Infiltration & Inflow (I&I) Inspections
Trust the Lucky Dog team to provide you with the best sewer & drain solutions for residential and commercial properties.
We get it done right the first time, every time.
If you're looking for a team that will get the job done right, on-time, and when you need it, then you've found the right people.
Locates cracks, open joints, and failed connections- Identifies improper sump pump and downspout tie-ins
- Recorded footage and a written report you can submit
- Supports Edina and Minneapolis I&I grant applications
- The lateral is your responsibility, not the city’s
Grant programs worth knowing about
Whether help is available depends heavily on which city you are in, and most homeowners have no idea. Here is where things stand as of mid-2026.
Edina
Edina is an active participant in the 2026 Metropolitan Council Private Property Inflow and Infiltration Grant Program. The City Council authorized a grant application, which means qualifying lateral repair or foundation drain disconnection work done during the 2026 calendar year has a path to grants covering 50 percent of cost, up to $5,000, or up to $10,000 for homeowners meeting the city’s equity criteria. Edina Public Works can walk you through how to apply.
Edina also actively enforces sump pump and foundation drain discharge rules. Improper sump discharge is treated as a nuisance, and the city has specific technical requirements for the discharge pipe. A violation starts with a compliance letter and a 30 day window to fix it before enforcement and fines follow.
Minneapolis
Minneapolis runs the most built-out program in the Twin Cities, the Private Sewer Lateral Grant, funded through the Metropolitan Council. Funding tiers scale with the property’s mapped location, from 50 percent up to $5,000 through to $10,000, awards are distributed by lottery with a waitlist, and eligibility is limited to owner occupied single family, duplex, or triplex homes. Applicants need a licensed contractor’s report documenting the needed repair in order to apply. It is worth knowing that the grant funds future work only, cannot be used to satisfy a home sale contingency, and that the total pool is small relative to demand, so it should be treated as a possibility rather than a plan.
St. Louis Park and Hopkins
Neither city has authorized participation in the Metropolitan Council’s 2026 private property I&I grant program, so there is no dedicated lateral repair grant for homeowners in these cities this cycle. Hopkins does cap a homesteaded owner’s street restoration cost when a service repair requires cutting into the street, but you need city approval before the work starts.
Where we fit
We are a drain and sewer specialist, not a repair contractor and not a grant administrator. What we do is put a camera down the full length of your line, find every place water is getting in, and hand you recorded footage and a written report documenting the condition. That report is what a repair contractor works from, and it is the kind of documentation a grant application asks for.
If the fix falls outside drain and sewer cleaning, we will tell you plainly and point you to a contractor we trust rather than selling you work we do not do. Programs, funding, and deadlines change year to year, so confirm the current details with your city before making a decision.
Infiltration and inflow is clean water getting into your sewer line where it does not belong. We camera the line, pinpoint exactly where it is entering, and document it so you can fix the right thing instead of guessing.
Infiltration is groundwater seeping in through cracks, open joints, and deteriorated pipe, which is common in the aging clay tile and cast iron laterals across the west metro. Inflow is stormwater entering directly through improper connections such as sump pumps, downspouts, or foundation drains tied into the sanitary sewer. Both overload the system, drive up treatment costs for everyone, and raise your own risk of a backup during heavy rain and spring thaw.
The sewer lateral is your responsibility
This surprises a lot of homeowners. In St. Louis Park, Edina, and Hopkins, the property owner is responsible for the entire sewer service line from the house out to and including the connection at the city main. A crack, a root intrusion, or a break anywhere along that run is the owner’s repair cost, not the city’s. The cities clean the public mains on a rotating cycle, but that does nothing for your private lateral.
What a city inspection does not cover
St. Louis Park requires a Property Maintenance Inspection whenever a home is sold, and the certificate goes to the buyer and title company at closing. That inspection covers siding, roof, garage, and interior condition. It does not inspect or certify the sewer lateral. A sewer scope is a recommended add-on that buyers arrange privately. Hopkins has no point-of-sale sewer inspection requirement at all. If you want to know the condition of the line, you have to look.
