Most property managers should plan on one full sewer camera inspection every year, plus extra inspections at a few trigger points such as a tenant change or a backup. That is a planning default, not a legal requirement, and your local sewer authority and health department set any rules that apply to your property. The reason to do it anyway is simple: a sewer line is one of the few systems in your building you can’t see, and a recorded inspection each year turns it from a surprise into a line item.
The short version: Inspect the main building sewer once a year, put a camera before and after every jetting visit, add an inspection when something changes, and keep every report. The footage is your baseline for budgeting repairs.
The Annual Sewer Inspection Calendar
Here is a simple year for a commercial property. For jetting intervals by tenant type, see Bison’s guides to commercial hydrojetting in Michigan and commercial plumbing in Oakland County.
| What to Schedule | When | What It Does |
| Main building sewer camera inspection | Once a year, ideally late winter or early spring, after the freeze-thaw | Gives you a dated, recorded picture of the line to compare against next year |
| Camera pass before and after every jetting visit | With each cleaning (see the jetting guide for tenant-based intervals) | Confirms the line is actually clear and that jetting didn’t stress a weak pipe |
| Branch lines and floor drains | When cleaned, or as soon as drains slow | Catches problems on the lines tenants use most |
| Grease interceptor and kitchen lines (food tenants) | On the interceptor’s service schedule |