Drain cleaning in Inglewood

Ask who is responsible for a bad drain in Inglewood and the answer depends on whether you own the house or rent it. Sixty four in 100 households here rent, and the repair often waits on a landlord's decision. This page is part of our areas we cover section, and it starts with the pipe in the street, because the city's own plan describes it in unusual detail.

What kind of sewer pipe runs under Inglewood?

Mostly vitrified clay. The city's 2015 sewer plan describes about 145 miles of gravity sewer, 4 to 16 inches wide, with about 3,100 manholes, and says the system is primarily clay with about 95 percent of the pipes 8 inches in diameter. It adds that most of the system was built before 1960.

Clay is hard-wearing, but it comes in small lengths with many joints, and roots look for joints. Older pipe can also crack or shift. The city has relined about 10 miles of sewer and 42 manholes, using cured-in-place pipe and PVC slip-lining, and ranked the work by blockages, complaints and the age of pipe. Our page on repairing clay sewer pipe lists the fixes that suit this material.

Who looks after the trunk line under my street in Inglewood?

Most Inglewood sewers connect straight into a trunk sewer owned by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, usually under the larger streets. The city counts about 203 connections to the districts' lines. The trunks carry the flow south by gravity to the districts' treatment plant in Carson. Two pumping stations in the city also belong to the districts.

For you, the useful point is that Inglewood Public Works handles the local mains and the districts handle the big pipes. Neither handles your lateral. The city's plan sets a goal of jetting the whole system every 18 months and inspecting it by camera every five years, and says that when a problem is traced to a private lateral, the resident is notified.

Who is responsible for the sewer lateral in Inglewood?

The property owner. The city's FAQ says Public Works maintains the public sewer main in the street, and the owner is responsible for the house lateral, the pipe that connects the house to the main. The city's sewer policy says it has no way to clean individual laterals from the public main and no control over what an owner sends down it.

For a renter, that means the legal owner of the problem is your landlord. Report in writing, with the date, and keep photos or a short video of the drain. If several buildings on the street back up together, tell Public Works too. The department lists (310) 412-5333, open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed every other Friday. Our emergency sewer backup page covers what to do while you wait.

Landlords and owners can request a written quote and we will arrange a camera visit before any digging is proposed.

Does the city help with roots in a private lateral?

In its 2015 plan the city said its Sewer Maintenance Division would restart a root control program by jetting or rodding, and would bring back root killing chemicals, to be provided to residents for use in private laterals. We cannot tell you whether that offer is running today, so call Public Works before you buy anything.

A chemical can slow regrowth, but it does not remove a root mass, and clay joints can stay open after the root is gone. Our guide to foaming root killer explains what these products do and where they stop.

What do Inglewood's houses and neighborhoods look like?

The city has roughly 40,000 homes, split about evenly between older and newer buildings, with prices near $793,000. It has ten signed neighborhoods, including Morningside Park, Fairview Heights, Centinela Heights and Inglewood Knolls, a subdivision of tract homes built in 1953 and 1954 in the southeast.

According to Wikipedia, the city was incorporated in 1908 after a railway opened in 1887, and the stadium district on the old Hollywood Park racetrack site is the newest part. Houses from the 1950s tract years are of an age with the city's pre-1960 mains, so a lateral and its main may be the same generation of clay. Buildings near the new development are a different case, and a camera is the only way to know which you have.

Does Inglewood water cause drain problems?

Inglewood water is hard. The city's 2025 report lists groundwater hardness at an average of 274 mg/L, ranging from 181 to 366, and imported surface water at 203 mg/L, ranging from 137 to 280. Part of the city is served by Golden State Water Company's Southwest System, whose own report lists figures for that system, so check it for your area.

Hard water leaves scale in small pipes and fixtures, so a slow shower or a bathroom sink can have a mineral cause even when the main line is clear. See our page on a shower that drains slowly for how to tell scale from hair. Check your water bill to see which supplier serves your address.

Does heavy rain flood Inglewood drains?

Inglewood gets little rain, and the city's FAQ places it in FEMA flood zone X. The city still recommends flood insurance for zone X buildings, because severe rain and poor local drainage can cause flooding. Sewer backups are a separate matter from street flooding, and many policies treat them differently, so read yours.

Questions people ask

How much does drain cleaning cost in Inglewood?

Expect the line and its access to set the figure. Clay mains and laterals from before 1960 often need a camera first, which adds a step but avoids guessing. Ranges are on the drain cleaning cost page. A landlord or manager can sign off on behalf of a tenant.

Are there council rules for drain cleaning in Inglewood?

The city's rule is the lateral rule: the owner maintains it, and the city handles the public main. We found no Inglewood rule on cleaning that needs a permit, but ask Public Works before any dig in the street or any repair to the connection.

Who do I call about an overflowing manhole in Inglewood?

Call Public Works at (310) 412-5333. Its Sewers and Street Sweeping section responds to overflowing sewer lines and tree roots in sewer lines. The department keeps weekday hours and is closed every other Friday, so for an overflow outside those hours check the city's website for the emergency contact.

Can a renter have the drain cleaned in Inglewood?

A renter can report the problem and ask the landlord to act, because the lateral belongs to the owner. Send the request in writing and keep a date. A landlord can ask for a written quote and approve it without the renter being present.