Lombard Residents Who Call a Plumber Before Calling the Village for a Sewer Backup Often Lose Out on Reimbursement They Didn’t Know They Qualified For. Here’s Why the Village Needs to Come First, What a Genuinely Trustworthy Drain Company Actually Does About It, and Two Other Homeowner Programs Worth Knowing.
Most articles about “trusted drain professionals” talk about experience, technology, and customer service. Those things matter, but in Lombard specifically, there’s a piece of practical knowledge that matters more, and it has nothing to do with which company you hire. It’s about which phone call you make first.
The Sewer Stub Program: Call the Village Before You Call Anyone Else
Lombard operates a Sewer Stub Program that reimburses residents for rodding their sewer lateral where it runs through the public right-of-way, the section of pipe between your property line and the Village’s main. The reimbursement rate is tied to what the plumber under contract with the Village actually charges, currently $300 during normal business hours and $383 for evenings and weekends. That’s real money back for a service most homeowners assume they’re paying for entirely out of pocket.
Here’s the part that trips people up: reimbursement requires a Village representative to physically witness the rodding. If you call a plumber directly and have the work done before Public Works ever knows about it, the Village will not reimburse you, no exceptions, no matter how legitimate the work was. The correct sequence is to call Lombard Public Works at 630-620-5740 first, during business hours (8:00 AM to 4:30 PM), or the Police Department’s non-emergency line after hours, which routes to Public Works. Only once a Village representative is scheduled to observe does calling a plumber make sense as the next step.
What a Genuinely Trustworthy Drain Company Actually Does Here
This is where “trusted” stops being a marketing word and starts being something you can actually verify. A drain company that knows Lombard’s Sewer Stub Program will tell you to call the Village first, even though that means waiting for a scheduled witness before they can start the job, because a company that skips straight to billing you for a rodding they could have coordinated around the reimbursement isn’t actually working in your interest. That’s a real, checkable difference between a company that’s genuinely local and one that’s just running ads in your zip code.
A company should also be clear with you about what the program does and doesn’t cover. It applies specifically to the lateral within the public right-of-way, not to any blockage or repair on the section of pipe under your own property, which remains entirely your responsibility and isn’t eligible for reimbursement regardless of who witnesses it.
Two More Lombard Programs Worth Knowing About
The Sewer Stub Program isn’t the only reimbursement Lombard homeowners regularly miss simply because nobody told them it existed.
The Overhead Sewer Reimbursement Program offers 75 percent reimbursement, up to a maximum of $5,000, for homeowners dealing with chronic sewer backups who install an overhead sewer system, a gate valve, or a flap valve. Some parts of Lombard sit low relative to the Village’s mainline sewer, and during heavy storms the mainline can surcharge, pushing water back into homes on those lower service lines. An overhead sewer, which pumps wastewater up and out rather than relying on gravity alone, directly addresses that mechanism. Critically, the plans and proposal for this work must be submitted to and approved by the Village before any work begins, and a permit must be issued first. Doing the work and applying for reimbursement afterward doesn’t qualify. For homes that keep flooding during storms regardless of how often the line gets cleared, our overhead sewer installation service is designed around exactly this kind of permanent fix.
The Clear Water Disconnect Reimbursement Program covers a different but related issue: downspouts and sump pumps connected directly to the sanitary or combined sewer system, which Village Code Section 50.026 prohibits. Homeowners disconnecting these clear water sources, whether because the Village notified them to, because of a history of flooding, or as part of a permitted project, can qualify for the same 75 percent reimbursement up to $5,000. This matters because a downspout dumping straight into the sanitary system adds unnecessary volume during every storm, which is part of what drives the surcharge issues the overhead sewer program exists to solve in the first place.
Why Lombard Even Needs Two Reimbursement Programs for Sewer Backups
Lombard’s sewer infrastructure includes a mix of older combined systems and separate sanitary lines, and the village is also served by two entirely different wastewater treatment authorities, the Glenbard Wastewater Authority and the Flagg Creek Water Reclamation District, depending on which part of Lombard a property sits in. That split, combined with older sections of the system where clear water sources were connected before current code prohibited it, is exactly why the Village built financial incentives to fix both the immediate backup risk and the underlying volume problem, rather than leaving homeowners to absorb the full cost of either on their own.
Documenting the Job So Reimbursement Actually Goes Through
Getting a Village representative to witness the rodding is the requirement most homeowners have heard of, but it’s not the only thing worth doing to make sure the reimbursement process goes smoothly. Get the invoice from your plumber itemized clearly, showing the date, the location of the work relative to your property line, and the specific service performed. Note the name of the Village representative who witnessed the work and the date they were present, since this is what Public Works will cross reference when you submit for reimbursement. Keep a copy of everything, the invoice, any notes from the visit, and the reimbursement application itself, until the payment is actually issued. None of this is complicated, but skipping any piece of it is a common, avoidable reason a legitimate reimbursement request gets delayed or questioned.
What Happens If You Didn’t Know About the Program in Time
If you’ve already had a rodding done without a Village witness, the reimbursement for that specific job is very likely gone. That’s frustrating, but it’s not a reason to keep making the same mistake going forward. Save the Public Works number, 630-620-5740, somewhere you’ll actually find it during an emergency, a phone contact, a note on the fridge, wherever works for your household, so the next time a backup happens, calling the Village is the automatic first step rather than an afterthought you remember too late. A company that’s worked with you before should also be proactively reminding you of this, not waiting for you to ask.
When It’s Your Line, Not the Village’s
None of these programs cover everything. The Sewer Stub Program applies only to right-of-way rodding, not to blockages, root intrusion, or damage on the private portion of your lateral. The two reimbursement programs cover specific installations, not general repairs or routine maintenance. A slow drain inside your house, a clog isolated to your own property, or general aging pipe deterioration is a standard plumbing repair. If you’re noticing recurring backups, odors, or gurgling drains and aren’t sure whether the cause is on your side of the line, our guide to warning signs your sewer line is failing covers what each symptom actually means. From there, it’s worth having a sewer camera inspection done to confirm exactly where a persistent problem sits before assuming any Village program applies.
What Professional Drain Service Actually Involves
Once you know which side of the property line a problem is on, and whether the Village needs to be involved first, the actual service work follows the same fundamentals anywhere: sewer rodding clears most blockages quickly, hydro jetting handles established grease and root buildup more thoroughly by cleaning the full interior of the pipe rather than just cutting a path through it, and a camera inspection confirms what’s actually happening before committing to either. Our Lombard plumber page covers all of this directly, for both the private portion of your line and coordination with the Village when a right-of-way issue is involved.
If you’re a business owner or property manager rather than a homeowner, Lombard’s rules around this differ in some meaningful ways, particularly around FOG compliance and commercial reimbursement rates. Our commercial plumbing guide for Lombard covers that side of it specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to call the Village of Lombard before calling a plumber for a sewer backup?
Because Lombard’s Sewer Stub Program only reimburses residents for lateral rodding in the public right-of-way if a Village representative witnesses the work. Calling a plumber first, without notifying Public Works, means you likely forfeit that reimbursement entirely.
How much does Lombard actually reimburse for a witnessed rodding?
The reimbursement is based on the rate charged by the plumber under contract with the Village, currently $300 during normal business hours and $383 for evenings and weekends. Any amount above that rate is the homeowner’s responsibility.
What if my sewer backup happens after hours or on a weekend?
Call the Police Department’s non-emergency line, which routes to Public Works after regular business hours. The same witnessing requirement applies regardless of when the backup happens.
Does the Sewer Stub Program cover work inside my house?
No. The program covers rodding of the lateral specifically within the public right-of-way. Blockages or repairs on the portion of the line under your own property are your responsibility and are not eligible for this reimbursement.
What is Lombard’s Overhead Sewer Reimbursement Program?
It’s a Village program offering 75 percent reimbursement, up to a maximum of $5,000, to homeowners experiencing chronic sewer backups who install an overhead sewer system, gate valve, or flap valve. Plans must be submitted to and approved by the Village before any work begins.
What is Lombard’s Clear Water Disconnect Reimbursement Program?
It reimburses eligible homeowners for disconnecting downspouts and sump pumps from the sanitary or combined sewer system, as required under Village Code Section 50.026, at 75 percent up to $5,000.
Does every Lombard property use the same sewer treatment system?
No. Lombard is served by two separate wastewater authorities, the Glenbard Wastewater Authority and the Flagg Creek Water Reclamation District, depending on which part of the village a property is in.
What documentation should I keep to make sure my reimbursement actually gets approved?
Keep an itemized invoice showing the date and location of the work, the name of the Village representative who witnessed it, and a copy of your reimbursement application until payment is issued. Missing any of these is a common, avoidable reason a legitimate request gets delayed.
I already had a rodding done without calling the Village first. Can I still get reimbursed?
Unfortunately, that specific job’s reimbursement is very likely gone once the work has already happened without a witness present. Save the Public Works number for next time so it doesn’t happen again.
Drain and Sewer Service for Lombard Homes & Businesses
Licensed, insured, and serving Lombard since 1978. Sewer rodding, hydro jetting, camera inspection, and overhead sewer installation, with Village program coordination and 24/7 emergency response.
Emergency: 708-518-7765 | Lombard: 630-749-9057 | Open 24/7
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Suburban Plumbing Sewer Line & Drain Cleaning Experts
Licensed & Insured | Open 24 Hours | Serving Lombard & the Suburbs Since 1978
📞 Lombard: 630-749-9057 | 🚨 Emergency: 708-518-7765
