Are eastern cottonwood roots a problem for foundations or pipes?
Shallow, wide, and actively water-seeking — this is the species that genuinely gets into sewer laterals and field lines, and extension guidance is flatly not to plant it anywhere near sewer or water lines. In central Indiana's older neighborhoods with clay-tile laterals, a cottonwood within about 50 ft is the prime suspect any time a homeowner is paying for repeat root cutting.
Size drives root spread
Typically 70 to 100 ft tall, with 4 to 6 ft trunk diameters on good sites, and a practical yard lifespan of only about 70 to 100 years — short for something that large. Enormous mass reached quickly, often with decay already inside, puts mature cottonwood removals firmly in the crane and technical-rigging bracket and near the top of the price range for anything in a central-Indiana yard.
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