Sewer Line Repair · Rex, GA
Sewer line repair in Rex, Georgia, including backflow protection for homes that sit below the upstream manhole.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What does sewer line repair involve in Rex, GA?
In Rex the Clayton County Water Authority owns the six-inch line in the right-of-way; you own the four-inch lateral from the house to that connection. Repair means filming the lateral, fixing roots, cracks or sags on your side, and adding a backflow device if your lowest drain sits below the next upstream manhole.↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Rex story
When the house sits lower than the sewer
Rex is hilly for Clayton. Lots slide down toward Big Cotton Indian Creek, Panther Creek and Tar Creek, and on a lot that falls away from the street, a lower-level bath or laundry can end up below the sewer main. That arrangement carries a risk flat-lot owners never think about.↗↗
CCWA spells it out: when the lowest plumbing fixture is below the next upstream manhole, the lateral must have a sanitary backflow device. If the main surcharges, sewage rises to the lowest opening it can find, and a basement toilet may be that opening. The device shuts and holds it back.↗
The utility is equally clear on the downside. Without the device, the property owner is responsible for the damage and the cleanup. The risk peaks during hard rain, when runoff that sneaks into the system adds to normal flow.↗
Who owns what
Which Rex pipe is yours
Clayton County Water Authoritysewer lateral
Homeowner: the four-inch line from the plumbing to CCWA's connection↗
Where the line sits: Point of connection
Clayton County Water Authoritymain
CCWA: the six-inch line inside the right-of-way or its easement, plus the main↗
Where the line sits: Right-of-way edge
Clayton's sewer ordinance leaves no gray area here: CCWA has no ownership in building sewers and no duty to maintain them.↗
Warning signs
Signs a Rex lateral needs attention
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Water rising in a lower-level shower or floor drain when the washer empties
- 2. A toilet downstairs that burps or bubbles while an upstairs tub drains
- 3. A missing or cracked cleanout cap near the street, which invites stormwater in
- 4. A soft, green strip across the lawn following the line toward the road
- 5. Backups that line up with storms rather than with heavy water use
- 6. Roots visible in the cleanout when the cap comes off
More about Rex
How we repair a lateral in Rex
We start at the cleanout with a camera and a locator, mark the depth and route on the ground, and find where your line meets CCWA's six-inch pipe. That tells you, before any digging, whether the problem is yours to fix.
CCWA names grease and tree roots as leading causes of blockages, and the older Rex streets have plenty of mature hardwoods. Roots get cut and the joint they came through gets repaired or replaced. Sags, where a stretch of pipe has settled and holds water, get re-bedded to proper slope.↗
Ground conditions change fast here. Much of Rex is deep Madison clay, but near the mill the USDA maps very rocky Ashlar sandy loam, a soil whose bedrock can sit 20 to 40 inches down. We probe before we promise a price on those lots.↗↗
Where a backflow device is required or wise, we set it in the private lateral while the line is open, add an accessible cleanout, and re-film the whole run before backfill. Commercial laterals follow the same ownership rule; restaurants also answer to CCWA's grease program.↗
We start at the cleanout with a camera and a locator, mark the depth and route on the ground, and find where your line meets CCWA's six-inch pipe.
What it costs
What lateral repair tends to cost
Sewer line repair, by method
$150–$3,800 per job
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Camera inspection
$125–$500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Full lateral replacement, Atlanta market
$55–$250 per linear foot
Typical market range — Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Adding a backflow device and a new cleanout
- 02Rock on the steeper lots toward the creeks
- 03Depth where a lower-level floor sets the lateral deeper
- 04Driveways and retaining walls built over the line
FAQ
Rex sewer repair FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does CCWA pay to repair my sewer lateral in Rex?
Not the private part. CCWA owns and maintains the six-inch pipe in the right-of-way; the four-inch lateral on your side of the connection is yours.
Source: Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority, GA
How do I know if I need a backflow device?
Compare your lowest drain with the manhole just uphill on the sewer main. If the drain is lower, CCWA requires the device. We can check elevations during a camera visit.
Source: Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority, GA
What happens if sewage backs up and I don't have one?
CCWA says the property owner is then responsible for the damage and cleanup.
Source: Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority, GA
My cleanout cap is broken. Is that a big deal?
It can be. An open cleanout lets rain and runoff into the lateral, which CCWA says can lead to an overflow. A new cap is cheap; replacing a cracked riser is a small dig.
Source: Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority, GA
Are Rex sewer lines old enough to fail?
Many are getting there. Most homes in ZIP 30273 went up between 1970 and 1999, so their laterals have been in the ground 25 to 55 years.
Will you hit rock digging in Rex?
On some lots. Central Rex maps as deep clay, but the slopes near Rex Mill are very rocky Ashlar soil. We probe and camera first so rock isn't a surprise on the invoice.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — point queries at Rex, survey area GA625
Who do I call if the backup is in the street?
CCWA, at 770-960-5200. Problems on the public side are theirs to fix.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
- 1Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority, GA
- 2Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography within about 2 miles of Rex (33.588, -84.271)
- 3Census Reporter: ZCTA 30273 (Rex), ACS 2024 5-year
- 4Clayton County Code Ch. 98, Art. II — Water Authority Sewer Use (Municode, Supp. 105)
- 5USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — point queries at Rex, survey area GA625
- 6Official Series Description — ASHLAR Series (USDA NRCS)
- 7HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025)
- 8Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026)
- 9Who We Are | Clayton County Water Authority, GA
Ready when you are
Lower-level drain gurgling in Rex? Find out if you need the valve.
Call (678) 863-5620. We film the lateral, check it against the upstream manhole and fix your side of the line.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620