The fact is, for $139 you can have your sewer line inspected. You will receive a detailed report as well as a color video of the entire proceeding. No matter what age your home is, a repair of your sewer line is one of the most expensive maintenance items you will ever have to deal with as a homeowner. I have also found there is no typical charge for a repair to the line (Remember, I do not do any repairs). You can pretty much figure $4000-$5000, if the repair is in the city’s right of way. Much of the time these repairs can run as deep as 20′. Many times you have to replace sidewalks and or asphalt. You have to obtain road cut permits. Maybe you have to get a flagger. Right of way expenses are much higher than repairs in your own property. The repairs on your property can be more forgiving. There are more factors involved. The truth is the expense of replacing a sewer line is not the material, but the expense of the excavator. Check out your local home improvement store, you can pick up the items for a 10′ repair for about fifty dollars. In a home that has no basement the sewer line could be as shallow as 2′ under the surface. I think you can see how there is some room for negotiations on a shallow repair. But in comparison to a repair in the street – the same repair may now run from $1000 to $3000. You will also find out that if you have two repairs to be made. One in the city right of way and one on your own property – at this point you want to check with the contractor and find out if it is more cost effective to replace the entire line instead of making the two repairs. I have found the typical replacement of the entire sewer line runs about $1000 per 10′. Eighty foot line, $8000!