# Sewer and Water Line Services in Applewood, Colorado Applewood is an unincorporated pocket between Golden and Lakewood built mostly from the 1950s through the 1970s, and the ranch and split-level homes here typically carry cast iron or clay sewer laterals with copper or galvanized water services depending on when a given block was platted. The rolling foothill-adjacent terrain means yards are not flat, and that slope shows up in how laterals were graded when they went in. Because Applewood sits close to the hogback and the soils shift between sandy fill and denser clay depending on the block, pipe movement here is less uniform than in a flat subdivision. A line that has been fine for fifty years can start bellying once a section of yard settles unevenly, and we see that more here than in newer, more uniformly graded developments nearby. ## Permits and Authority in Applewood Applewood is unincorporated, so it does not have its own city hall issuing permits. Water service is typically provided by a local water district, and which one governs your address depends on exactly where the property sits relative to district boundaries. Sewer service similarly depends on the sanitation district serving that specific block, and we confirm the correct authority before pulling any permit rather than guessing from the neighborhood name. Jefferson County handles right-of-way permitting for work that opens a county road, and that process runs independently of whichever water or sanitation district serves the property. - Water authority: a local water district, confirmed by address. - Sewer authority: depends on the sanitation district serving that address, confirmed before permitting. - Right-of-way and road cuts: Jefferson County. - We verify the correct authority before quoting rather than assuming one covers the whole area. ## Tap and permit notes - Tap applications go to whichever district actually serves the parcel, which we confirm with the county parcel lookup before applying. - Because lots here are irregular and sloped, tap and service line routing sometimes has to account for grade changes a flat-lot subdivision would not have. - Road cuts on county right-of-way require a permit and, on busier stretches, traffic control. - Older parcels occasionally have well or septic history mixed in with municipal service, which we check before assuming a standard tap applies. ## Typical pipe era - 1950s to 1960s ranch homes: cast iron and vitrified clay sewer laterals. - Galvanized steel water services on the oldest homes, with copper replacements common by now. - 1970s infill: clay or early PVC sewer with copper water service. - Occasional well and septic remnants on larger older parcels near the foothills edge. ## Common failure modes - Uneven settlement on sloped lots creating bellies that were not there at installation. - Cast iron corroding through at low points where water sits in the pipe. - Galvanized water services losing pressure gradually as scale builds inside the pipe. - Root intrusion from mature landscaping planted decades after the original sewer install. ## Areas served - Applewood Village - Applewood Knolls - Applewood Mesa - West 32nd Avenue corridor - Youngfield Street area ## Response time Applewood sits close to our southwest Denver yard, so it is a short run for both scoping visits and emergency calls. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Applewood served by Denver Water?** No. Applewood is unincorporated Jefferson County, outside Denver Water's service territory. Water service comes from a local water district specific to your address, and we confirm which one before doing any tap work. **Who do I call to find out which sanitation district covers my Applewood address?** It depends on exactly where the parcel sits, and we do not guess. We look up the parcel against district boundaries before applying for any sewer permit, because assuming the wrong district wastes time on an application that will be rejected. **Do sloped Applewood lots make sewer repairs harder?** Sometimes. A lateral that was graded correctly on a sloped lot can still develop a low spot if the ground settles unevenly over decades. We scope the line to see the actual grade rather than assuming the original install still holds. **Can an Applewood water service still be galvanized steel?** On some of the older ranch homes, yes. Galvanized pipe from that era corrodes from the inside and the failure shows up as gradually dropping water pressure rather than a visible leak. **Do you charge for a sewer camera inspection before quoting a repair?** We scope the line before we quote anything that involves digging. Guessing at a repair from the surface is how people pay for the wrong work. The camera tells us the material, the depth, the slope, and where the defect actually sits, and that determines whether the answer is a cleaning, a spot repair, a liner, or a full replacement. **Who is responsible for the sewer lateral, the homeowner or the city?** Across the Denver metro the property owner is responsible for the sewer lateral from the building out to the main, including the portion under the street and under the sidewalk. That surprises people. It is also why a failure in the right-of-way turns into a permit conversation before it turns into a repair. **Can you repair a line without digging up the whole yard?** Often, yes. Where the host pipe still holds its shape and the grade is sound, lining or a pipe burst lets us rehabilitate the run from access points instead of trenching the length of it. Where the line has collapsed, lost its slope, or has to be re-routed, excavation is the honest answer and we say so. **Do you handle emergency line failures after hours?** Yes. Sewage backing into a basement and a water service blowing out under a driveway do not wait for business hours. Call (720) 935-6221 and you will reach us, not a call center script. ## Nearby service areas - [Golden](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/locations/golden-co) - [Lakewood](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/locations/lakewood-co) - [Wheat Ridge](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/locations/wheat-ridge-co) - [Arvada](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/locations/arvada-co) --- Denver Sewer and Water is a privately owned, licensed and insured plumbing contractor. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Denver Water, the municipal water utility, or any government entity. To pay a municipal water bill or reach the public utility, visit denverwater.org. Source: https://www.denversewerandwater.com/locations/applewood-co