Sewer Camera Inspection: What It Shows and What to Ask For

How a camera inspection works

The camera head sits on the end of a push cable wound on a reel, and the picture goes to a monitor that records it. The technician feeds the cable in from an access point. InterNACHI's sewer scope standard calls for inspecting from a proper cleanout or a roof vent stack, and for noting in the report when no cleanout is visible or accessible.

InterNACHI's guide for inspectors describes the routine. Water is run first so the camera slides more easily, the distance counter is reset, and the setup and access point are recorded so the video clearly belongs to your property. The operator pauses on each defect for several seconds and does not force the camera through an obstruction. Expect to be asked not to run water in the house while the camera is in the line.

Not every inspection starts outside. NASSCO says its building sewer and drain (BSDI) inspections typically begin inside or very close to the building and run out through the lateral toward the sewer main.

What the camera can show

InterNACHI's standard lists the conditions a sewer scope inspector should report as needing correction. Use it as a checklist while you watch the video:

• visible cracks
• roots growing into the pipe (see our guide to tree roots in sewer lines)
• offset joints of more than 1/4 inch
• more than 1 inch of standing water
• blockages or restrictions
• crushed, broken, separated or collapsed pipe
• heavy rust or scale, or a large amount of grease
• deteriorated concrete, egg-shaped (deformed) pipe, or delamination

Standing water in a gravity sewer line usually points to a low spot, often called a belly or sag. The same standard asks inspectors to describe the pipe material when possible, but it does not require them to identify bituminous fiber (Orangeburg) or asbestos-cement (transite) pipe. Our guide to old sewer pipe materials explains how those materials fail.

Finding the problem from above ground

The distance counter tells you how far along the pipe a defect sits. A sonde tells you where that spot is on the surface. A sonde is a small transmitter, and the operator's manual for one sonde locator explains that it can be pushed to a problem point on a camera cable. That locator reads sondes at 512 Hz, 640 Hz, 874 Hz and 33 kHz.

The technician walks the yard with the locator tuned to the sonde, follows the signal to its strongest point, marks the spot and takes a depth reading. Treat the marks as good estimates, not survey points. The manual says locating is not an exact science, that depth readings should be taken as estimates, and that other buried lines nearby can distort the signal.

Ask in advance whether the company will locate and mark defects. InterNACHI's standard does not require inspectors to locate or mark defects or to give the line's length. A sonde mark is also not a utility locate: Georgia's dig law requires a locate request through Georgia 811 before anyone excavates with mechanized equipment.

How defects are coded: NASSCO standards

NASSCO certifies people to describe pipe conditions with standard codes. PACP is used for sewer mains, LACP for laterals, MACP for manholes, and BSDI for building sewers and drains, including laterals.

In the PACP system, each defect gets a condition grade from 1 to 5, with 5 the most significant. According to a 2016 NASSCO technical article, the grade follows from the code entered rather than the operator's opinion. Its example: a crack running along the pipe is a grade 2, a visibly open fracture a 3, a broken pipe with displaced pieces a 4, and a broken pipe with soil or a void visible behind it a 5.

Grades have limits. The same article says they can't account for pipe material, changes in loading, voids and other conditions outside the pipe, and that they can't replace an engineer's judgment. If your report uses NASSCO codes, ask what grade each defect received. NASSCO's BSDI page also links to a tool for verifying an individual's certification.

Before you buy a house

A standard home inspection usually doesn't include the sewer line. ASHI's Standard of Practice, as posted in October 2026, has inspectors examine the interior drain, waste and vent system and does not require them to inspect underground items or septic systems. ASHI's page notes that members approved a revised standard in January 2026, and that the posted version stays current until the new one takes effect. InterNACHI says a sewer scope is not required by its home inspection standards, although many inspectors offer one as an extra service.

Some Georgia utilities encourage buyers to add one. Gwinnett County's sewer lateral page suggests that buyers consider adding a lateral inspection to the home inspection. Because the house still belongs to the seller, the inspector will need the owner's cooperation and access to a cleanout. InterNACHI suggests telling the owner in writing beforehand what the scope involves, including whether toilets will be pulled.

If the camera finds a defect near the street, who handles the repair depends on your sewer provider. See who is responsible for the sewer line in Georgia.

What a camera can't tell you

• It's a snapshot. InterNACHI's standard says a scope is not technically exhaustive, reports what was observed that day rather than predicting future conditions, and won't find concealed or latent defects.
• It sees only the inside of the pipe. Anything under standing water or debris can be hidden, and conditions outside an intact pipe, such as a void in the soil, generally don't show up. NASSCO also notes that its condition grades can't account for voids and other conditions outside the pipe.
• It may skip the indoor piping. The standard does not require inspectors to scope under-floor or in-house portions of the drain system.
• Locate marks and depths are estimates, as the locator manual says.
• A grade is not a repair plan. Use the findings to compare sewer line repair options with the contractor, or with a second one.

Next step: what to ask for

Before the visit, ask which access point will be used and whether a toilet will be pulled, whether defects will be located and marked, and whether the report will use NASSCO codes.

Afterward, get these in writing:

1. The full video, start to finish, as a link or a file. InterNACHI's standard calls for giving the client the entire recording.
2. A list of each defect with its distance from the access point.
3. A note of any section that wasn't inspected and why, which the same standard says the report should include.
4. Locate marks and depth estimates for anything that may need digging.
5. Recommendations kept separate from the findings, so a second company can review the video on its own.

This is general information, not professional advice. A licensed plumber who has watched your video can tell you what the findings mean for your line.