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Sewage Backup Cleanup in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Restoration Doctor of South Florida cleans up sewage backups in Fort Lauderdale, FL, 24 hours a day at (786) 213-9489. Sewage is Category 3 water: we contain the area, remove contaminated porous materials, disinfect and dry the structure, and document each step.

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Updated October 2026

Service area
Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County, Florida
Hours
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Work
Containment, extraction, removal of contaminated porous materials, disinfection, drying, documentation
Phone
(786) 213-9489
Mailing Address
1200 Brickell Ave Suite 1950 #1007, Miami, FL 33131
Standard
IICRC S500/S520-aligned documentation

What a sewage backup is, and why it is Category 3

Under the IICRC S500 standard, water is placed in a category by how contaminated it is. Sewage is Category 3, the most contaminated category. A backup from a toilet, tub, floor drain or cleanout carries bacteria and other contaminants into every material it touches, so it is handled differently from a clean supply-line leak.

Do not handle Category 3 water without protective equipment, and keep children and pets out of the area until it has been cleaned.

Why sewage backups happen in Fort Lauderdale

Older homes along the New River and on the inland blocks can still drain through original cast-iron lines, which crack, corrode and clog with age. Roots, grease and wipes cause blockages in any pipe. In a condominium, a blocked drain stack backs up into the lowest units first.

Heavy rain and king-tide weeks can also push water back up through low drains, and flood water that enters a building through a threshold is contaminated in the same way. A plumber finds and fixes the blockage or break; our work starts with the water and materials it has already reached.

How a sewage backup is cleaned up

  1. 1

    Keep out and stop the source

    Stop using the fixtures that drain to the blocked line, keep people and pets out of the wet area, and call a plumber to clear or fix the line. Call us at the same time: the cleanup should not wait for the plumber to finish.

  2. 2

    Contain the area

    The crew sets up in protective equipment and isolates the affected area so contamination does not travel through the rest of the property.

  3. 3

    Extract the contaminated water

    Standing sewage water is pumped and extracted first, and the wet area is mapped with moisture meters.

  4. 4

    Remove the porous materials it reached

    Carpet, pad, drywall, baseboard and insulation that sewage touched are generally removed and disposed of, not cleaned. Disposal is documented.

  5. 5

    Clean and disinfect

    Hard surfaces and the exposed structure are cleaned and treated with antimicrobial products.

  6. 6

    Dry and verify

    Air movers and dehumidifiers run against the recorded dry standard. Readings are taken each day, and you receive the photos, readings and disposal documentation.

Sewage backups in condominiums and multi-unit buildings

When a drain stack backs up, the lowest units are hit first and the building's plumbing is shared. We coordinate access with building management, keep a separate record for each affected unit we are given access to, and keep common areas on their own record. Questions about who is responsible for the stack belong with the association or an attorney.

Sewage after storms and king tides

A storm can overwhelm drains and push contaminated water into low rooms, garages and ground floors. The cleanup is the same Category 3 process: extraction, removal of the porous materials the water reached, cleaning, antimicrobial treatment and measured drying.

Related pages

Common questions

Call a plumber to clear or fix the line, and call (786) 213-9489 for the cleanup at the same time. The plumber stops the source; we extract the sewage water, remove the contaminated materials, disinfect and dry. Keep people and pets out of the wet area until it is cleaned.

We recommend against it. Sewage is Category 3 water. The porous materials it touched, such as carpet, pad and drywall, are generally removed and disposed of rather than cleaned, and the work needs protective equipment and controlled disposal. Do not handle it without protection.

Restoration Doctor of South Florida answers (786) 213-9489 24 hours a day and serves Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward County. A crew can be on-site in as little as 60 minutes in Miami-Dade. Broward and Palm Beach dispatches take somewhat longer. Response times vary based on crew availability and demand.

Porous materials that sewage reached, such as carpet, pad, drywall, baseboard and insulation, are removed and disposed of. Hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected. Contents are assessed item by item: porous items that sewage touched are generally disposed of, and hard items can often be cleaned.

Yes. Heavy rain and high water can push water back up through low drains, and flood water that enters a building is contaminated in the same way. Either way the cleanup is a Category 3 process: extraction, removal of porous materials, cleaning, antimicrobial treatment and measured drying.

It depends on how much water there was, how far it spread and what it reached. Extraction and removal of contaminated materials come first, then drying runs until daily moisture readings reach the recorded dry standard. We do not quote a fixed number of days.

Yes. We coordinate access with building management, keep a separate record for each affected unit we are given access to, and keep common areas on their own record. Tell us the building's access rules when you call. Who is responsible for the drain stack is a question for the association or an attorney.

Water, sewage or storm damage right now?

A person answers (786) 213-9489 at any hour. Tell us the address, what is wet and whether the water is still running. A crew can be on-site in as little as 60 minutes in Miami-Dade. Broward and Palm Beach dispatches take somewhat longer.*

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*Response times vary based on crew availability and demand.

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