New Service Connections
New water and wastewater service connections are installed by the property owner and maintained by Austin Water. Plans must be prepared by a Texas licensed Professional Engineer and submitted to Austin Water for approval before installation. See the new water and wastewater service connections overview (PDF) for more information.
Note: Qualifying residential customers may be able to retain existing water and wastewater service connections. Contact the Austin Water Utility Permitting Office for details.
- Process
After Austin Water's Utility Permitting Office determines that new connections are needed, submit an engineered tap plan to the Tap Plan Review team. Customers with approved tap plans may pay connection fees. No building permits will be issued until all tap fees are paid.
Once plans are approved, obtain a right-of-way permit from Austin Transportation and Public Works before installing service connections.
Note for 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.
- Austin Build + Connect Portal
Tap plan and Water Meter Upgrade (WMU) applications are reviewed and processed through the Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) portal.
Guest access — Public search is available to look up permit and case history by address without registering:
Registered user access — Applications for engineered tap plan review must be submitted by a Texas licensed Professional Engineer (PE) only. Licensed PEs must register in the AB+C portal. Registered users can submit initial applications and project documents, submit revisions and corrections, view permits and make payments online.
See the AB+C User Guide for Engineered Tap Plans and Water Meter Upgrade (PDF) for instructions on registering, submitting, processing and paying. Register at austintexas.gov/abc.
For questions, email Tap_planreview@austintexas.gov.
- Engineering Requirements
Engineered tap plans must meet local and state design requirements. All tap and site plans must be submitted using the appropriate checklist.
- Tap Plan Checklist (PDF)
- Commercial Tap Plan Checklist (PDF)
- Driveway and Utility Plan Checklist (PDF) — Driveway and Utility Plans cannot be submitted through AB+C; submit by email to Tap_planreview@austintexas.gov
- AB+C User Guide for Engineered Tap Plans and Water Meter Upgrade (PDF)
- Fee schedule (PDF)
Registered engineering firms may access Austin Water's infrastructure records through the Austin Water Records Access Application.
Design Standards and Code References
- 30 TAC 217 — Design Criteria for Domestic Wastewater Systems
- 30 TAC 290, Subchapter D — Rules and Regulations for Public Water Systems
- 30 TAC 210 — Use of Reclaimed Water
- City of Austin Utilities Criteria Manual
- City of Austin Standards Manual (Standard Details)
- City of Austin Standard Specifications Manual
- Standard Product List
- City of Austin Fire Protection Criteria Manual
- Common Easements, Affidavits and Consents
- Retaining an Existing Wastewater Service Line
In support of Austin Water's affordability goals, Austin Water evaluates requests to retain existing residential wastewater service lines on a case-by-case basis when current protocols would otherwise require replacement.
To support that review, Austin Water's Residential Tap Plan Review team may require a video recording of the interior condition of the existing service line. The video must be recorded by a wastewater inspection camera — not a phone recording of the inspection screen. It must be clear, include location information and be recorded at a speed that allows full evaluation of the service line.
If a new service is proposed, the existing service must be abandoned per Utilities Criteria Manual Section 2.8.1.
Retaining existing service reduces the risk of wastewater interruptions and potential plumbing damage from tree roots or utility pole proximity, and reduces the risk of unauthorized wastewater discharges to the environment.
- Resources
- Improved Process Information for Tap Plan and Water Meter Upgrade (PDF)
- New Service Connections common questions (PDF)
- Top 10 Most Common Plan Review Comments (PDF)
- Common Easement Templates
- Contact Tap Plan Review
Related Pages