WATER & SEWER
SERVICE

PHONE (703) 228-3677

APPLICATION & INFORMATION PACKAGE

REVISED MAY 2011

Dear Customer:

Thank you for taking the time to read this information package. We hope you find it a useful tool to aid you in doing work in Arlington County.  The information provided is intended as a guide and to be an easy reference for the Water and Sewer services. If you have any comments or questions, please contact our office at (703) 228-3677.

Sincerely,

Water/Sewer Engineering Section Staff

FORMS/PUBLICATIONS:

Water & Sewer Services Information and Application Package (PDF format)
Application for Water & Sewer Service ONLY (PDF format)
Request for Demolition or Removal of a Building ONLY (PDF format)
DFU Credits Application for Building Demolition ONLY (PDF format)
New Water Service and Water Meter Installation Process (88 Kb, PDF Format)

These forms must be printed from PDF format, if submitting it as part of the service application to the County for review.

Requirements for Obtaining New Water Service

1. Customer must fill out an application and pay applicable water service connection and infrastructure availability fees to Department of Environmental Services, in Suite 800 at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, #1 Court House Plaza, Arlington County, Virginia.  A copy of the approved land development plan showing the proposed meter location must be submitted with the application .  A new water service is required for all proposed construction that require a separate service. Limited reuse of an existing service is allowed in cases where the service is less than 10 years old and appropriately sized for the new building as determined by Arlington County.

2. If a new water main in the street is required to serve the building, it must be installed and approved for service. This includes chlorination, pressure testing and bacteriological testing. Arlington County allows developers to install all water services from developer installed water mains, (contact Water/Sewer Engineering for details).

3. If a new sanitary sewer main in the street is required to serve the building, it must be installed and approved for service. This includes alignment inspection and infiltration tests.

4. Construction and maintenance of sewer services (sanitary laterals) from the building to the sanitary sewer main are the responsibility of the property owner and must be in place and approved for service by the Inspection Services Division.

5. For water service 2-inches or smaller, the curb and gutter at the proposed meter location must be in place with a stake in the ground marking the proposed location of the meter behind the curb. The meter location must agree with that shown on approved building plans, and the area must be clear and finished to grade.

6. For water service 3-inches or larger, to be installed in a vault, the curb and gutter, if not existing, shall be adequately staked out by the developer to allow for proper meter installation by the County. The meter location must agree with that shown on the approved building plans, and the area must be clear and finished to grade.

7. After installation of the water service and meter crock by the County, the customer's plumber shall connect to the owner side of the meter.

8. After the customer's plumber has connected the water service from the building to the customer side of the meter, the customer shall call the Department of Environmental Services at 703-228-6570 and request the water service be activated.
   
9.  For house additions in which an upgrade of the water service is required, (refer to Section C of the Residential Building Permit Application), the applicant is responsible for upgrading the water service line from the house to meter box prior to installation of the water service by Arlington County. 

FIRE FLOW TEST POLICY

1. EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2008, A $300 fee is charged by the County to perform a fire flow test. This fee is charged to meet costs incurred by the County in performing the test.

2. If recent (less than one year old) fire flow test information is available in the County's files in the vicinity of the desired test location, the information will be provided to the applicant at no charge.

3.  If it is determined that a new fire flow test is needed, a written request and an appropriate fee must accompany the fire flow test request from the applicant prior to the commencement of the test.

RATES AND FEES

EXCERPTS FROM THE ARLINGTON COUNTY CODE

CHAPTER 26, UTILITIES

§ 26-7. Water-sewer rates and fees. 

Base Fee: The charge for water-sewer service shall be based on the consumption of water as reflected by periodic readings of water meters serving the property.

Water-Sewer Rates:

(a) The rate for properties which use both shall be twelve dollars and nineteen cents ($12.19) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water furnished. The rate for each of these services is set forth as follows:

(1) Water services -- Three dollars and sixty-eight cents ($3.68) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water furnished.

(2) Sewer services -- Eight dollars and fifty-one cents ($8.51) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water furnished.

(b) The rate for properties which are served by the county water system only shall be three dollars and sixty-eight cents ($3.68) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water furnished.

(c) The rate for properties which are served by the county sewer system only shall be eight dollars and fifty-one cents ($8.51) per one thousand (1,000) gallons of water furnished based on the periodic water or sewer meter reading by the utility serving the property.

(d) The rate for the establishment of a late charge shall be six (6) percent imposed on the outstanding balance of water/sewer, refuse/recycling accounts thirty (30) days after the rendition of the bill.

(e) The rate for the establishment of new water service accounts shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per account. The rate for reactivation of service following the customer's request for deactivation or re-activation necessitated by occupant delinquency or repair shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per each request.

(f) The charge for drainage fixture unit inspections shall be as follows:  seventy-five dollars ($175.00) for inspections including one (1) to twenty-four (24) fixture units or two hundred seventy-five dollars ($275.00) for inspections of twenty-five or more fixture units. Cost per request.

(g) The charge for fire flow tests shall be three hundred dollars ($300.00) per test.

These water and sewer service rates are effective and applicable to water usage on or after May 1, 2011. 

§ 26-8. Water service to buildings to be demolished.

The issuance of a demolition permit by the county manager or a demolition order entered by a court shall constitute an implied request by and permission from the owner of the building for discontinuance of the water service connection.

§ 26-9. Penalty.

Any person who violates any provision of this article or any rule or regulation pursuant thereto shall be subject to a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each violation. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense.

§ 26-10. Infrastructure Availability Fee

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to connect a structure to the public water distribution system or to the sanitary sewer system without payment of an infrastructure availability fee.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to install plumbing fixtures in a structure previously connected to the public water distribution system or to the sanitary sewer system which results in an increase in the total drainage fixture units in that structure without payment of an infrastructure availability fee.

(c) Infrastructure availability fees shall be paid in full prior to issuance of building permit, or a plumbing permit if no building permit is required or according to regulations pursuant to section 26-3.  The infrastructure availability fee shall be in accordance with the rate schedule in force at the time of issuance of the permit.

(d) The infrastructure availability fee rate shall be $182.00 per drainage fixture unit (DFU). For structures that are provided for water service only or sewer service only, the hook up fee shall be as follows:

• Water Service only - $72.00 per DFU
• Sewer Service only - $110.00 per DFU

(e) The county manager shall develop such rules and regulations as are necessary to govern the administration of the hook-up fee in accordance with section 26-3(b) of this chapter.

APPENDIX A  - RULES FOR SETTING THE CHARGE

1. The Water and Sewer Infrastructure Availability Fee shall be derived from the total equivalent drainage fixture units (DFU's) in any structure. The DFU value shall be assigned to plumbing fixtures according to the current, and future applicable versions of the Plumbing Code adopted by the State of Virginia. The total number of DFU's for the structure less any applicable credits shall be multiplied by the current rate per DFU to determine the total fee.

2. The rate per DFU shall be revised by the Department of Environmental Services and shall include the total system replacement cost, work in progress, and the estimated six year cost for expansion of the water and sewer system contained in the County's Capital Improvement Program, all expressed in current dollars. A credit shall be provided in the calculation of the rate for that portion of debt service paid through the Water-Sewer Service Charge.

3. Infrastructure Availability fees shall be paid in full prior to issuance of a building permit, or a plumbing permit if no building permit is required, and the hook-up fee shall be in accordance with the rate schedule in force at the time of issuance of the permit based on the plans submitted to the Inspection Services Division, CPHD. The charge may be adjusted to reflect "as-built" conditions prior to issuance of a "Certificate of Occupancy."

4. The County Manager or his designee shall determine the infrastructure availability fee for all structures. When a plumbing fixture does not fall under any of the listed types, the County Manager or his representative shall select the most similar type listed or may designate a special hook-up fee for the fixture based on water consumption and/or waste disposal requirements.

5. A credit shall be allowed for the total equivalent DFU's in any existing structure to be demolished or rehabilitated by the applicant. Proof of the total existing DFU's must be provided through presentation of satisfactory documentation, such as a building plan signed by a registered professional engineer, architect, or a building inspection made by the County.

6. Credit for the total equivalent DFU's in a building to be demolished or rehabilitated will be applied only against new construction or rehabilitation work on the same site. No payment in lieu of credit will be made for demolition of buildings or removal of plumbing fixtures. All credit shall be applied against the infrastructure availability fee and shall not exceed the fee. For multi-building and phased construction projects, credit for DFU's in structures to be demolished shall be prorated for the entire project or in a manner acceptable to the County.

7. Credit for the total equivalent DFU's in any pre-existing structure that has been demolished before the applicant applies for a building permit on a new site shall only be allowed if the building was demolished within the last 10 years and if the applicant can provide adequate documentation of the number of DFU's in that structure. Such documentation shall consist of a building plan for the demolished structure showing total equivalent DFU's, and signed by a registered professional engineer or architect. If such a plan is not available for applications submitted after January 1, 1993, alternate forms of documentation may be approved by the County Manager or his designee, including appraisals prepared by certified appraisers which contain sufficient information to enable the County to determine equivalent DFU's or other documentation prepared by an independent third party determined to be qualified to provide such information by the County Manager or his designee. If documentation acceptable to the County Manager does not exist, the applicant may request credit at the following rates provided the type of structure can be adequately documented as determined by the County:

CREDIT FOR DEMOLISHED STRUCTURES

Single Family Dwellings

(Detached, Semi-Detached, Townhouse) 11 DFU/unit

Apartments 9 DFI/unit

Hotels or Motels 7 DFU/rental unit

Office or Commercial 3 DFU/1000 Square Feet

(No Credit Allowed for Basements or Attics)

No credit will be given for garages, sheds, temporary buildings, or other similar structures which normally do not have plumbing.

8. The payment of infrastructure availability fees is required for all additional drainage fixture units in an existing structure, regardless of the original construction date of the structure. No infrastructure availability fee will be charged for rehabilitation of a structure provided there is no net increase in drainage fixture units.

9. Funds collected through the infrastructure availability fee shall be accumulated in a separate category within the Utilities Fund. This fund category shall be subdivided into water supply system and sewer system/water pollution control plant subcategories. The percent of total revenues going to each subcategory shall be established annually. Funds in each subcategory shall be spent on capital projects for the water supply system or sewer system/water pollution control, respectively.

26-12. SERVICE CONNECTION CHARGES

Water Service Discontinuation Charge:  The charge to discontinue a public water service shall be $500.00.

Meter Box Relocation Charge:  The charge to relocate a meter box, 2 inches and smaller in size, five feet or less shall be $1,000.00.  For relocation greater than five feet, a new water service charge and discontinuation charge for the existing service shall be required.

These charges became effective July 1, 2010