Broward · Miami-Dade · Jacksonville
Sewer Camera Inspection
A sewer camera inspection sends a small waterproof camera through your drain line so you can see exactly what is happening inside the pipe — roots, cracks, scale, bellies, or nothing at all — before you spend money on repairs. For anyone buying an older Jacksonville home, it is one of the smartest checks you can add to the inspection period.
What the job includes
- A camera run through the full accessible length of the line
- Live viewing — you are welcome to watch the screen with us
- A recording of the inspection that is yours to keep
- Above-ground locating of problem spots, marking where they sit and roughly how deep
- A plain-English written summary you can hand to an agent or seller
- No-pressure next steps — if the line is healthy, that is what the report says
How you know it’s time
You are buying a home built before the 1970s
Homes of that era usually drain through original cast iron at or past its expected life. A scope shows what you are really buying.
Main-line clogs keep happening with no obvious cause
Recurring blockages usually mean something structural — roots, a belly, or a break. The camera finds which one, and where.
A soggy patch or an oddly green stripe in the yard
A leaking lateral often waters the lawn above it. Camera plus locator can confirm and mark the spot, so any digging happens once.
Someone quoted a big repair without showing you footage
A second look is cheap next to sewer work. If the repair is needed, the camera confirms it; if not, you just saved the cost.
When to make the call
The single best time is during the inspection period of a home purchase, especially an older property — a small line item next to the price of the house, while sewer laterals are among the most expensive surprises a buyer can inherit. Also worth scheduling when main-line clogs recur without explanation, before pouring a driveway over the lateral's path, or when a big repair has been proposed and you want to see the evidence. If none of those apply, you can honestly skip it.
Local knowledge
Sewer Camera Inspection is a different job in Broward than in Jacksonville. We know both.
Broward & Miami-Dade
The single most useful thing you can do before buying a pre-1975 house in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, North Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, Hialeah, Coral Gables or Miami Beach — and before paying for any drain repair anywhere in South Florida. You see what the camera sees, and you get a plain answer about what has years left and what is due.
Jacksonville & the First Coast
Jacksonville is a camera-first kind of town. The historic neighborhoods — Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, Ortega, Springfield — sit on cast iron laterals from the first half of the last century, and the mature oaks that make those streets beautiful send roots hunting for joints in older lines. Mandarin adds septic-to-sewer conversion areas, where the lateral's age and route are anyone's guess until a camera goes in. Even newer construction is not exempt — sandy soil can settle a young PVC line into a belly.
Questions
Sewer Camera Inspection. Ask us anything.
Last reviewed September 16, 2026
How much does a sewer camera inspection cost in Florida?
The price mostly comes down to the length of the run, how accessible the line is — a home with a proper cleanout is simpler — and whether above-ground locating is included. It is a modest cost next to any actual sewer repair, which is the point: the inspection keeps you from paying for the wrong fix. We quote clearly up front.
Should I get a sewer scope before buying an older house in Florida?
Yes — for homes built before the 1970s it is one of the highest-value checks in the process. Riverside, Avondale, and San Marco largely drain through original cast iron, and a general home inspection does not look inside that pipe. The scope either buys peace of mind or hands you documented findings to negotiate with.
What can a sewer camera actually find?
The camera shows the pipe's material and condition: root intrusion at joints, cracks, rust and scale in cast iron, bellies where the line has sagged, offset joints, and grease. Just as usefully, it shows when none of those are present. Paired with a locator, it also tells you where each finding sits and roughly how deep.
Can a camera inspection damage my pipes?
No — the camera is a soft-headed instrument on a flexible push rod, designed to travel through pipes without harming them, including fragile older cast iron. Nothing is cut, pressurized, or forced. One limitation: a fully blocked line may need clearing before the camera can see anything useful, and we will say so first.
My drains all work fine — do I still need a camera inspection?
Usually not, and we will not talk you into one. The exceptions are when the stakes change: buying a home, planning an addition or driveway over the lateral, or owning a pre-1970s house whose line has never been looked at. Otherwise, working drains and no symptoms mean your money is better spent elsewhere.
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Serving Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Jacksonville & the First Coast.