Need a new water meter?

New water and wastewater service connections (Adobe PDF) 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.

Note: 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).

Visit Austin Build + Connect Portal (AB+C)

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:

AB+C Public Search

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. Licensed PEs 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

Engineers

Engineered tap plans must meet local and state design requirements. All tap and site plans must be submitted using the checklists below.

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:

Retaining an Existing Wastewater Service Line

In alignment with the City of Austin’s and Austin Water’s Strategic initiatives on Affordability, Austin Water continues to evaluate on a case-by-case basis, the use of existing wastewater service lines, if current protocols prohibit the use of the existing residential wastewater service.  

To aid this review, Austin Water Residential Tap Plan Review may require a video recording of the interior condition of the existing wastewater service lines proposed to remain in place, to ensure the existing service is compliant with City requirements, based on location, age and material of the service. 

The video should be a recording, of the original video, collected by a wastewater inspection camera (not a phone video of the inspection screen). The video should be clear, include identifying location information, and be recorded at a speed that allows for the full evaluation of the service line. Should the applicant propose a brand-new service, the existing service will be required to be abandoned as prescribed in UCM Section 2.8.1.

In addition to affordability, this initiative will reduce the risk of wastewater service interruptions to the homeowner and potential damages to plumbing systems due to wastewater backups from tree roots or utility pole proximity. In addition, the risk for unauthorized wastewater discharges into the environment are also mitigated.

Videos may be uploaded here:  

 

Resources

More Austin Water Resources