Sewer Line Repair and Replacement in Tempe, AZ
Tempe has some of the oldest housing in the Valley, and the City itself warns that many older neighborhoods have Orangeburg sewer pipe. Call and we connect you with a licensed local sewer contractor who cameras the line and quotes the right fix.
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Why Tempe sewer lines fail: Orangeburg pipe
The City of Tempe says bituminous fiber sewer pipe, known as Orangeburg, was commonly used in the 1960s and 1970s for the connection from the house to the public sewer. Areas developed between 1940 and 1970 may have it, and none of those areas are south of Baseline Road. Tempe notes Orangeburg flattens as it deteriorates and is prone to root invasion, and publishes an approximate map (City of Tempe).
In 2022, an ASU construction engineering professor told KTAR that as many as nine out of ten homes in the area could be affected, and a local drain technician said he finds Orangeburg in nine of ten Tempe homes he visits (KTAR). Those are estimates from interviews, not a city count, but they match what the City describes.
Tempe housing and neighborhoods most likely affected
About 36% of Tempe housing units were built before 1980, and the city's median year built is 1986, tied with Phoenix as the oldest of the five largest Valley cities we cover (Census ACS 2024).
Maple-Ash
Roughly University Drive to south of 13th Street between Farmer and Mill Avenues: early 1900s bungalows and craftsman homes, Tempe's last remaining pre-World War II neighborhood.
Date Palm Manor
About a mile south of downtown: Tempe's earliest post-war custom-home development, mostly built 1954 to 1962 and squarely in the Orangeburg window.
North Tempe subdivisions from the 1950s and 1960s
North of Baseline Road, the area the City flags on its Orangeburg map.
Who owns the line and what Tempe requires
Tempe homeowners own and are responsible for the sewer service line from the home to the City's sewer main, including clogs, collapses and failures. Replacing a sewer line requires a Tempe plumbing permit, and Building Safety must inspect the new line before it is covered. Permits are filed through the Tempe Citizen Access Portal; the Permit Center is 480-350-4311 (City of Tempe).
Tempe's old Service Line Protection Program (SLiPP) was replaced by a Service Line Warranties of America plan (City of Tempe). Read the exclusions: in 2025, a Tempe homeowner in a 50-plus-year-old neighborhood paid $11,000 for a sewer repair after the warranty company called the tree root damage pre-existing (azfamily).
- Owner
- Home to the City sewer main, including clogs, collapses and failures
- Permit
- Tempe plumbing permit required to replace a line
- Inspection
- Building Safety inspects before the line is covered
Getting help in Tempe
Downtown Tempe is about 15 to 20 minutes from central Phoenix by I-10 or Loop 202, so Valley sewer contractors cover it routinely. Start with a camera inspection: it confirms whether you have Orangeburg, cast iron or ABS, and whether the problem is a spot repair or the whole line.
Most requested in Tempe
Because failing Orangeburg flattens rather than cracks, Tempe replacements are often done by pipe bursting, which pulls a new pipe through the old one with two small pits.
See how trenchless sewer repair works →Sewer questions from Tempe homeowners
How do I know if my Tempe home has Orangeburg pipe?
Homes built from about 1940 to 1970 north of Baseline Road are the candidates. A camera inspection confirms it: Orangeburg looks black and often oval or flattened on video.
Can Orangeburg pipe be lined?
Only if it still holds its shape. Once it has deformed, pipe bursting or replacement is the usual fix.
Do I need a permit to replace my sewer line in Tempe?
Yes. The City of Tempe requires a plumbing permit and a Building Safety inspection before the new line is covered.
Serving Phoenix and the surrounding Valley
We connect homeowners across the Phoenix metro with licensed local sewer contractors: central Phoenix and Ahwatukee, plus Tempe, Scottsdale, Mesa and Glendale.
Also covering: Chandler, Gilbert, Peoria, Paradise Valley, Sun City.