Plumbers in Detroit

Detroit rules for water and sewer work

The city’s Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) sets its own rules. Water service work has to be done by a licensed Master Plumber who is registered with the City of Detroit. Replacing an existing water service line needs a DWSD permit.

A sewer service repair has its own DWSD permit, and it is required whether the repair is on your property or out in the road. A DWSD project may also need a plumbing permit from the city’s Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED).

Planning a sewer line repair or a new water line? Sort out permits before scheduling. DWSD’s permit page lists what each job needs.

Lead and galvanized service lines in Detroit

Detroit’s lead service line program replaces lead and galvanized pipes with copper. If you want to talk through what your own line might be made of, mention it when you call.

Our repiping and water lines page covers work on the pipes inside the house, which a service line program doesn’t touch.

Older homes in Detroit

In a house from the 1940s, drains can be slow for reasons that sit deep in the line, and a basement floor drain can be the first place trouble shows. Our drain cleaning service opens the line and a camera shows what is inside.

The sewer line age checker gives a rough picture of which pipe a house of your age might have underground. A camera inspection is the only way to see it for sure.

Freezing nights in Detroit

In Detroit, roughly 113 nights a year reached 32°F or below from 2015 to 2024, and January lows average 21°F.

Find your main valve before winter arrives. If a line bursts, close it first and then ring us for emergency plumbing.