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Plumbing inspection and sewer scope inspection (US), including pre-purchase inspections
One access point decides half the price of a sewer inspection
An independent guide to plumbing inspections and sewer camera inspections in the United States. What each covers, what they cost, why the price doubles without a cleanout, and when a pre-purchase sewer scope is worth paying for.
The cheapest inspection is the one where the plumber can get in easily
A sewer camera inspection averages $280 nationally, with a published range of $125 to $500. That figure assumes your property has a sewer cleanout: a capped access point that lets a plumber feed a camera straight into the line.
Without one, the published range moves to $175 to $750, because the plumber has to gain access another way, usually by pulling a toilet. Same inspection, same camera, roughly 50 percent more money, decided entirely by a feature of the property you probably have never looked for.
That is the single most useful thing to establish before you call anyone, and it takes five minutes. It also explains most of the difference between two quotes on what sounds like an identical job.
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Guides and explainers across the subject.
What actually sets the price
A sewer camera inspection is published at $125 to $500 with a cleanout access point and $175 to $750 without one. That single feature of your property moves the price more than anything you can negotiate. We set out the full published cost structure, including where hiring beats renting the camera yourself.