Sewer Connection
Learn more about connecting to the municipal sewer system. If you have been advised that your property is included in an upcoming sewer expansion project, the following steps apply to you.
1. Complete Sewer Connection Form
Prior to construction beginning in the roadway, the Department of Public Works will contact you and ask you to fill out a Sewer Connection Form. This form allows you to provide details about your property, which will inform where your sewer service stub is located.
2. Town Sewer Construction
As sewer construction progresses within the roadway, a sewer service stub will be installed within the Town right-of-way, at your property line. This stub is ultimately what you will connect to in the future.
3. Notice of Sewer Connection
Per the Board of Health Sewer Connection Policy, property owners will be responsible for connecting to the municipal sewer system within six (6) months of receiving notification from the Barnstable Health Division.
4. Hire a Licensed Sewer Installer
Your licensed sewer installer will do the actual construction necessary to connect the building on your property to the sewer service stub installed in the right-of-way. Click here to view a list of licensed sewer installers.
5. Sewer Connection
Your licensed sewer installer will apply for necessary permits prior to commencing work on your property. Contractors are required to contact DPW 48 hours prior to commencing sewer installation to allow DPW to schedule inspection personel.
6. Septic System Abandonment
Your onsite septic system must be either removed or filled in due to future safety concerns. This may be done by the same contractor who connects you to municipal sewer. Questions should be directed to the Barnstable Health Division at 508-862-4644 or via email at health@town.barnstable.ma.us
7. Inspection Process
A DPW inspector will inspect the installation to ensure it complies with Town specifications. A tie card will be generated, which will be maintained in Town records. DPW will notify the Barnstable Water Pollution Control Division that your property is ready for sewer service billing.
8. Sewer Service Utility Billing
You are now ready to enjoy the benefits of municipal sewer. Property owners will be charged a sewer service user fee, based on their water usage. Your sewer service bill will be issued at the same frequency as your water bill.
Anticipated Costs
Below is a high-level breakdown of the costs a property owner may expect when connecting the building on their property to the municipal sewer system.
Sewer Assessment
A one-time fee, currently capped at $10,000 per sewer unit, which applies only to properties that will be receiving new sewer service. This fee can be financed as part of your quarterly tax bill up to 30-years.
Connection Costs
Connection costs will vary based on unique property characteristics such as where the plumbing exits your building and how far away your building is from the sewer service stub left in the public right-of-way. We recommend obtaining quotes from at least three qualified sewer installers.
Sewer Service Fee
Sewer service is determined by your water usage. You will receive your sewer service bill at the same frequency in which you receive your water bill.
Understand your financial responsibilities as a property owner. Visit our Anticipated Costs page for a detailed summary of each cost. Review the Sewer Assessment Ordinance and available financial support resources too.
Your Role in Septic to Sewer Conversion
The Town of Barnstable is responsible for the design, construction and operation of sewer mains, sewer pump stations, and sewer service stub pipes installed in front of each property, within the Town right-of-way. Property owners also have responsibilities in this process.
As a property owner you will be responsible for completing a pre-construction Sewer Connection Form. Upon project completion, property owners will then be responsible for hiring a licensed sewer installer to complete the connection from the stub left at their property line, within the public right-of-way, to pipes leaving the building on their property.
The Homeowner’s Sewer Connection Guide was developed by the Barnstable Department of Public Works to help homeowners prepare for connection to the Town’s municipal sewer system. This detailed overview will walk you through the step by step process for connecting to sewer, including important considerations and financial responsibility. Click below to watch a series of videos related to sewer connection and Barnstable County’s Cape Cod Aquifund Program.
When Do I Have to Connect My Property to the New Sewer System?
The Town’s sewer construction will include installation of sewer force mains, gravity sewer, and sewer service laterals within the roadway. A sewer service stub will be installed within the Town right-of-way at your property line, which ultimately will serve your property.
As a property owner, your responsibility begins here. Once the Town has completed construction of sewers in front of your home or business, you will receive notification from the Board of Health, indicating that your property is now eligible to hook-up. The letter will specify the date by which you will need to connect the building on your property to the sewer service stub. On December 19, 2023, the Board of Health voted to ammend their Sewer Connection Policy, which now requires “the owner of a building on a parcel of land which abuts a public or private way in which there is a public sewer shall connect the building to the public sewer within six (6) months of the Board’s letter notification.” Download the Board of Health Sewer Connection Policy, here.
At this point in time, property owners can also anticipate receiving communication from the Town Treasurer/Collector’s Office, regarding your Sewer Assessment charge.
Need Additional Assistance?
The Department of Public Works is here to educate, guide, and equip property owners throughout construction and the sewer connection process.
Common Sewer Connection Questions
Is my property located on a sewer expansion route?
If you are unsure if your property is located along a planned sewer expansion route, use the Public CWMP Map to locate your property and determine if it is identified within a proposed sewer expansion project.
Click here to access the Public CWMP Map: https://gis.townofbarnstable.us/Html5Viewer/Index.html?viewer=publiccwmp2
Click here to access the Phase 1 Projects Page:
https://barnstablewaterresources.com/sewer-expansion/
Will I be contacted by the Town prior to sewer construction?
Yes, prior to construction beginning in the roadway, the Department of Public Works will perform a series of outreach efforts such as public information meetings, mailers and in-person door-to-door canvasing. Once your property has been identified as part of an active construction project, you will be asked you to fill out a Sewer Connection Form. The purpose of this form is to provide DPW with relevant information about how your current plumbing works. You will be asked to provide a sketch plan identifying your building’s layout in relation to the street as well as the preferred location of a sewer service stub connection on your property. Detailed instructions will be provided.
Learn more about the Sewer Connection Form and related construction sequencing, here: https://barnstablewaterresources.com/sewer-service-connection-center/
What costs am I responsible for when connecting to municipal sewer?
A property owner is responsible for essentially three primary costs.
- The first being a one-time Sewer Assessment, which is a charge that will be applied to the owners of properties that have one or more residential or commercial sewer units that are eligible to be newly connected to sewer service under the sewer expansion plan.
- Additionally, a property owner is responsible for the cost to connect their property to the municipal sewer system located in the street and to decommission the current on-site septic system, if needed. Connection costs will vary based on property characteristics.
- Lastly, once sewer service is connected, property owners will be charged a sewer service user fee based on their water usage. The current typical residential sewer usage bill averages around $435 annually and may vary based on water usage. If the property has irrigation, a property owner can install a deduct meter which will enable the property owner to realize a savings for water that does not enter the sanitary sewage system.
Review the Town Council Approved Sewer Assessment Ordinance, here: https://barnstablewaterresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-07-01-Town-Council-Approved-Sewer-Assessment-Ordinance-letter-2021-139.pdf
How do I find a qualified contractor to connect my property to sewer service?
You can find a qualified contractor from the Town of Barnstable’s list of licensed sewer installers, which is updated regularly and posted to the the Town’s website. Your licensed sewer installer will do the actual construction at your home on your property and will be responsible for applying for the necessary permits.
In most cases, a qualified sewer installer is sufficient for both design and implementation; however, in a limited number of cases it is necessary to also secure the services of a licensed engineer with civil engineering experience to direct your sewer connection. The connection must comply with the Town of Barnstable’s sewer connection design specifications. Your contractor will assist you in determining the most cost-effective way to arrange pipes on your property.
We update this database regularly! Download the current list of licensed sewer installers, here: barnstablewaterresources.com/town-of-barnstable-licensed-sewer-installers/
Do I have a choice whether or not to connect to new sewer service?
The Board of Health has the authority to require property owners to connect to the public system when it becomes live. The Board of Health also has the authority to allow property owners to delay connecting depending upon their unique circumstances. If you have a question or circumstance that you believe may necessitate a delay in connecting to sewer service, please call the Town of Barnstable Health Division at 508-862-4644 or email health@town.barnstable.ma.us.
Is there any payment assistance or abatement of either the Sewer Assessment or connection costs?
A property owner can opt to pay the Sewer Assessment all at once when due, or may opt to finance the Sewer Assessment and pay quarterly installments on their property tax bill over thirty years. In accordance with current policy, the Sewer Assessment under the thirty-year payback option would be amortized at an interest rate equivalent to 2% above the rate of borrowing, unless otherwise determined by the Town Council. If the sewer assessment is added to future tax bills, a lien will be recorded on the property at the Registry of Deeds.
The Town is also exploring the possibility of allowing qualifying homeowners the option to defer their sewer assessment if they meet certain income and asset limits. This would carry an interest charge and the sewer assessment would be paid at the time of a transfer in ownership or refinancing of the property.
Additional financial support includes zero and low-interest betterment loans through Barnstable County’s Cape Cod AquiFund and Cape Cod 5’s Sewer or Water Connection Loan Program. We will continue to update and share additional financial resources as they become available.
My septic failed and I am not yet connected to sewer, what do I do?
Like the decomissioning of your system, the Board of Health is the governing authority on all things septic. If you are currently living at a property with a failed septic system or in the process of buying or selling a property with a failed septic, the best first step is to determine where your property falls within the adapative sewer expansion plan. You can obtain this information by locating your property on our Public CWMP Map, here: https://gis.townofbarnstable.us/Html5Viewer/Index.html?viewer=publiccwmp2
Once you confirm if your property is identified to recieve future sewer service, you will then need to contact the Board of Health to determine the most appropriate course of action. If your property is not eligible for sewer connection within an approved timeframe, the Board of Health may require you to make necessary upgrades or request replacement. If you believe your property’s septic may be failing, please call the Town of Barnstable Health Division at 508-862-4644 or email health@town.barnstable.ma.us.
How do the new Watershed Permit Regulations and revised Title 5 septic system regulations impact me?
The Town of Barnstable received the final Watershed Permit Regulations (314 CMR 21.00), and Title 5 Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Area Regulations (“NSA”) (310 CMR 15.214 and 15.215), on Thursday, June 22, 2023.
As of September 1, 2023, the Town of Barnstable submitted its application for a WP95 Watershed Permit. Our application included the request for a Watershed Permit covering the entire Town of Barnstable, regardless of when, or if, a village was receiving sewer as part of our Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan. Our application has advanced to the Draft Permit stage and is currently available for Public Comment via MassDEP, here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massdep-permits-approvals-for-comment
In accordance with 310 CMR 15.215(2)(a)(b) and 314 CMR 21.03(1), the issuance of this Watershed Permit would exempt the Town from Title 5 requirements to install Best Available Nitrogen Reducing Technology (BANRT) for existing septic systems and new construction within the designated Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Area (NRNSA), provided the Town remains in compliance with the permit.