Sewer Pipe Lining Cost: CIPP & Pipe Bursting Prices
Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining runs $80 – $250 per linear foot, putting a typical job at $4,000 – $15,000. Pipe bursting, which replaces the line through two pits, runs $60 – $200 per foot. Both avoid a full trench, but neither works on a collapsed or bellied pipe, where digging is the only honest fix.
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| Method | Per foot | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| CIPP lining (cured-in-place) | $80 – $250 / ft | $4,000 – $15,000 for a full lateral |
| Pipe bursting | $60 – $200 / ft | Pulls new pipe in, breaks old one out |
| Spot / sectional liner | $1,500 – $4,000 | One bad joint or short section |
| Open-trench replacement (for comparison) | $50 – $200 / ft | When lining is impossible |
| Factor | Effect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Line length | sets the base | Per-foot price times the run |
| Pipe cleaning / prep | + $350 – $900 | Jetting required before a liner goes in |
| Reinstating branch connections | + $200 – $600 each | Robotic cutter reopens each tie-in |
| Access pit excavation | + $500 – $2,500 | Bursting and some liners need entry pits |
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CIPP lining: a new pipe inside the old one
Cured-in-place pipe lining is the trenchless method most people mean by "lining." A felt or fiberglass sleeve saturated with epoxy resin is pulled or inverted into the existing pipe, inflated against the wall, and cured with heat, steam, or UV light into a hard, jointless new pipe inside the old one. No long trench, so the lawn and driveway above stay intact.
The price is $80 – $250 per foot, which puts a full residential lateral at $4,000 – $15,000. The per-foot figure is higher than open-trench digging, but lining usually wins on the total because it skips the restoration bill. The line has to be cleaned first, typically with hydro jetting, and a camera inspection confirms the pipe is a candidate before any resin is mixed.
Pipe bursting: replace without the trench
Pipe bursting is the other trenchless route, and it is a true replacement rather than a reline. A cone-shaped bursting head is pulled through the old pipe on a cable, fracturing it outward into the surrounding soil while towing a new seamless HDPE pipe behind it. It works through two pits, one at each end, instead of a continuous trench.
At $60 – $200 per foot, bursting can undercut lining and has one structural advantage: it can slightly upsize the pipe, useful if the old line was undersized. It does need those access pits dug, so it is not zero-dig, and it requires room at both ends. Bursting shines when the old pipe is too far gone to host a liner but the path between the pits is clear.
When lining is impossible
Trenchless has hard limits, and a good plumber names them. A fully collapsed pipe gives a liner nothing to hold its shape against, so there is no host pipe to line. A bellied pipe, one that has sagged into a low spot that holds standing water, keeps that flaw forever under a liner; the liner follows the sag, so the belly and its recurring clogs remain. Severe misalignment at a joint can also defeat the liner head.
In those cases, open-trench excavation is the honest answer, even though it is messier. The crew digs out the bad section, re-grades the slope to eliminate the belly, and lays new pipe. Anyone who promises to line a collapsed or bellied line is selling you a repair that will fail. The full dig-and-replace numbers live in our sewer line replacement cost guide.
The 50-year liner claim, with nuance
CIPP liners are commonly warranted for 50 years, and the cured epoxy itself genuinely does have a long service life with no joints for roots to enter. For a structurally sound host pipe with isolated cracks or root intrusion at joints, that is a defensible number and a strong value.
The nuance is that the liner is only as good as the host pipe and the installation. A liner over a pipe that later shifts, or one installed with wrinkles or a missed branch reinstatement, will not reach 50 years. Ask what the warranty actually covers, whether it is transferable at sale, and request the post-cure camera footage. A clean post-install scope is your proof the liner seated correctly end to end.
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