Nashville is unusual: the town's public utilities department says it maintains sewer laterals within town, so the first call for a failing sewer line should be the town. What a plumber typically replaces is the pipe on the house side of the town's part. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Nashville.
What happens when you call
Because the Town of Nashville maintains sewer laterals within town, it's worth calling the town's public utilities department before anything else when the sewer backs up. If the problem is in the town's section, it's theirs to fix. If the town finds its part clear, the trouble is likely in the building sewer between your foundation and the town's lateral, or in the drains under the house.
That's when the number on this page helps. It connects you with an independent local plumber who serves Nashville. The plumber will usually camera the line from a cleanout to find where your pipe meets the town's, what it's made of and how much of it is damaged. Ask the town and the plumber to agree on that handoff point before work starts.
What drives the cost
- How much pipe is on your side of the town's lateral
- Whether damage extends under the house, where older cast iron may be involved
- Trench or trenchless, based on grade and access
- Porches, walks, mature trees or driveways over the route
Nashville's sewer system and housing
The town maintains 14 sewer lift stations along with mains, outfalls and laterals, and its sewage is treated at Rocky Mount's Tar River Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility. The town received $1.5 million in a 2024 state grant round for water and wastewater fixes, and the town manager planned to recommend lining manholes among other work.
The median Nashville home was built in 1993 and about 28% predate 1980, per ACS 2019-2023 estimates. The older share includes the Victorian and Queen Anne houses around Washington Street and the Nashville Historic District, where original cast iron and clay are likely under and around the house. Homes from the 1980s onward mostly have plastic drain lines.
On those older houses, the building sewer often leaves through a cast iron stack and runs under a porch or crawl space before it ever reaches the yard. That stretch is clearly the owner's, and it's often the part in worst shape.
Before the plumber arrives
- Call the town first and note what they found
- Limit water use if anything is backing up
- Locate the cleanout and clear the area
- Note which fixtures are affected
- For an older home, check for any record of past sewer work
Sewer Line Replacement questions in Nashville
Should I contact the sewer utility before I hire a plumber?
Which stretch of the sewer line is the homeowner's to replace?
Does a sewer line replacement need a permit, and who issues it?
What were older sewer laterals usually made of?
More plumbing services in Nashville
Sewer Line Replacement nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
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