Sewer backing up? Open the cleanout cap and look.
Stop running water first. Then find the outdoor cleanout and take the cap off. Dry? The City says the stoppage is under the house, and that’s ours to clear: (682) 284-0966. Full of water or overflowing? The stoppage is toward the City’s main. Call Garland’s 24-hour Control Center at 972-205-3210 if sewage is overflowing or the main may be blocked.
Garland went from 10,571 residents in 1950 to 81,437 in 1970 and 138,857 by 1980. About 55% of Garland’s homes were built before 1980. A sewer lateral that hasn’t been replaced is as old as the house, so a large share of Garland’s laterals have been in the ground for 45 to 75 years.
For a single slow drain, see drain cleaning in Garland. All our Garland services are on the Garland service area page.
Garland’s housing and its sewer lines
The Census (American Community Survey 2020–2024) counts about 86,200 homes in Garland, and the median one dates from 1978. The 1970s alone account for 27.6% of the housing. Older homes are where we find cast iron cleanouts, back-yard cleanouts and root-filled joints.
Garland sewer lines by era
Downtown and Duck Creek
About 11% of homes, including the older blocks around downtown and South 11th Street. Garland says cleanouts on homes built before 1970 are usually in the back yard, in line with the main toilet vent.
Postwar growth
About 16% of homes. Older cleanouts are often 4-inch cast iron with a brass cap that’s hard to get off. Laterals this age commonly have roots at the joints.
Garland’s biggest decade
27.6% of homes. From about 1970 on, the City says cleanouts usually sit in the front flower bed. These lines are 45 to 55 years old, in clay that shrinks and swells.
Firewheel and the north side
About 45% of homes, including the Firewheel area. Newer cleanouts are 3- or 4-inch PVC. Grease, wipes and settled sections cause most backups here.
What Garland’s cleanout tells you
Garland Water Utilities publishes plain answers about sewer cleanouts. A cleanout is the outdoor access to the home’s main sanitary drain, outside the foundation, and it’s where a stoppage gets cleared.
- Most homes have a double cleanout. The stack closest to the foundation sweeps away from the house, toward the City’s main. The stack farther out sweeps back toward the house, so the line under the house can be cleaned.
- A dry cleanout means the stoppage is under the house.
- A cleanout holding water or overflowing means the stoppage is toward the City’s main.
- A stopped-up kitchen sink is almost always inside the house. The City says it’s the resident’s to take care of, not a City problem.
- Don’t knock the cap into the pipe. The City warns that a cap dropped down a cleanout will cause a stoppage.
Signs the main sewer line is blocked
- Water comes up in the tub or shower when you flush or run the washer.
- Several drains are slow at once, or toilets gurgle.
- Sewage at the cleanout or in the yard over the line.
- Backups that come back within weeks of a clearing.
- A sewer odor outdoors along the line.
How a Garland sewer repair works
Read the cleanout
We open the cleanout to see which direction the stoppage is in, so a City-side problem goes to the City.
Clear and camera
We clear the line and record it with a camera, then mark any break or root intrusion from the surface.
Written price
We walk you through the video, and you get upfront written pricing before any work starts.
Permit, test, connect
We pull the Garland sewer permit, water-test the new pipe for the inspector and coordinate the final connection with the Water Department.
Garland’s sewer permit rules
What the City of Garland requires
- A permit is required to replace any portion of a sewer line.
- Who can pull it: a homeowner who owns, lives in and has a homestead exemption on the home, or a state-licensed master plumber registered with the City of Garland. On a rental property, it must be a registered master plumber, with no exceptions.
- The new pipe needs at least 1/8 inch of fall per foot, proper bedding, a two-way cleanout close to the house, and extension at least 1 foot past the property line.
- The inspection is a water test with the line filled to the top of the cleanout and every joint exposed in a dry ditch.
- After it passes, the line is tied in temporarily and the Water Department schedules the permanent connection, which takes about three working days to start. The tie-in stays exposed until then.
As Garland requires, Staggs Plumbing is registered with the City of Garland, and our master plumber pulls the sewer permit.
Shrink-swell clay and older Garland laterals
Garland sits on the Blackland Prairie. The USDA’s description of Houston Black, the region’s signature soil, is clay that shrinks and swells markedly with moisture. Decades of that movement is why a 1960s or 70s lateral so often has offset joints, roots or a low spot that holds waste.
What we find in Garland sewer lines
| Problem | Usual fix | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roots in an older lateral | Clear, camera, then repair the joint or replace the section under permit | Common in pre-1980 homes with mature trees |
| Stoppage under the house | Clear through the cleanout stack that faces the house | A dry cleanout points here |
| Cast iron cleanout cap seized | Remove it carefully or replace the cleanout fitting | A cap dropped into the pipe causes its own stoppage |
| Belly or broken section | Replace the section with proper slope and bedding | Garland’s minimum is 1/8 inch fall per foot |
| Grease and wipes | Clear and flush | The usual cause in newer homes |
Sewer backup in Garland? Start here.
In this order:
- Stop using water. No flushing, showers, dishwasher or laundry.
- Find the cleanout: front flower bed on most homes built after 1970, back yard on many older ones.
- Take the cap off and look. Dry means under the house. Holding water or overflowing means toward the City’s main.
- Sewage overflowing outdoors or neighbors backing up too? Call Garland’s Control Center at 972-205-3210.
- Under the house? Call us at (682) 284-0966. We clear the line, record it on camera and put the price in writing before any work starts.
Garland neighborhoods we serve
We clear and repair sewer lines across Garland’s 75040, 75041, 75042, 75043 and 75044 ZIP codes and the Garland part of 75048: downtown and South 11th Street, the neighborhoods along Duck Creek, the 1970s subdivisions through the middle of the city, Firewheel, and the Lake Ray Hubbard side.
Our Plano headquarters is northwest of Garland and our Rockwall branch is just across the lake.
Garland sewer line questions
How do I tell if a sewer stoppage is mine or the City’s in Garland?
Garland Water Utilities says to check the outdoor cleanout. If it’s dry, the stoppage is under the house. If it’s holding water or overflowing, the stoppage is toward the City’s sewer main. A camera inspection shows exactly where it is.
Where is my sewer cleanout in Garland?
The City says homes built after 1970 usually have the cleanout in the front flower bed, and homes built before 1970 usually have it in the back yard. Either way it’s outside the foundation, in line with the main toilet vent. Most homes have a double cleanout.
Who do I call for a sewer emergency in Garland?
For sewage overflowing outdoors or a problem with the City’s main, call Garland’s Control Center at 972-205-3210. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For a stoppage on the house side, call a licensed plumber.
Do I need a permit to replace a sewer line in Garland?
Yes. Garland requires a permit to replace any portion of a sewer line. It can be pulled by a homeowner who owns, occupies and homesteads the home, or by a state-licensed master plumber registered with the City. Rental properties need a registered master plumber.
How do you price sewer work in Garland?
After you’ve seen the camera video, you get upfront written pricing before any work starts. Financing is available.
