Tap Services in Denver
An independent, licensed plumbing contractor. Not affiliated with Denver Water or the City and County of Denver.
A tap is the connection between a private service line and the public main. Denver Sewer and Water installs, repairs, and replaces sewer, water, and fire line taps across the Denver metro, including the permit application, the main locate, the inspected connection, and the surface restoration. Very few contractors carry the full tap scope in house. We do.
- Sewer, water, and fire line taps.
- Permit application and utility coordination.
- Main locating, shoring, and inspected connections.
- New construction, upsizing, and abandonment.
- Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, and the surrounding metro.
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What Denver customers say
4.8 average from 18 Google reviews
Denver Water And Sewer did an excellent job replacing my sewer lines. Trevor and his crew are extremely competent, honest, professional and prompt.
David Colson
We had an underground water valve break on a Saturday. No fun and expensive to fix regardless of the repair company. Nevertheless, greatly apprecia
Daniel Reilly
They cleared our drain where Roto Rooter couldn't and quoted us to replace the line under our concrete.
Jason Gold
When Does a Property Need a Tap?
A property needs a tap when it has no existing connection to the public main, when the existing connection is the wrong size for the building's demand, or when the existing tap has failed at the main. New construction is the obvious case. The less obvious ones are an addition or a change of use that outgrows the original service size, a fire sprinkler system that requires a dedicated fire line, and an old tap that has corroded or been damaged at the connection point.
The reverse also happens. When a structure comes down or a service is permanently retired, the tap has to be abandoned properly at the main, cut and capped to the standard the jurisdiction requires. Leaving an open or improperly capped tap is a liability for the next owner and an inspection failure for the demolition.
(720) 935-6221Signs You May Need Sewer Line Repair
- New construction with no existing service connection.
- Service upsizing after an addition, a remodel, or a change of use.
- A dedicated fire line required by the sprinkler design.
- A failed, corroded, or damaged connection at the main.
- Permanent abandonment of a service that is being retired.
How We Diagnose It
Who Issues the Permit for a Tap?
It depends on which line you are tapping and which jurisdiction you are in. In Denver, water taps go through Denver Water, which owns the main and sets the tap fee by meter size. Sanitary sewer connections are reviewed and inspected by the City and County of Denver. Anything that opens a street, alley, or sidewalk needs a separate right-of-way permit with its own restoration standard.
Aurora and Lakewood run their own utilities and their own review, so the same job carries a different application, a different inspection sequence, and a different restoration spec depending on which side of the line the property sits. We handle the applications rather than handing them to the owner.
Common Causes of Sewer Line Damage
- Denver: water tap authority is Denver Water, sanitary review is the city, and street opening is a separate right-of-way permit.
- Aurora: municipal utility review with its own tap application and inspection sequence.
- Lakewood: local review with the applicable district for water and sanitation.
- Fire line taps carry backflow and acceptance testing requirements on top of the tap itself.
What Does the Tap Process Look Like End to End?
- 1
Sizing and Scope
We confirm the service size the building actually needs, check it against the civil or fire protection drawings, and identify which main you are connecting to and how deep it sits.
- 2
Application and Permits
We apply to the authority that owns the main, pull the right-of-way permit if the connection is under the street, and build the traffic control plan when the street width requires one.
- 3
Locate and Verify
Every utility in the work zone gets located and verified before a bucket moves. On congested corridors we vacuum excavate to expose the crossings rather than trusting paint alone.
- 4
Excavate and Shore
We open the pit to the main, shore it to depth, and control water and traffic around the opening. Main taps are usually the deepest part of any service job.
- 5
Make the Connection
The tap is made to the jurisdiction's specification, then inspected before anything is covered. We do not backfill a connection that has not been seen by the inspector.
- 6
Backfill and Restore
Compaction is placed in lifts to the spec for the surface above, then the surface is restored to what was cut. Concrete gets concrete, asphalt gets asphalt.
Why Owners Bring Tap Work to Us
“Tap work sits at the intersection of deep excavation, utility coordination, and municipal inspection. We do all three with our own crews.”
“We do not backfill a connection before the inspector sees it, and we restore the surface to the spec for what we opened.”
What Drives the Cost of a Tap?
We do not publish tap prices, because the two largest cost drivers are set by the jurisdiction and the ground, not by us. Tap fees are set by the utility and scale with meter or service size. Excavation cost scales with depth, soil, shoring, traffic control, and the surface that has to be restored.
What we can tell you before any digging happens is the scope: which authority is involved, what the connection requires, and what restoration standard applies. That is the part people get surprised by, and it is the part we put in writing first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every Tap Service We Handle
Sewer Line Tap Services
Sanitary sewer taps, connections, and repairs at the Denver main.
Explore Sewer Line Tap ServicesWater Line Tap Services
Domestic water taps, meter setups, and service connections.
Explore Water Line Tap ServicesFire Line Tap Services
Dedicated fire line taps, hydrants, and backflow prevention.
Explore Fire Line Tap ServicesSewer Tap Installation and Replacement
New sanitary taps and replacements at the Denver main, permitted and inspected.
Explore Sewer Tap Installation and ReplacementSewer Tap Installation
New sanitary connections for construction and retired services.
Explore Sewer Tap InstallationDenver Water Tap Installation
Domestic water taps applied for and installed under Denver Water.
Explore Denver Water Tap InstallationFire Line Tap Installation
Sizing, tapping, and acceptance for dedicated fire service.
Explore Fire Line Tap InstallationTap Permit Process in Denver
How the Denver application, inspection, and restoration sequence runs.
Explore Tap Permit Process in DenverTap Process in Aurora
How Aurora reviews, inspects, and accepts a new tap.
Explore Tap Process in AuroraTap Process in Lakewood
Lakewood tap review, district coordination, and restoration.
Explore Tap Process in LakewoodDenver Wastewater Tap Fees Explained
What the wastewater side charges for and how it is calculated.
Explore Denver Wastewater Tap Fees ExplainedSanitary Sewer Connection for New Construction
First connection for a new build, from sizing to inspection.
Explore Sanitary Sewer Connection for New ConstructionWater Service Line Upsizing
Resizing an undersized service after demand outgrows it.
Explore Water Service Line UpsizingWater Meter Pit Installation
Meter pits and setters where an interior set is not practical.
Explore Water Meter Pit InstallationBackflow Preventer Installation and Certification
Required backflow devices, installation, and annual certification.
Explore Backflow Preventer Installation and CertificationStorm Drain Connection
Private storm connections into the public storm system.
Explore Storm Drain ConnectionAbandonment, Cut and Cap Requirements
Properly retiring a service at the main and passing inspection.
Explore Abandonment, Cut and Cap RequirementsExcavation in Denver
The excavation side of tap work, locating through restoration.
Explore Excavation in DenverSewer Lines in Denver
Repair, replacement, and trenchless work on the sanitary lateral.
Explore Sewer Lines in DenverWater Lines in Denver
Service line repair, replacement, and pressure problems.
Explore Water Lines in DenverNeed a sewer, water, or fire line tap in Denver?
Tell us the property and the service size you think you need. We will confirm the authority, the scope, and what the connection actually requires.