Sewer Line Repair & Backups in Fort Wayne, IN

Who owns the sewer line?

In Fort Wayne, the building sewer that runs from your house to the public sewer belongs to the property owner, along with its repair and maintenance. City Utilities owns and maintains the public sewer, usually under the street or an alley (Fort Wayne City Utilities, Prepare for Heavy Precipitation). That means roots, cracks, sags and collapses in the line under your yard are the owner's to fix, even if part of the line runs under the sidewalk or parkway.

Is it a clog, a broken pipe, or the public sewer?

• Only your house backs up, on a dry day: almost always a blockage in your building sewer. Roots, grease, wipes or a broken section.
• Your house and neighbors back up during a big storm: the public sewer may be surcharged. Call 311 to report it.
• Your line clears, then clogs again in weeks or months: roots, a sag (a "belly") or an offset joint. A camera inspection shows which.
• Sewer smell in the basement with no backup: a dry floor drain trap, a loose cleanout plug, or a cracked pipe.
• Soggy spot or sinkhole in the yard along the line: a possible break. City Utilities asks residents to report sinkholes through 311.

Old sewer lines in Fort Wayne

Homes built before about the 1960s commonly have clay tile building sewers, sometimes with cast iron inside the house. Clay joints let roots in and shift over time; cast iron rusts and scales. Later homes often have plastic lines (ABS or PVC). In the oldest neighborhoods, the city's sewer system was built as a combined system that carries both sewage and stormwater, which is why heavy rain has historically caused backups there.

City Utilities has spent the last 18 years on a long-term plan to reduce combined sewer overflows, including the five-mile, 16-foot-diameter Three Rivers Protection and Overflow Reduction Tunnel, finished in 2024, about 220 feet below the city. The utility says it will keep nearly 900 million gallons of combined sewage out of the rivers during rain events and reduce neighborhood backups (Fort Wayne City Utilities, 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report). It does not change who owns the line under your yard.

Repair options

Spot repair

If a camera shows one broken section or a single bad joint, digging up and replacing that piece may be enough.

Full replacement by excavation

When the whole line is failing, the traditional fix is digging a trench and laying new pipe. It also allows correcting a sag. The cost of restoring landscaping, driveways and sidewalks is part of the decision.

Trenchless options

Pipe lining (cured-in-place pipe) puts a resin liner inside the old pipe, and pipe bursting pulls a new pipe through the path of the old one while breaking the old pipe apart. Both avoid a long trench but need access pits and are not suited to every line, especially one with a bad sag or collapse.

Backwater valves

A backwater valve (backflow prevention device) is installed in the building sewer and closes when sewage tries to flow back toward the house. City Utilities recommends one on the building sewer in backup-prone areas, because even when the public system is full, the valve keeps sewage out of your basement (Fort Wayne City Utilities, Prepare for Heavy Precipitation). It needs to be installed in the right place, usually needs a permit, and should be checked periodically. While it is closed, water you use inside the house cannot drain, so during a heavy storm you hold off on laundry and showers.

Before any sewer work

• Ask for the camera video and a locate of where the problem is.
• Ask whether the quote includes the permit, restoration of the yard or concrete, and the connection at the public sewer.
• Utility lines must be marked before digging. Indiana 811 handles locate requests.

Related guides

• Sewage in the Basement: What to Do in Fort Wayne

Sources: Fort Wayne City Utilities, Prepare for Heavy Precipitation; Fort Wayne City Utilities, 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.