Service Connection
Policies and fees apply for taps that need to be connected or disconnected. A property must be included within the District’s boundary prior to connection. A tap must also be procured before the inclusion process begins. These are available only from private parties for a cost determined solely between buyer and seller (usually between $15,000 and $30,000), and very few are left (a list of possible sellers is available on our Inactive Taps page).
Connection and disconnection require working with District representatives for planning and inspection(s). If you are planning to build and connect to water on a lot that is not already included with Lookout Mountain Water District, please see Policies, Rules & Regulations located on this website and/or call the District Office regarding the inclusion process, which is summarized below:
- Property owner petitions District for inclusion and pays inclusion fee ($18,500) + attorney fees (~$1,500).
- Notice for Petition Hearing is published.
- Petition Hearing is held at a regular Board Meeting.
- Petition is filed with District Court and Court orders the inclusion.
- Jefferson County processes the Inclusion Order and the property becomes subject to District's mill levy on the next assessment cycle.
After inclusion of the property, all owners of the property and the tap (both the tap and property must have identical title) will apply for a permit to connect that tap and enable it to become active. The permit process will guide the construction of the water line, connection to the existing main or lateral, inspection(s), meter installation, and finally, turning on the water to the home. If the property to be served is located near a lateral, the lateral owners must grant permission by signing the tap permit application, and the property owner must contact the lateral to determine what the fee is to connect with that particular lateral.
The tap permit application fee is currently a minimum of $800; all direct costs will be added. The meter cost is $550 for the new 1" meter that is now required for mandatory fire sprinklers, which includes one inspection and a new meter. The property owner is responsible for installing the service line, yoke, valves, meter pit (if required), connection components needed to tap the main or the lateral water line, and all related locates, excavation, and plumbing. The District’s engineer and/or Operations will be required to review and approve the site and utility plans, proposed points of connections, materials to be utilized, location of corporation stop and shut-off valves, location of meter and/or meter pit, etc., with the contractor. The engineer reserves the right to reject a contractor if such contractor is unable to demonstrate acceptable best practices for installation of a tap and protection of the public water system. Finally, the newly constructed line will be inspected for compliance and as-constructed plans will be submitted to the District for permit closing and issuance of a meter.
Disconnection
A service disconnection must be approved by the Board of Directors and will require a tap forfeiture. The District does not facilitate the issuance of well permits. To the right, you will find Board resolutions and information for well permits and cross-connection control, abandonment of taps, special circumstances, and exclusion from the District, as well as mechanical specifications for disconnection.
Locates
The District may or may not perform “locates”. It is important for property owners and contractors to understand when a locate will not be completed by the District by reading these procedures.