How to Hire a Sewer Contractor in Maine

Who licenses sewer contractors in Maine

The Plumbers' Examining Board, within the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, licenses master plumbers, journeyman plumbers, journeymen-in-training and trainees. Only a master plumber or the homeowner of an occupied single-family house may apply for a Maine plumbing permit. The catch for sewer work is the statutory definition of plumbing, which excludes building drains outside the foundation wall. The pipe from the house to the street is therefore not plumbing under Maine law, no state plumbing permit covers it, and the state does not require a plumber's license to lay it. Towns fill the gap. Portland, Westbrook, Lewiston and Bangor each require a contractor working in a public street to hold a city excavator license, carry insurance and post a bond, and they publish the list annually. Verify a master plumber in the state's online licensing lookup, ask the town's public works office whether the excavator is on its current list, and request liability and workers' compensation certificates for the crew.

Permits and inspections

The permit for a Maine building sewer comes from the municipality, usually the public works director or sewer department, as a sewer connection or repair permit; the plumbing permit from the local plumbing inspector covers only the interior and the first two feet outside the wall. Portland's Department of Public Works and Westbrook's Wastewater Division issue connection permits and require a separate street opening permit, with 24 hours' notice before inspection and connection. Lewiston, Auburn and Bangor follow the same model, and many small-town ordinances require the inspector to witness the connection and approve backfill. A camera recording after lining stands in for the trench inspection. Dig Safe, Maine's one-call center, must be notified three business days before excavation. The excavator or master plumber pulls the permit.

Who owns the pipe under the street

Maine towns almost universally make the owner responsible for the building sewer from the house to the public sewer, including the portion under the sidewalk and street. Westbrook says so outright and adds that the city does not maintain that pipe. Portland and Bangor carry the same rule, and the typical small-town sewer ordinance states that after connection the owner maintains the building sewer to the main and restores any public property disturbed. A few sewer districts, chiefly midcoast and Down East, maintain the segment in the right-of-way; ask in writing before paying to dig in the road. Maine has no point-of-sale lateral inspection law, though its 200-foot connection rule can force a hookup when a septic system fails.

What is under Maine, and why it shapes the bid

Maine's ground is glacial. Portland and the coast sit on marine clay, the gray Presumpscot formation that holds a trench wall briefly and then slides, so trench boxes are standard. Inland, Lewiston, Augusta and Bangor hit ledge within a few feet in many neighborhoods, and rock excavation or lining decides the price. Frost reaches four to five feet, so laterals are deep and winter work is limited. Older housing carries old pipe: cast iron and clay through the 1950s in mill-town neighborhoods, Orangeburg in post-war additions, PVC after the 1970s. Combined sewers in Portland and Lewiston mean a failed lateral backs up in a storm, and towns use the permit to get sump pumps off the sanitary line.

What a Maine sewer bid must include

• The town sewer connection or repair permit, the street opening permit for Portland or Westbrook, and who applies for each.
• The Maine master plumber's license number for the interior tie-in and the town excavator license for the yard and street work.
• Ledge excavation and trench boxes as unit-priced items, since Maine clay fails and rock sits shallow.
• Depth of the existing building sewer, because five-foot frost cover means more excavation than pipe.
• A post-repair or post-lining camera recording and the town inspector's approval before backfill.

The full checklist, for any state, is on what a sewer bid should include.

Red flags in Maine

• An excavator not on the town's current licensed list for Portland, Westbrook or wherever you live.
• A claim that a state plumbing permit covers the yard and street, when Maine excludes building drains outside the foundation.
• A fixed price for an open cut in Portland clay or Bangor ledge with no allowance for either.
• No Dig Safe ticket three business days before the dig.

Finding a sewer contractor in Maine

Maine does not yet have a verified contractor listed on this site, which is why the number on this page rings the national line. Call it or send the form with the property address and what the symptoms or the camera are showing, and we will locate a qualified sewer contractor near you, screen them the same way we screen every listing, and make the introduction. There is no charge for that. You can also search the CIPP Verified Installer directory yourself.

Estimates are free. Call now. (855) 804-1434

Where Maine property owners ask for help most

The rules above apply statewide; the communities below are the ones that generate the most questions.

Maine sewer contractor questions

Does replacing a sewer line in Maine need a licensed plumber?

Not for the yard and street. Maine's definition of plumbing excludes building drains outside the foundation wall, so no state plumbing license or permit applies there. The interior tie-in still needs a Maine master plumber, and towns like Portland require a licensed excavator for street work.

Who owns the sewer under a Maine street?

In Portland, Westbrook, Bangor and most Maine towns, the property owner owns and maintains the building sewer all the way to the public main, pavement included. A few sewer districts maintain the right-of-way portion, so ask yours in writing before paying to dig in the road.

Who inspects a sewer connection in Maine?

The town. The public works director or sewer department issues the connection permit and expects 24 hours' notice to witness the connection and approve backfill. The local plumbing inspector handles only the interior permit. Maine has no state sewer inspector.

Why are Maine sewer bids so dependent on depth?

Frost. Laterals in Maine sit four to five feet down to stay below the frost line, so a short open cut moves a lot of soil, and in Lewiston or Bangor it often hits ledge. That is why lining and bursting are priced alongside digging.

Can Maine force me to connect to a public sewer?

Yes. State law requires connection when a public sewer lies within 200 feet of the building, and towns may require it by ordinance in other cases. If your septic system fails in a sewered Maine neighborhood, expect the plumbing inspector to steer you to a connection permit.

The short version for Maine

In Maine, camera first. Ask the town which permit covers the building sewer and whether the firm is on its excavator list, then verify any master plumber with the Plumbers' Examining Board for the interior connection. Compare bids that name the same permits, depth, ledge or shoring allowances and restoration. Have the town inspector witness the connection before backfill and keep the video.

Estimates are free. Call now. (855) 804-1434

Sources checked for this page: www.legislature.maine.gov/statutes/32/title32ch49.pdf · www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/sites/maine.gov.pfr.... · westbrookmaine.gov/234/Residents-Responsibility · www.kennebunkportme.gov/node/876 · regulations.justia.com/states/maine/10/144/chapter-241/secti...