• Frequent Sewer Drain Backups
  • Smell Gas
  • Pool Losing Excess Water
  • Water Puddling
  • High Water Bills
  • Sewer Odors

Basement Flooding Grant Program

At ​The Pipe Doctor, we are both licensed plumbing contractors and licensed sewer contractors, giving us a professional edge, since we can assess both the interior and exterior of your home for flood risks.

Basement Flooding Grant Program. The City of Toledo participates in the Basement Flooding Grant Program, a program which assists property owners in the purchase and installation of corrective measures to prevent basement flooding caused by sewer backups from overloaded City sanitary sewers.

Eligibility

Any property owners in the City of Toledo who have experienced sewer backups from overloaded main sewers are eligible for the grant program. Although there is not an age or income requirement for the grant, those factors may influence the amount of the grant.

This program does not assist with cleaning or repair issues of the sewer between your house and the city sewer. Additionally, water coming in around the walls is not covered by the program. The grant program is to help protect your home from future flooding. Therefore, if your basement is currently wet, do not look for this grant program for immediate relief.

In order to get funding through the grant program, the work must be intended to prevent back-up of sanitary sewage into basements.

Work that is not eligible includes: insurance deductibles, replacement of damaged property, clean-up costs, footer drain cleaning or replacement, sewer lateral repairs or cleaning, landscaping changes to prevent surface water from standing against the foundation, and work to prevent ground water or storm water flooding.

If Your Basement Floods:

Sometimes a broken or obstructed sewer line can cause homeowners to have flooding or sewer odor in their basements.

If you have a basement flood that you believe is or was from a sewer backup, report it to the Toledo sewer dispatcher at 419-936-2924.

  • Before calling the City of Toledo’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU), the homeowner should have a private licensed sewer cleaner check the sewer line to determine where the obstruction is located.
  • The DPU will check the main sewer line during normal business hours and is responsible for cleaning and repairs within the public right of way or sewer easement.
  • An obstruction between the main sewer line and the home is the homeowner’s responsibility. This includes a break between the right of way or sewer easement and the home.
  • Obstructions can be cleared by the homeowner, a licensed sewer tapper, a licensed sewer cleaner, or a licensed plumber. However, repairs can only be made by a licensed sewer contractor, such as Pipe Doctor.