Sewer Cleanout Cap: How to Find Your Sewer Cleanout in Myrtle Beach

Where is my sewer cleanout?

Check outside first: along the foundation on the street side, usually within a few feet of the house, and near the property line by the street. If you find nothing, look in the garage floor, at the bottom of the drain pipes under a raised home, or behind an access panel near a toilet.

Near the property line

GSWSA’s Sewer System Standards (July 2026) call for cleanouts on a service lateral at the property line next to the sewer main, 5 feet from the building, at every bend sharper than 45 degrees and at least every 75 feet on straight runs. GSWSA also marks new wyes, tees and laterals with a green-painted 4-by-4 treated post, so on a newer lot a green post near the street can point to the line.

In Murrells Inlet, GCWSD’s standard connection detail shows a 6-inch cleanout in the road right-of-way, set in a round concrete collar about 27 inches across, plus a 4-inch cleanout at least 5 feet from the house. The cities of Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway and Loris run their own sewers, so ask your city whether a property-line cleanout is standard on your street. Older homes may predate all of these rules.

Near the house

The residential code South Carolina uses (the 2021 IRC) calls for a cleanout where the building drain meets the building sewer, or within 10 feet of that junction. Outside, that usually means a short pipe in a flower bed, behind shrubs, beside the front steps or under a deck.

Slab, raised, manufactured and condo homes

• Slab homes: the drain runs under the slab and leaves at the foundation, so the cleanout is usually just outside that wall. Some homes have another in the garage floor, with a flush plug, or behind a wall access panel.
• Raised homes and homes on pilings: the drain pipes run under the floor and drop to the ground. Look for a capped fitting at the bottom of the drop or on the pipe heading toward the street.
• Manufactured homes: the drain usually leaves the underside of the home at one point inside the skirting.
• Condos and townhomes: in buildings with many units, cleanouts and the shared sewer line are often common property, so check with your HOA or property manager before opening one.

What if the cleanout is missing, buried or broken?

Replace a missing cap or cracked riser soon, find a buried cleanout with a camera locator, and add one if there is none. Until then, cover an open pipe so rain, debris and pests stay out.

• Missing cap: a matching threaded plug, or a temporary rubber test cap, closes it until a proper repair.
• Broken riser: lawn mowers and vehicles commonly crack the short pipe above ground. It can be cut back and fitted with a new riser and cap.
• Buried cleanout: brush back mulch, sod or gravel by hand along the foundation. Anything more is digging, so call 811 first. SC811 marks only public utility lines, not your private sewer line, and operators have three full working days to respond. The code calls for below-grade cleanouts to be extended to grade and says plugs may not be covered with mortar, plaster or other permanent material.
• Cannot find one: we run a camera with a locator into the line from inside, through a pulled toilet if needed, and mark the line’s route and depth on the ground.
• Damaged property-line cleanout: in GSWSA areas this cleanout generally sits where GSWSA’s lateral meets your pipe, so call GSWSA to ask whose it is. Our guide on who is responsible for sewer line repair explains each utility’s split.