Austin Water tap plans
Water and wastewater tap plans for Austin Water, sealed by a Texas Professional Engineer and filed through Austin Build + Connect. Flat fees for residential projects, and one engineer to call from intake to approval.
What a tap plan is
The engineered drawing Austin Water approves before a new or upgraded service connects to a public main.
A tap plan shows exactly how a property connects to Austin Water's water main, wastewater line, or both: where the tap goes, what size the service and meter are, and how the work fits around the utilities already in the street. Austin Water has to approve it before anything is installed, and only a Texas licensed Professional Engineer can prepare and submit it.
Once the plan is approved, your contractor installs the new connection. After that, Austin Water maintains it.
Projects that usually need one
- New homes and rebuilds that need a new service or a larger meter
- Additions and new units that increase the property's water demand
- Commercial projects under a site plan exemption that need new or upgraded services
- New domestic and fire line connections
- Relocating or extending a water service or wastewater line
Ask Austin Water's Taps Office for a Water & Wastewater Service Plan Verification form. Residential tap plan applications have to include it, so send it to us with your survey or site plan.
Residential and commercial tap plans
Austin Water reviews each against its own checklist. These are the differences that most often hold up a submittal.
Residential
- The WWWSPV form from Austin Water's Taps Office goes in with the application.
- If an existing service line will stay in place, Austin Water may ask for a video of the line's interior condition.
- Water and wastewater can go on one plan for one flat fee.
Flat fee from $2,000
Commercial
- The site plan exemption's DA case number goes on the cover sheet. Austin Water won't start review without it.
- Grease traps need approval from Austin Water Special Services before the tap plan moves forward.
- We keep private plumbing off the plan sheet, so later plumbing changes don't force a new tap plan.
Quoted per project
What goes on the sheet
Austin Water publishes its tap plan checklists, and we draw to them line by line. Missing items are the most common reason a plan comes back.
- Existing and proposed mains, services, and meters, located and sized
- Water pressure zone, with average and maximum static pressure
- Meter numbers for every existing water meter on the property
- Water demands in gallons per minute
- Austin Water's current general and construction notes
- The engineer's seal, signature, and date
Austin Water's own references
From first call to approved tap plan
Landon is your contact from intake to approval, so nothing gets lost in a hand-off.
- Typical time to submittal
- 3 days
- Average time to approval
- 30 days
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1
Send what you have
Your survey or site plan, the WWWSPV form, architectural plans, and a photo of the existing meter if there is one.
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2
Research the utilities
We pull Austin Water's infrastructure records for main sizes, pressure zone, and existing meters, and check them against your survey.
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3
Design and seal
We draw the plan sheet to Austin Water's tap plan checklist and the Utilities Criteria Manual, then seal it.
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4
Submit through AB+C
We file in Austin Build + Connect as the engineer of record, typically within 3 days, and track the case from there.
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5
Respond until approved
Our tap plans average 30 days to approval. We answer every comment and send you the approved plan for your contractor.
Questions we hear most
Something else on your mind? Call (512) 965-3335.
Can my plumber or builder submit the tap plan?
No. Austin Water accepts engineered tap plans only from a Texas licensed Professional Engineer registered in the AB+C portal. We file as the engineer of record.
How long does Austin Water take to review a tap plan?
Austin Water estimates about 14 business days for the first review of a new tap plan. We typically submit within 3 days, and our tap plans average 30 days to approval. A complete submittal drawn to Austin Water's checklist keeps resubmittals to a minimum.
What is the WWWSPV form, and where do I get it?
The Water & Wastewater Service Plan Verification form comes from Austin Water's Taps Office. It documents the service the property needs, and residential tap plan applications must include it.
Do I also need a site plan exemption?
Commercial tap plans are tied to one, because Austin Water needs the exemption's DA case number on the tap plan cover sheet. We'll tell you at intake whether your project needs an exemption, and we can prepare both.
Who installs the new service?
Your contractor installs it after the tap plan is approved. Once it's in, Austin Water maintains the new service connection.
What does a tap plan cost?
Residential tap plans are $2,000 for water or wastewater and $3,000 for both, plus the $130 City review fee. Commercial, multifamily, and fire line tap plans are quoted per project.
Ready to start your tap plan?
Send your survey and WWWSPV form, along with anything else you have. Most requests get a reply the same business day.