If you are not sure that the public water and/or sewer system is available to your property, please refer to our internet screen titled “IS PUBLIC WATER AND/OR SEWER AVAILABLE TO YOUR PROPERTY?” which tells you how to get that information.

When you know that you can connect, call the Water and Sewer Administration Office at 410-638-3300 or stop in 212 South Bond Street in Bel Air. Tell the person answering the telephone or the receptionist that you are interested in submitting a Commercial Application, and you need to speak to the Permits Technician in the New Connection Services office. The Permits Technician will assist you while you work through the process. Very briefly, that process involves the following steps:

• Provide the information required in the application package. Several forms are included in the package:
  • The Application ( which is 6 pages and includes instructions.)
  • Fixture Count Values Form (an organized count of all water-using fixtures)
  • Pre-IDS Form (looks at the type of sewage you will be putting into the system for evaluation as to possible uniqueness for pre-treatment and permitting),
  • Information Form (a form used to collect information need to create a License Agreement for an Inside Meter -if the water meter is to be located inside a building)

• Property owner meets with our Facilities staff to review the proposed physical connection and the water and/or sewer needs to determine meter size, etc.
  
• Property owner submits application package to New Connection Services for review and coordination.

If a new service must be constructed (a service is the actual "tap" to the line), a drawing must be done, and you may have to hire a utility contractor to install the service.

Hook-Up Charges must be paid before the Application can be approved and actual connection of the building can be made to the service. (Hook-Up Charges is the money collected for each new equivalent connection and is used to pay the debt incurred to build the major water and sewer treatment plants, the main infrastructure, booster stations, etc. that brings the treated water to your property and takes the sewage away for treatment and disposal).

When the application is approved and the charges are paid, you may have the service installed if necessary, and you may hire the plumber to make the final connection.

Once you are connected, you will begin to receive quarterly usage bills, and the User Benefit Charge, which is paid annually ($70 per equivalent connection for water and $70 per equivalent connection for sewer), will be billed to you beginning the July 1st following the connection each for 25 years. If your property is subject to any other assessments, they will also be billed to you beginning on the July 1st following the connection. The number of years for these other assessments vary.

APPLICATION FOR COMMERCIAL WATER/SEWER
AND/OR FIRE SERVICE CONNECTION

AVAILABLE FORMS

Following are forms that are included in the Commercial Application package required to be completed and approved enabling property owner(s) to connect non-residential property to the public water and/or sewer system.

1. (APPLICATION FOR COMMERCIAL WATER/SEWER AND/OR FIRE SERVICE CONNECTION TO COUNTY SYSTEM.
   Download Commercial Application in Adobe Acrobat Format.

2. FIXTURE COUNT VALUES FORM - COMMERCIAL & PUBLIC
   
   Download Fixture Count Values Form in Adobe Acrobat Format.

3. INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR INSIDE METER
   
   Download View License Agreement for Inside Meter in Adobe Acrobat Format.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU AND HAVING YOU AS A NEW CUSTOMER!