Serving Costa Mesa Since 1985

Costa Mesa Sewer Inspection Rebate: We Matched Our Prices to It

Last updated on September 26, 2026 by William J. Horsky Jr.

The tub gurgles when you flush, and you wonder what the pipe under your yard looks like. The Costa Mesa sewer inspection rebate pays homeowners back up to $200 or $250 for a camera video of that pipe, and we matched our prices to the rebate. Through a ground-level cleanout, the inspection can cost you nothing after the rebate. Funding is limited and goes out first come, first served.

What the Costa Mesa Sanitary District pays back

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District runs the sewer mains and trash pickup in the city. Its Sewer Inspection Rebate Program pays homeowners back for a video camera inspection of their sewer lateral, the pipe that runs from the house to the main under the street. Some people call it a sewer scope. You own that pipe, including the connection at the main, so the District helps you check it before it fails.

• Camera from a ground-level cleanout to the main: up to $200
• Camera from a roof vent or toilet flange to the main: up to $250
• Installing a ground-level cleanout: up to $500 (a District sewer permit is required before work starts)

The District states the funding is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. It hasn’t published an end date, so the application is the step not to put off. Read the full terms on the Sanitary District’s rebate program page.

How the sewer camera inspection rebate works

The order matters. The District has to approve you before the camera goes in the line, and work done before you have a confirmation number doesn’t qualify. After that, you have 3 months to get the inspection done and send in your paperwork.

What you’d pay us, and what comes back

How the camera gets into the line sets the price. We go through a ground-level cleanout when your home has one. If it doesn’t, we go through a roof vent when the plumber on the call judges it’s safe and won’t damage your roof. Our camera weighs about 25 pounds, so the plumber can carry it up a ladder safely. A cabling machine runs 100 to 150 pounds, which is why we camera from a roof but don’t snake from one. Otherwise, we go through a toilet, which means pulling it and setting it back. Whichever way in, it’s the same drain line camera inspection, run from the house out past the connection at the main.

Camera through a ground-level cleanout
Our normal price	$325
Our rebate discount	−$125
You pay us	$200
Sanitary District pays you back	up to −$200
Your cost after the rebate*	$0

Camera through a roof vent
Our normal price (includes $100 for roof access)	$425
Our rebate discount	−$175
You pay us	$250
Sanitary District pays you back	up to −$250
Your cost after the rebate*	$0

Camera through a toilet
Our normal camera inspection	$325
Our normal price to pull and reset the toilet	$325
Our rebate discount	−$150
You pay us	$500
Sanitary District pays you back	up to −$250
Your cost after the rebate*	$250

*When the Sanitary District approves and pays the full rebate amount. These are rebate-program prices for homes in the District; they end when the District’s funding runs out.

Good to know before you apply

The program is for owners of residential property inside the Sanitary District’s service area. Commercial and industrial properties don’t qualify. Not sure your home is in the District? Call the Sanitary District at (949) 645-8400 and ask before you apply.

• You can take part once every 5 years, and you get one rebate per period: the camera video or a new cleanout, not both.
• No ground-level cleanout? We price cleanout installs job by job, with the price in writing, good for 30 days. That work needs a District sewer permit before it starts.
• If you have us install a cleanout or do a repair after the inspection, the camera fee comes off the cost of that work.
• The District’s video rules: a USB drive or DVD, narration with the address, date, and contractor, the date and footage counter on screen, and the whole lateral from the house to past the connection at the main.

If the video shows a broken lateral, our Costa Mesa sewer line repair page covers who pays and every repair option. If it shows a clog in sound pipe, that’s a Costa Mesa drain cleaning call. And if the line is in good shape, you have that on video too.

Costa Mesa sewer inspection rebate FAQ

What to do next

1. Check whether you have a ground-level cleanout, usually a capped pipe near the front of the house or along the side yard. It sets which price applies.
2. Apply with the Sanitary District and wait for your confirmation number.
3. Call us at (949) 646-5511 or book online and tell us it’s for the rebate.

If you’d like us to come out, we’re available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Rebate inspections are scheduled during business hours, Monday through Saturday. We give a two-hour window and call when the truck is on the way. If the camera shows your line is in good shape, we’ll tell you that. If it shows a break or roots, we’ll walk you through the options and the written price on each one.

Serving Costa Mesa since 1985.