Job planner
What a Water or Sewer Line Trench Costs in New Brunswick
Mini $65 to $150 · standard $150 to $250 an hour
Machine time with operator, national and Atlantic guides read in September 2026. We found no New Brunswick price per metre of trench.
Reviewed 2026-09-28 · how we set these ranges
A service trench runs from the house to a municipal connection, a well or a tank. The town decides a lot of this job, so the planner starts there.
1 The pieces of the price
Machine time
By the hour, with operator
Mini $65 to $150 an hour · standard $150 to $250 an hour
Rock, if it turns up
By the hour with a hydraulic breaker, or as a quoted extra
$200 to $300 an hour for a breaker (thin: one guide; large machines run higher)
Trucking the spoil
Per load or per truck hour
Too few published prices to average: ask for the load count and truck size in writing
Municipal connection fees
Set by the town
Quispamsis: $750 sewer and $750 water meter connection (residential); elsewhere ask the town
2 What's under your yard
The things nobody can see until the bucket goes in, and what to do about each before it does.
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Buried lines
Gas, power, cable and old private lines can sit anywhere in a yard. NB Power says its lines can be buried as little as one foot down.
Before the dig: The contractor must have utilities located before digging (WorkSafeNB). Ask to see both tickets: Info-Excavation (3 working days' notice, valid to the end date on the request) and NB Power (five business days, valid 60 days, NB Power lines only). Mark private lines yourself.
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Rock
We found no public source on how deep rock sits under any New Brunswick town, so nobody can promise a rock-free lot.
Before the dig: Get the rock clause in writing before the dig: how it is found, how the breaker time is logged and what it costs per hour.
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A septic system or well on the lot
Only a provincially licensed installer may install, repair or replace a septic system, and anyone digging a well for someone else needs a well contractor's permit.
Before the dig: Know where the tank, field and well are, and tell the contractor before the dig.
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A brook, lake or wetland nearby
Any clearing, digging, fill or machine work within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland needs a provincial WAWA permit first. The 30 metres is measured from the top of the bank, on the ground.
Before the dig: Measure before you book the machine. The landowner usually applies; a single alteration is $25.
3 Before the first bucket
Tick them off as you go. Nothing here is saved or sent anywhere.
4 Rules by place for this job
- Fredericton
- New water and sewer services are installed by the City's Water and Sewer Division; a site servicing plan goes in with the building permit, and the customer pays once the work is done.
- Saint John
- A Water and Sewerage Permit Package is required for any new, renewal or repair water, sanitary or storm sewer installation.
- Quispamsis
- Residential sewer connection permit $750; residential water meter connection permit $750 (non-refundable).
- Riverview
- A permit may be required to tap into water and sewer mains; planning and permits run through Plan 360.
- Moncton
- Water and sewer connections and culvert installations are listed as roadwork and utility permits.
- Anywhere else
- We found no excavation-specific rule for Dieppe, Sussex, Miramichi or other towns: ask your municipality or Regional Service Commission before the machine arrives.
What the written quote should name
- The trench length and the depth it assumes, and who set that depth
- Who pulls the municipal permit and who pays the fee
- How rock is priced if the trench hits it
- Backfill material and surface restoration (lawn, driveway, pavers)
- Who is responsible if the dig meets an unmarked line
More on the work itself: Water & Sewer Line Trenching
Questions people ask
Can I tap into the town water main myself?
Not without asking the town. Riverview says a permit may be required to tap into water and sewer mains, Saint John requires a permit for all new or repair connections, and Fredericton installs new services itself.
Does a deep service trench need shoring?
If workers go into a trench 1.2 m (about 4 ft) or deeper, WorkSafeNB requires it to be shored, sloped or benched, or cut in solid rock, and shoring must be engineer-certified. That duty is the employer's.
Who marks my old private water line?
You do. NB Power only marks its own lines, and says everything else, including lines an owner ran, is the owner's to have checked.
Want this done at your place?
Tell us what needs digging and we'll pass it to local New Brunswick excavation contractors for a written quote. We send it out to local contractors for you. Free, no pressure.
Plan another job
- Foundation dig$7,500 to $30,000 for a whole-house dig
- Septic dig$3,000 to $12,000 for the excavation
- Lot clearing and gradingMini $65 to $150 · standard $150 to $250 an hour
- Driveway dig and base$1,500 to $5,000 for excavation and base
- Weeping tile and drainage digMini $65 to $150 · standard $150 to $250 an hour
- Rock breaking$200 to $300 an hour for a breaker
- Backfill and haul-awayCrushed stone $40 to $75 per m³