pipe to be mostly in line and not collapsed. Crushed or badly offset clay, which is common in 1950s San Bernardino and Rialto, usually means open trench. The plumber’s camera decides.
How much does a sewer lateral replacement cost?
$4,000 to $12,000 dug, piped and backfilled in the valley. Short, shallow runs in Rialto sand sit low. Long runs to a ten foot deep main under a Colton street, with shoring and a street cut, sit high.
What does the excavation side of a septic system cost?
$4,500 to $9,500 for the tank hole, the leach trenches, the distribution box and backfill. A complete conventional system installed runs $12,000 to $25,000. The perc test, $1,500 to $3,500, comes first and sets the design.
Who permits septic work in Yucaipa versus Devore?
Yucaipa reviews its own systems since 2018, as does every incorporated city. Devore, Muscoy and other unincorporated areas go through San Bernardino County Environmental Health under the county LAMP.