Quick answer
In the Town of Tonawanda, NY, Dig Out WNY handles excavation, demolition and construction for homeowners and commercial property owners. The work includes sewer lateral replacement out to the town's wye connection, garage and house tear-downs that meet the town's demolition checklist, drainage for flat clay yards, foundations for additions, and site work. Call or text (716) 444-6613 for an estimate.
Nearly half the homes in the Town of Tonawanda outside Kenmore went up in one decade. Census estimates put 46 percent of them in the 1950s and about seven in ten before 1960. That boom left rows of small, similar houses on narrow lots, and seventy years on many of them need the same kinds of work: old clay-tile sewer laterals that roots work into, tired detached garages, and backyards that hold water on the clay long after a storm.
Dig Out WNY is locally owned and takes residential and commercial jobs across Erie and Niagara counties. Here that means replacing laterals, knocking down garages and houses, rerouting water and digging foundations, all under this town's permit and inspection rules rather than generic ones. You get a site visit first and a price second. We answer our own phone, and the sections below spell out which town office signs off on what. If you're not sure what the job needs, send us a message with photos.
Lake Clay, Narrow Lots and a Postwar Building Boom
The Town of Tonawanda is a first-ring suburb in the northwest corner of Erie County. The Niagara River bounds it on the west, the separate City of Tonawanda on the north, Amherst along Niagara Falls Boulevard on the east and Buffalo on the south. Along the Buffalo line sits the Village of Kenmore, the town's traditional core, which has a page of its own.
Housing tells you most of what to expect before a shovel goes in. The Census Bureau's 2024 five-year estimates count 46 percent of homes in the town outside Kenmore as built in the 1950s and about 72 percent before 1960, with only around 2 percent built in 2010 or later. The town's 2014 plan describes the north and east sides as postwar neighborhoods of small three-bedroom houses on narrow lots, many still known by the builder's subdivision name, with older, tighter lots closer to Kenmore. Green Acres is known for its ranches, Willowgrove picked up some later four-bedroom homes, and Sheridan Parkside's duplexes started out as housing for workers in nearby industries.
Under the lawns, the two biggest units on the NRCS soil map are urban land mixed with Odessa soils and urban land mixed with their better-drained cousin Schoharie, together a little over a third of the town. Odessa formed in red, clayey lake deposits; firm reddish-brown silty clay starts about ten inches down, the series is rated somewhat poorly drained, and water moves slowly through its substratum. Bedrock lies below five feet, so the top five feet give you sticky clay and water, not rock. The town's plan adds that most surface soil has already been dug, built on and disturbed, so expect old fill.
Water and industry frame the rest. Ellicott, Two Mile and Rattlesnake creeks run through the town, and portions of it lie in FEMA-mapped floodplain. The 2014 plan places nearly all industry west of Military Road, where heavy plants began taking large sites along River Road in the early 1900s, and cleanup of contaminated sites there is a long-running planning goal. Commercial corridors include Sheridan Drive, Delaware Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, Kenmore Avenue and Niagara Falls Boulevard.
Services in Tonawanda
What we do in Tonawanda
Here's how our services line up with what Tonawanda properties usually need. Our sewer work means excavating and relaying cracked, root-bound laterals, and soggy yards get storm water drainage systems that send runoff where the town code allows. Worn-out houses, sheds and commercial buildings come down through our demolition service, finished to the town's fill-and-grade standard. On the larger industrial and commercial parcels, site work and development covers clearing, grading and utility trenching ahead of a new building or lot.
Demolition & Removal
Excavation & Earthwork
Building & Foundations
Sewer, Water & Utilities
Driveways & Finish Work
Sewer Laterals From the House to the Town Wye
In this town the owner's share of a sanitary lateral doesn't stop at the property line. Chapter 165 of the Town Code makes the owner responsible for repairing a lateral that plugs, breaks or settles up to and including the wye connection at the town main, and it puts the cost of installing a building sewer on the owner as well. When that main runs under the street, reaching the wye means cutting pavement, and the Building Department coordinates street cut permits.
A typical replacement on a 1950s lot runs like this:
- Push a sewer camera from the cleanout to pinpoint the failure and measure the distance to the wye.
- Pull the sewer permit from the town Plumbing Inspector, plus a street cut permit if the road has to open.
- Call 811 so public utilities get marked.
- Dig, shore the trench wherever it runs deep or the clay won't stand, and lay new pipe on steady grade.
- Have the Plumbing Inspector watch the connection, then backfill in compacted lifts and restore the lawn, walk or street.
Two code details shape the dig near the house. Section 54-14 calls for a house trap outside the building with a fresh-air vent at grade, kept at least ten feet from windows and doors. Section 165-14 bars downspouts and foundation drains from any building sewer tied to the sanitary system, so if one turns up connected, plan on sending it to a storm outlet instead.
What the Town Expects When a Building Comes Down
The Town of Tonawanda publishes its own demolition checklist, and it's specific about the hole you leave behind. Before a demolition permit is issued, the town asks for a property survey, a water and sewer disconnect permit from its Water Resources Department, and an asbestos survey with a clearance letter.
Before the machine starts, the contractor posts a sign with a name and contact number, confirms every utility is disconnected, baits for rodents if harborage turns up, fences the site and keeps water on hand for dust. Once the structure is down, the list gets stricter:
- All debris leaves the property.
- Foundations, basement floors, retaining walls and crawl spaces are broken and covered with at least 24 inches of clean fill.
- The contractor keeps documentation of where that fill came from.
- A building inspector is called before any fill goes in.
- The area is leveled and graded to drain, and any damaged public sidewalk, curb or street is repaired.
Tear-downs are part of how the town itself has renewed older blocks; its 2014 plan describes worn-out homes in Sheridan Parkside being demolished and replaced with new ones. For a detached garage or shed, our garage tear-down page explains how the slab and footing come out. Ask the Building Department whether your structure needs a demolition permit before anything is scheduled.
Where Storm Water Is Allowed to Go on a Flat Clay Lot
Flat ground over slow-draining clay is a recipe for puddles, and the town code is quite specific about where that water may end up. Section 54-14 says roofs, paved areas and yards drain to a storm sewer, and storm water can't be left to run over sidewalks or driveways, into the street or onto a neighbor's lot. Where there's no storm sewer but the curb has drain tile beneath it, downspout lines end just behind the curb in a four-inch tee with a capped overflow riser. Where neither exists, a splash block can spread the water away from the foundation and keep it on your property, or a properly sized pipe can carry it to the street gutter.
The same section sets minimums for catch basins in yards, driveways and parking areas: at least three feet deep, no horizontal dimension under 18 inches, and a cleanout on the outlet pipe. Subsoil drains discharge to the storm system, and any laid below it run to a sump with a check valve. Because the Code Enforcement Officer decides where gutters, conductors and sump pumps discharge, the outlet gets settled with the town before any trench is dug.
The 2014 plan also flagged Sheridan Drive and Brighton Road near Niagara Falls Boulevard for localized flooding in very strong storms. If your yard sits low in an area like that, size the fix for the worst storm of the year, not an average rain.
Town of Tonawanda Permits, Inspections and 811
The town's permit office is the Town of Tonawanda Building Department. It issues permits for new houses, additions, garages, pools and sheds, handles plumbing permits and inspections, and coordinates street cut permits. Sewer connections and lateral work need a permit from the town Plumbing Inspector, and the connection is made under that inspector's supervision. Water and sewer disconnects ahead of a demolition go through the town's Water Resources Department. For a new foundation, the town inspects after the footprint is staked and before digging, then again after excavation with forms set but before concrete. Its building page also tells owners and contractors to call 811 two days before digging and to contact the NYS Department of Labor about asbestos rules. Fees, forms and timing change, so confirm them by calling the Town of Tonawanda Building Department before a start date is set.
Questions & answers
Questions from Tonawanda homeowners
Who pays to fix a broken sewer lateral in the Town of Tonawanda?
The property owner does, all the way out to the main. Town Code Section 165-9 says that when a lateral plugs, breaks or settles, the owner repairs it up to and including the wye connection at the town sanitary main, and installation costs for a building sewer are the owner's too. The work needs a permit from the town Plumbing Inspector, who supervises the connection. If the wye sits under the road, add a street cut and pavement restoration to the scope.
Do I need a sump pump inspection to sell my house in Tonawanda?
Yes, a storm and sanitary inspection comes with every property transfer in the town. Local Law 3-88, adopted in 1988, requires a certificate of compliance for the storm and sanitary system on private property at the time of transfer, and town staff do the inspection. Inspecting an existing sump pump, or installing a new one, is part of the process before the certificate is issued. If the inspection finds a downspout or footing drain tied into the sanitary line, rerouting it to a storm outlet is typically an excavation job. Book the inspection through the Building Department early in the sale.
What does the town require after a house or garage is demolished?
The site has to be cleaned out, filled and graded, not just flattened. After demolition, the Town of Tonawanda requires all debris removed, foundations, basement floors, retaining walls and crawl spaces broken up and covered with at least 24 inches of clean fill, and documentation showing where that fill came from. A building inspector must be called before any fill is placed. The area then gets leveled and graded to drain, and any damaged public sidewalk, curb or street is repaired.
Is the Town of Tonawanda the same as the City of Tonawanda or Kenmore?
No. The City of Tonawanda is a separate city on the town's northern border, with its own offices and rules. The Village of Kenmore is an incorporated village inside the town, so work at a village address can involve village offices as well; see our Kenmore page for that. Everywhere else in the town, the Town of Tonawanda Building Department is your permit office. A Tonawanda, NY mailing address can belong to either the city or the town, so confirm which one before applying for anything.
Will I hit rock digging footings in the Town of Tonawanda?
Rock is unlikely at footing depth; clay and water are the usual problems. The Odessa soils mapped across much of the town formed in red lake clay, turn to firm silty clay within about a foot of the surface, and show no bedrock within five feet. That clay holds water, so an open hole can fill after rain and trench walls may need bracing. For a full basement, a test hole settles what sits deeper. The town inspects once the footprint is staked and again before concrete goes in.
Can you dig an addition foundation on a narrow postwar lot?
Yes, most narrow lots can take an addition foundation with the right equipment and a plan for the dirt. We check side-yard access, where spoil can sit without burying the neighbor's fence, and whether excavated clay has to leave the site. Footings go below frost depth, drain tile goes in before backfill, and the hole stays marked and secured while it's open. Our home additions page walks through the full build from excavation up.
Service areas
Other towns we serve
The same crew and the same approach across Erie and Niagara counties.
Sources and further reading
- Town of Tonawanda: Building & Construction (demolition requirements, inspections, 811) (opens in a new tab)
- Town of Tonawanda Building Department: permits and sump pump program (Local Law 3-88) (opens in a new tab)
- Town of Tonawanda Code Ch. 165, Art. III: Building Sewers and Connections (opens in a new tab)
- Town of Tonawanda Code Ch. 54, Art. VII (§ 54-14): Building and Plumbing Standards for Sewers (opens in a new tab)
- Town of Tonawanda 2014 Comprehensive Plan Update (opens in a new tab)
- USDA NRCS Official Soil Series Description: Odessa (opens in a new tab)
- US Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year, B25034 Year Structure Built: Tonawanda Town CDP (opens in a new tab)
Planning Work on a Tonawanda Property?
Text a few photos and your cross streets to (716) 444-6613, or just call. We'll look at the yard, garage or lateral in person before quoting.