Basement waterproofing in Lancaster city
Help for cellars under the county seat, from downtown rowhomes to the West End and the southeast side.
Lancaster city had 58,039 residents at the 2020 census. It was laid out in 1734, became a borough in 1742 and a city in 1818, and on September 27, 1777, it served for one day as the capital of the United States while Congress fled Philadelphia. The city sits just north of the Conestoga River in Pennsylvania's Piedmont, and its blocks of attached and closely spaced older homes mean a lot of basements share walls, alleys and drainage with the neighbors.
What's different about city basements?
Many city houses have brick or stone cellar walls, low ceilings and floors that have been patched for generations. When houses share a party wall, water coming in on one side may start next door, and exterior digging is often impossible because the house meets the sidewalk. That's why interior drainage, sump pumps, mortar repair and dehumidification are the work most city owners end up discussing.
Where does the water go after it's pumped?
Lancaster has a combined sewer system: the same pipes carry sewage and stormwater. The city says that in heavy rain the system can be overwhelmed and overflow into the Conestoga River, and under a 2018 consent decree with the U.S. EPA and Pennsylvania DEP it is updating its long-term plan to reduce those overflows. Sending basement water into that system adds to the load. Ask how a sump will discharge, and check with the city before connecting to any drain.
Historic district projects
The city's Historical Architectural Review Board reviews exterior alterations to properties in the Historic District. Interior basement work usually doesn't touch that, but visible exterior changes such as new window wells, wall coatings or downspout work on a street-facing wall might. Building permits come through the city's Bureau of Building Code Administration under the state Uniform Construction Code.
Common questions
Do I need a permit for basement waterproofing in Lancaster city?
It depends on the scope. The city's Bureau of Building Code Administration issues residential permits under the Uniform Construction Code; ask the company or the bureau whether your job needs one before work starts.
Can my sump pump connect to the city sewer?
Check with the city first. Lancaster's combined sewers already overflow into the Conestoga River in heavy rain, and adding groundwater makes that worse.
Services in Lancaster city
- Stone foundation repairRepointing, parging and rebuilding loose sections of fieldstone and rubble-stone cellar walls with mortar that suits old masonry.
- Interior perimeter drainsA drain channel set in the floor along the walls that collects seepage before it spreads and sends it to a sump.
- Sump pump systemsPits, pumps, check valves, battery backups and discharge lines routed so the water does not come straight back.
- Exterior excavation waterproofingDigging down the outside of the wall to add a membrane, footing drain and better backfill where the yard allows it.
- Basement moisture and mold controlDehumidifiers, vapor barriers in dirt-floor cellars and crawl spaces, and cleanup advice for musty basements.
Nearby areas
Stone walls weeping, a wet floor edge, or a pump that never rests?
Call and a Lancaster County waterproofing company will come find where the water gets in.