New water and wastewater service connections are installed by the customer* and maintained by Austin Water. Plans must be prepared by a Texas Licensed Professional Engineer and submitted to Austin Water for approval prior to installation.
* Qualifying residential customers may be able to retain existing water and wastewater service connections, please contact the Austin Water Taps Office for details.
PROCESS
After Austin Water’s Taps Office has determined that new water and wastewater service connections are needed, you will need to submit an engineered tap plan to the TAP Plan Review Team. Customers with approved tap plans will be allowed to pay connection fees. No building permits will be issued until all tap fees have been paid.
Once the plans have been approved, a right-of-way permit from the City of Austin’s Transportation Department must be obtained prior to the installation of service connections.
- Visit Austin Build + Connect Portal (AB+C)
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Tap Plans and Water Meter Upgrade (WMU) applications are reviewed and processed via the AB +C Portal.
Using the Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) Portal as a Guest
Public search is available to lookup permit and case history by address, without the need to register:
Using AB+C as a Registered User
Applications for the review of engineered tap plans for the installation of water and wastewater service connections may be submitted by a Texas licensed Professional Engineer (PE) only. Water Meter Upgrade applications may be submitted by either a Texas licensed PE or a Texas licensed plumber. Licensed PEs and plumbers must be registered in the AB+C Portal. Registered users can submit initial applications, project documents, submit revisions, correction, view permits, and make payments online.
Instruction on how to register, submit, process, and pay for engineered tap plans and water meter upgrade applications are provided in AW's AB+C User Guide for Engineered Tap Plans and Water Meter Upgrade.
Register online by visiting austintexas.gov/abc.
Questions?
Please call email us at Tap_planreview@austintexas.gov
PROPERTY OWNERS
In addition to new service connections, property owners are responsible for installing yard lines (water and wastewater pipes located between the property line and the building they serve).
ENGINEERS
Engineered tap plans must meet local and state design requirements. All tap and site plans must be submitted using the checklists below.
- Tap Plan Checklist
- Commercial Tap Plan Checklist
- Driveway and Utility Plan Checklist - Driveway and Utility Plans cannot be submitted via the AB+C portal. Applications must be submitted via email to Tap_planreview@austintexas.gov
- AW's AB+C User Guide for Engineered Tap Plans and Water Meter Upgrade
- For a list of our fees, please see our fee schedule
Registered engineering firms may access Austin Water's infrastructure records by logging into Austin Water's Records Access Application
Major local and state requirements include:
- 30 TAC 217, Design Criteria for Domestic Wastewater Systems
- 30 TAC 290, Subchapter D, Rules and Regulations for Public Water System
- 30 TAC 210, Use of Reclaimed Water
- City of Austin Utilities Criteria Manual
- City of Austin Standard Manual (Standard Details)
- City of Austin Standard Specifications Manual
- Standard Product List
- City of Austin Fire Protection Criteria Manual