New Construction Underground Utilities in Denver
An independent, licensed plumbing contractor. Not affiliated with Denver Water or the City and County of Denver.
On a new build the underground work is not one task, it is a sequence with inspections between each step. Denver Sewer and Water installs water, sewer, and storm service on builder schedules, with taps coordinated against the authority that has jurisdiction.
- Water, sanitary sewer, and storm service.
- Tap coordination with the utility of record.
- Sequenced to the construction schedule.
- Inspection ready installation and backfill.
- Custom homes, infill, and small commercial.
Get Your Free Quote!
Builders Lose Weeks Underground, Not Above It
Underground utilities sit at the front of the critical path. A tap that is not authorized in time stops framing, not just digging, because occupancy is gated on service that was supposed to be installed months earlier.
The sequence is unforgiving. Application, fee payment, authorization, locate, excavation, installation, inspection, backfill, and restoration each have to complete in order, and skipping ahead usually means uncovering finished work for an inspector.
Most delay we see traces back to one thing: the application went in after the schedule was already set. Utility review timelines are not negotiable by the contractor, so the application date has to be planned backward from the framing date.
(720) 935-6221What a New Build Typically Needs Underground
- A water tap and service line to the meter location.
- A sanitary sewer tap and lateral to the building stub.
- Storm drainage connection where the site plan requires it.
- A fire service line and its own tap on qualifying buildings.
- Abandonment of any existing service on a scrape and rebuild.
How We Diagnose It
Who Authorizes and Who Installs
Denver Sewer and Water is a private contractor. We are not Denver Water or the City and County of Denver. We do not issue permits, set tap fees, or approve service. The utility with jurisdiction does all of that.
What we do is the physical work and the coordination around it: preparing what the application needs from the contractor side, scheduling against the authorization date, performing the tap and installation, and being ready when the inspector arrives.
On a scrape and rebuild there is usually a second obligation people forget. The existing service has to be properly abandoned at the main, and that step carries its own permit and inspection.
Authority Side and Contractor Side
- Authority: issues the tap permit and sets every fee.
- Authority: inspects and accepts the connection.
- Contractor: performs the tap, installation, and backfill.
- Contractor: schedules locates and protects existing utilities.
- Contractor: restores surface to the standard required.
How New Construction Underground Is Sequenced
- 1
Plan Backward From Framing
The application date is set from the date service is needed, not from the date the site is clear, because utility review time belongs to the authority and not to the schedule.
- 2
Locate Before Excavation
Existing utilities are located and marked, and where the site is congested we expose them with hydro excavation rather than a bucket.
- 3
Install and Hold for Inspection
Service is installed to the required bedding and depth, then left open for inspection. Nothing is backfilled ahead of acceptance.
- 4
Backfill, Compact, Restore
After acceptance the trench is backfilled and compacted to spec and the surface goes back to the standard the jurisdiction requires.
A Licensed, Insured, Family Owned Underground Contractor
What Drives New Construction Underground Cost
Distance from the main and depth of the main set most of the excavation cost. A long service run under a street is a different project from a short run across a lot.
Site congestion is the second driver. Existing utilities in the path mean careful exposure rather than open digging, and that is measured in hours.
Tap fees, plant investment fees, and permit fees are charged by the authority with jurisdiction, not by us. We confirm current figures with that authority for your address rather than quoting from memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Methods, Materials, and Municipal Process Pages
Sanitary Sewer Connection for New Construction
Sequencing the sewer connection inside a new build schedule.
Explore Sanitary Sewer Connection for New ConstructionDenver Water Tap Installation
Who authorizes a water tap, who physically makes the connection, and how the two fit together.
Explore Denver Water Tap InstallationSewer Tap Installation
Connecting a property to a sanitary sewer main, from permit through inspection.
Explore Sewer Tap InstallationAbandonment and Cut-and-Cap Requirements
Properly killing an old service at the main during demolition or replacement.
Explore Abandonment and Cut-and-Cap RequirementsHydro Excavation
Water and vacuum digging for safe exposure around live utilities.
Explore Hydro ExcavationCommercial Building Lines
Underground water, sewer, fire, and storm service for occupied commercial buildings.
Explore Commercial Building LinesNew Construction Underground
Water, sewer, and storm installed on a build schedule with inspections in the right order.
Explore New Construction UndergroundGet the Underground Off Your Critical Path
Send us the site plan and the target service date. We will map the sequence.