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Permits and Records

If you plan to do work in the city right-of-way or connect to City infrastructure, you will likely need permits and certifications from the Department of Public Works.


General Guidelines

Permit applicants must:
  - Meet insurance and bonding requirements
  - Comply with the City’s standard specifications
  - Agree to and pay for City inspections
  - Abide by applicable noise ordinances
  - Possess a Pipe Layer Certification if sewer work is involved

It may be helpful to consult the City’s engineering maps and plans database.  

 

FEE SCHEDULE :

 

Address Certification

Address Certificate and Sewer Availability: $25.00

APPLICATION - Address Certificate and Sewer Availability

An Address Certificate officially assigns an address to a proposed building lot and provides the location of available sewerage. 

 

Encumbrance Permit

Encumbrance Permits: $50.00

APPLICATION Encumbrance Permit

 

Excavation Permit 

Excavation Permits: $200.00 

APPLICATION Excavation Permit 

 

Monitoring Well Permit

APPLICATION Monitoring Well Permit

A monitoring well permit authorizes the placement of a well and provides the City with a record of ownership should the well need to be repaired, adjusted or relocated.  

 

Sewer Permits

Only licensed plumbers and Certified Pipe Layers can apply for a sewer connection or repair permit.

Pipe Layer Certification: $50.00 Application Form

  • Residential (Permit Class 'A') - Repair $100.00
  • Residential (Permit Class 'A') - Repair with New Tap $200.00
  • Residential (Permit Class 'A') - New Connection $300.00
  • Residential (Permit Class 'A') - New Connection with Tap $400.00
  • Commercial (Permit Class 'B') - Repair $100.00
  • Commercial (Permit Class 'B') - Repair with New Tap $200.00
  • Commercial (Permit Class 'B') - New Connection $500.00
  • Commercial (Permit Class 'B') - New Connection with Tap $600.00

52.020 CONNECTION TO PUBLIC SEWER REQUIRED

The owner of any house, building, or property. ..is hereby required at his expense to install suitable sanitary facilities therein. ..within 90 days after the date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is accessible and available within 100 feet of said owner's building, as determined by the Public Works Director.

Note: By definition, the "public sewer" is the sewer main line.

52.122 SEPARATE CONNECTIONS

A separate and independent building connection shall be provided for every building except that when two or more buildings are so situated that a separate and independent building connection for each building would involve practical difficulties and impose unnecessary hardships, the Public Works Director may authorize the connection of such buildings to the public sewer through a single building connection, subject to such terms and conditions of easement, design, and construction as he may require. In the case of multifamily, condominium, or townhouse dwelling units, each building connection will be subject to the issuance of a permit.

52.125 SIZE AND SLOPE

The size and slope of the building connection shall be subject to the approval of the Public Works Director, but in no event shall the diameter be less than four inches, and the slope of the four-inch pipe shall in no case be less than 1/4 inch per foot. A six-inch pipe may be laid at a slope of 1/8 inch per foot. A pipe larger than the minimum size herein specified shall be used when and as the size of the structure, numbers, and kinds of fixtures are to be drained or other conditions may make it necessary to provide for adequate and proper flow.

52.127 COVER AND ALIGNMENT.

The cover over the crown of the building connection shall be at least four feet to afford protection from frost action. Any deviation from the minimum cover required shall be done only with the written permission of the Public Works Director. The building connection shall be laid at a uniform grade and in a straight alignment. Changes in direction shall be made only at clean-outs or manholes as required by the Public Works Director. Cleanouts on straight runs shall be provided at a maximum spacing of 75 feet. (per Department policy, Cleanouts are not allowed within the City's Right-of-Way).

City of Manchester, N.H., Code of Ordinances, Sewers, Chapter 52.020

SEWER EXTENSIONS

All proposed sewer extensions must conform to the City of Manchester, NH Standard Specifications for Road, Drain & Sewer Construction and all other applicable state and federal regulations, including those of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

Plans must be prepared and stamped by a New Hampshire licensed professional engineer and submitted to the Highway Department for review and approval.

The following is a partial list of information that must be included with all requests for sewer extensions. This list has been excerpted directly from the Standard Specifications to give an overview of the type of information required for a sewer extension. Additional required information can be found in the Standard Specifications noted above:

  1. Design sanitary flow calculations prepared by a professional civil engineer registered in the State of New Hampshire.
  2. The plans shall show manholes placed at the end of each sewer line, at all pipe intersections, and all changes in alignment. The desirable spacing of manholes shall be 300 feet.
  3. The plans shall show all proposed sewers at sufficient depth to receive sewage from below basement floors and to preclude freezing.
  4. The minimum depth of cover over the sewer in roadways shall be 6 feet and for cross-country shall be 4 feet.
  5. Sewers shall be uniformly graded between manholes and the size, slope, type of material, and class of all pipes shall be shown on the profiles.
  6. Manholes shall be located at all changes in grade or pipe size.
  7. A drop entry pipe shall be provided for any sewer entering a manhole at an elevation of 24 inches or more above the manhole invert. Where the elevation difference will be less than 24 inches, the slope of the incoming pipe sewer shall be adjusted to meet the manhole invert elevation.
  8. Profiles shall indicate all manholes. All pipe invert and rim elevations shall be shown.
  9. The plans shall show the locations and depths of other existing or proposed underground utilities to avoid conflicts during construction.

 

image of man inspecting pavementINSPECTION SERVICES AND AGREEMENT

All work involving public improvements shall be inspected by the Department of Public Works, Engineering Division, and the Contractor shall execute an Inspection Services Agreement to that effect. The Contractor will be assessed the current hourly rate for inspectors, including time and one-half for overtime. (The current hourly rate for inspection services is $50.00. This rate is subject to change).

The Contractor shall inform the inspector assigned to the project of his proposed work schedule and notify the Engineer at least two working days before all work requiring inspection. If an inspector has been requested and his services are unnecessary, the Engineer shall be notified at least one full working day before the scheduled inspection time. In those cases where inspection services have been requested, and the Engineer has not been notified of a cancellation at least one day in advance, a minimum charge of three hours shall be assessed.

Inspection services will be provided only after all necessary permits have been obtained. The Department of Highways' approval of work inspected relative to site development and subdivision projects shall not be construed as partial or final acceptance of the projects.

The City of Manchester Planning Board will make final acceptance (of all roadway, sewer, drain, bound installation, and approval of as-built drawings) when all the work is satisfactorily completed per the approved plans and specifications.

Inspection Services Terms & Conditions

Inspection of Work

  • All materials and each part or detail of the work shall be subject to inspection by the Engineer. The Engineer shall be allowed access to all parts of the work and shall be furnished with such information and assistance by the Contractor as is required to make a complete and detailed inspection.
  • No work shall be done at night contrary to local ordinances.
  • An authorized DPW representative must inspect all work before being covered or backfilled.
  • Any work done or materials used without inspection by an authorized Department representative may be ordered removed and replaced at the Contractor's expense. This is unless the department representative failed to inspect after being given the required notice that the work was to be performed.
  • When any unit of government, political subdivision, or railroad corporation has an interest in the work, its respective representatives shall have the right to inspect it.


NOISE PERMIT FEE: NONE

  • Any excavation of streets and highways that occurs outside of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on weekdays (Monday through Friday) requires a Noise Permit from the Public Works Director or his designee.

  • A Noise Permit may be obtained by the Applicant filling out a Noise Permit Application and submitting the completed form to the Director of Public Works or his designee for approval. The Director or his designee will review the application.

  • If the application is approved, a Noise Permit will be issued.

Source: City of Manchester, Code of Ordinances, Title 9- General Regulations, 94- Noise Regulations, 94.03, J, (1) and (2).

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