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What is a sewer cleanout?

A sewer cleanout is a capped access opening on the sewer line, usually the end of a pipe near the house or at the property line near the street, that a plumber opens to inspect the line and clear a blockage.

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By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Updated

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What does a sewer cleanout do?

It is the opening where a plumber reaches the sewer line to inspect it and clear a blockage. San Diego County describes the job, and Illinois's plumbing code adds a rule on what the opening may never be used for: “A cleanout is an access point into the sewer lateral that is used to inspect the line and clear it of any obstruction.” Source: County of San Diego, Department of Public Works, read 2026-10-30. In Illinois, “A cleanout shall not have a plumbing fixture installed in it or be used as a floor drain.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30.

How does Indiana's plumbing code define a sewer cleanout?

The plumbing-code word is simply cleanout: an opening that lets someone reach the drain or sewer pipe to remove an obstruction. Indiana's State Building Commissioner quotes the definition from the 2012 Indiana Plumbing Code, including the forms a cleanout can take: In Indiana, “An access opening in the drainage system utilized for the removal of obstructions.” Source: Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, read 2026-10-30. “Types of cleanouts include a removable plug or cap, and a removable fixture or fixture trap.” Source: Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, read 2026-10-30.

What does a sewer cleanout look like?

Outside, it usually looks like the end of a pipe with a cap on it, and the cap stays on tight except while the line is being serviced. San Diego County describes the look, and Wisconsin's code says an underground cleanout is brought up to the ground surface and its plug is never buried in finishing material: “Cleanouts are usually located within three to five feet of a business or home, or sometimes at the front property line near the street, and they look like the end of a pipe with a cap on it.” Source: County of San Diego, Department of Public Works, read 2026-10-30. “The cleanout cap must be on tight at all times except when servicing the lateral.” Source: County of San Diego, Department of Public Works, read 2026-10-30. In Wisconsin, “Cleanouts installed in underground drain piping shall be extended vertically to or above the finish grade.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30. In Wisconsin, “Cleanout plugs shall not be covered with cement, plaster, or any other similar permanent finishing material.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30.

Where is the sewer cleanout located on a house?

Usually within a few feet of the house, and sometimes out at the front property line near the street; the San Diego County passage above gives those usual spots. Wisconsin and Illinois both put a 5-foot limit on where the main cleanout sits, measured differently: See the County of San Diego, Department of Public Works passage quoted above. In Wisconsin, “The cleanout shall be located within 5 feet of where the building drain and the building sewer connect.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30. In Wisconsin, “The cleanout may be located either inside or outside the building.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30. In Illinois, “A full size cleanout shall be located within 5 feet of the building foundation, inside or outside, in direct line with the building drain and sewer.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30.

How many feet should there be between sewer cleanouts?

The number depends on the state code and the pipe size. Illinois sets 50 feet between cleanouts for horizontal drainage lines of 4 inches or less and 100 feet for lines over 4 inches up to 10 inches, while Wisconsin caps below-ground drain piping at 40 feet between cleanouts for pipe of 2 inches or less and 75 feet for larger pipe. A change of direction needs one too: In Illinois, “Cleanouts shall be not more than 50 feet apart, including the developed length of the cleanout pipe, in horizontal drainage lines of 4 inches or less size.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30. “Cleanouts shall be not more than 100 feet apart, including the developed length of the cleanout pipe, in horizontal drainage lines of over 4 inches to 10 inches in size.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30. In Wisconsin, “The developed length of drain piping between cleanouts for below ground piping 2 inches or less in diameter may not exceed 40 feet.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30. “The developed length of drain piping between cleanouts for below ground piping greater than 2 inches in diameter may not exceed 75 feet.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30. In Illinois, “A cleanout or manhole shall be installed at each change of direction of the horizontal building drainage system greater than 60 degrees; the total of the fittings between cleanouts or manholes shall not exceed 120 degrees.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30.

Are sewer cleanouts required?

Where a state has adopted rules like these, yes: the codes say shall. Wisconsin requires one near the point where the building drain meets the building sewer, and Illinois requires one at the base of each vertical waste or soil stack. The numbers differ from state to state, so check the code your city or county has adopted: In Wisconsin, “A cleanout shall be provided near the junction of a building drain and a building sewer.” Source: Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, read 2026-10-30. In Illinois, “A cleanout shall be provided at, or no more than 4 feet above, the base of each vertical waste or soil stack.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30.

What is a two way sewer cleanout?

The code term is a 2 way cleanout. Illinois's plumbing code names it as one of two ways to give a slab-floor building a cleanout on its drain; the other is running the building drain out to the outside of the building. Illinois's text: In Illinois, “An accessible 2 way cleanout shall be installed in the building drain downstream from the stack provided that no other drainage pipe connects to such pipe inside the walls of the building unless it has its own cleanout at the base of the stack or extended outside the building.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30. “The building drain shall be extended to the outside of the building and terminated in an accessible cleanout.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30.

What size does a sewer clean out pipe need to be?

In Illinois a cleanout matches the pipe it serves, up to a limit, and it needs open space around it so a plumber can work a rod in. The state code says: In Illinois, “Cleanouts shall be of the same size as the pipe they serve up to a maximum of 6 inches, and at least 6 inches for larger pipe.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30. “All cleanouts shall have a clearance of 18 inches for the purpose of rodding.” Source: Illinois Department of Public Health, read 2026-10-30.

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