The honest answer is that there's no universal schedule. The City of Burbank's sewer lateral FAQ says a home's sewer lateral may need cleaning as often as twice a year or as rarely as once every ten years. Where your house falls in that range depends on a few things you can find out: the trees, the pipe, and how often it has backed up before.
First, what "the main line" means
Your main sewer line, also called the lateral, is the pipe that carries everything from the house out to the city's sewer main under the street, the alley or an easement behind the lot. In Burbank and the City of Los Angeles, that pipe belongs to the property owner, all the way to the public main. LA Sanitation says owners are responsible for the entire private sewer lateral, including the part under the sidewalk and street, and that more than half of sewer backups are caused by tree roots and grease. Burbank's code says the same thing about its laterals. So the maintenance schedule is yours to set.
What sets your cleaning schedule
- Trees near the line. Roots don't break into sound pipe. They find open joints and cracks, then grow inside where there's water. A large ficus, pine or other thirsty tree near the path from the house to the street is a common reason a Valley line needs regular cleaning. Our guide to tree roots in the sewer line covers the signs.
- The pipe material. Many older homes in Burbank, Glendale and the Valley still have vitrified clay or cast iron laterals, and some have Orangeburg fiber pipe. Clay has a joint every few feet, cast iron scales and rusts, and Orangeburg deforms. See clay, cast iron and Orangeburg pipe to work out which you have. A newer plastic line with glued joints rarely needs scheduled cleaning.
- The shape of the line. A belly (a low spot that holds water), an offset joint or a crack catches paper and grease. Cleaning clears it, but it fills again.
- How the house uses it. Grease down the kitchen sink, "flushable" wipes and a lot of people in the house all shorten the interval. Our list of what not to flush helps.
- Your backup history. This is the most useful number you have. If the main line backed up 14 months after the last cleaning, it will probably do it again in about 14 months.
Common situations, and what usually makes sense
| Your situation | What usually makes sense |
|---|---|
| No main line backups, plastic or lined pipe | No scheduled cleaning. Get a camera inspection if you're buying, remodeling or notice warning signs. |
| One backup, cause unknown | Clear it, then camera the line so you know whether it was a one-off or roots, a belly or a break. |
| Roots at the joints of a sound clay or cast iron pipe | Schedule cleanings a few months before your usual backup interval, and camera the line every so often to watch the joints. |
| Belly, offset, cracked or collapsed section | Cleaning buys time but doesn't fix it. Get a repair estimate for that section. |
| Repeat grease or wipes clogs | Change what goes down the drains first. Scheduled cleaning treats the symptom. |
The point of a schedule is to clean the line before the roots or buildup close it off, not after. If backups have come every 18 months, plan the next cleaning for around 12. If the camera shows the roots barely came back, you can stretch the interval. If they were back fast and thick, shorten it, or start pricing a repair.
What a good maintenance cleaning includes
- Access through a cleanout. Most main line work starts at the outdoor cleanout, usually near the foundation or the property line. If you don't know where yours is, see how to find your sewer cleanout. No cleanout at all? Adding one makes every future cleaning easier, and the City of Burbank recommends that every property have one.
- Cleaning all the way to the city main. Roots often sit in the last stretch near the street. A cleaning that stops halfway leaves the worst part.
- A camera run afterward. A sewer camera inspection after the cleaning shows whether the pipe walls are clear and whether any joints are cracked, offset or sagging. Ask for a copy of the video. It's your baseline for next time.
- A straight answer about the pipe. If the camera shows a break or a belly, you should hear that, along with whether cleaning on a schedule is still a reasonable plan. Our guide on why a main line keeps backing up explains the usual causes.
Cabling with a root-cutting head is the standard method for roots in a sound pipe. Burbank's FAQ notes that jetting generally cleans the walls more completely but can cost more. See hydro jetting vs. snaking if you're weighing the two.
Burbank homeowners: the SLURP rebate
The City of Burbank's Sewer Lateral User Rebate Program (SLURP) gives single-family homes and duplexes a $150 credit on sewer service charges for having the lateral cleaned and video-recorded all the way to the public main. The video has to show the house address and that the whole private lateral was cleaned. You send Public Works the receipt, the video and the rebate form. Check the city's page for the current rules before you book. City of LA owners can look at LA Sanitation's sewer lateral CCTV rebate, which has its own eligibility and contractor requirements. Our Burbank page has more on SLURP.
What main line cleaning costs in LA
These are published ranges from LA-area plumbers, cost guides and the City of Burbank. They're a sanity check, not a quote.
| Job | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lateral cleaning + video inspection, Burbank | $300–$700 typical | City of Burbank SLURP FAQ |
| Main sewer line clearing, Glendale & Burbank | $250–$600 | Alpha-Beta Plumbing (cost guide) |
| Main sewer line cleaning, Burbank | $250–$500 | PRO Plumbers of Burbank (cost guide) |
| Main line drain cleaning, Los Angeles | $250–$1,000 | Angi (Los Angeles) |
At Rooter Pros, main line cleaning gets a free estimate: call (818) 669-9019 and you get the price before any work begins. New customers can also ask about our $49 first-time drain cleaning coupon: one clogged drain or line cleared, new customers only, residential, Monday–Friday 7am–5pm, through an accessible ground-level cleanout, not valid with other offers. It's a new-customer special, not our regular rate. See our pricing page and the drain cleaning cost guide for more.
Between cleanings: signs the line is closing up again
- The toilet gurgles or bubbles when the tub, shower or washer drains. See what gurgling drains mean.
- Several drains slow down at once, especially on the lowest floor.
- Water shows up in the tub or shower when you flush.
- A sewer smell outside near the cleanout, or inside with no dry trap to blame.
Any of these means call before it becomes a backup. If water is already coming up, stop running water and see what to do when the main line backs up. Our list of signs your sewer line is failing covers the rest.
When to call
Call a plumber if you've had more than one main line backup, you see the warning signs above, your last cleaning was close to the interval when the line usually backs up, you're buying an older home (see sewer inspection before buying), or you want a baseline video before the rains. Our wet-winter main line guide explains why fall is a good time to check.
Time to get the main line cleaned in Burbank, Glendale or the Valley? Rooter Pros clears it from the cleanout and tells you what's in the pipe. Licensed & bonded (CSLB #917630), open 24/7, with free estimates, flat-rate pricing and no overtime charges.
Call (818) 669-9019Prices in the table are typical published ranges from other Los Angeles-area plumbers, cost guides and the City of Burbank as of October 2026. They are not Rooter Pros quotes and change over time. Rebate rules are set by each city and can change. Sources are linked above.