# Water Meter Pit Installation

A meter pit is the below grade enclosure that houses the water meter and its valves. The utility supplies and owns the meter in most jurisdictions. Denver Sewer and Water, a private contractor, builds the pit and sets it to their specification.

- Pits, vaults, and meter settings.
- Built to utility specification.
- Utility supplies and owns the meter.
- Freeze depth and access considerations.
- Private contractor, not the utility.

## What a Meter Pit Is and Why It Exists

A meter pit is a buried chamber, usually with a cast lid at grade, that holds the water meter and the valves on either side of it. It gives the utility access to read, test, and replace the meter without entering the building.

Some properties meter inside the building instead. Which arrangement applies depends on the jurisdiction, the service size, and whether the building has a suitable interior location.

Larger services use a vault rather than a pit, with room to work around a larger meter and its bypass piping.

- New service where the utility requires exterior metering.
- Replacing a failed or collapsed existing pit.
- Service upsizing that outgrows the existing meter setting.
- Splitting a shared service so each property meters separately.
- Relocating a meter out of a building being remodeled or demolished.

## Who Authorizes the Tap and Who Performs the Tap

Denver Sewer and Water is a private, family owned and operated contractor. We are not Denver Water or the City and County of Denver. We do not issue permits, set fees, own the mains, or approve service. The utility or municipality with jurisdiction does all of that.

The water utility specifies the pit or vault type, the setting arrangement, the location, and the meter itself. In most jurisdictions the utility supplies the meter and retains ownership of it.

Denver Sewer and Water excavates, sets the pit or vault, installs the piping and valves, and leaves the setting ready for the utility to install and activate the meter.

The authority authorizes. The licensed contractor performs. Below is the split for this type of work.

- Authority: Specifies pit or vault type, size, and location.
- Authority: Supplies, installs, and owns the meter in most jurisdictions.
- Authority: Inspects the setting and activates service.
- Denver Sewer and Water: Excavates to required depth and prepares the base.
- Denver Sewer and Water: Sets the pit or vault and installs valves and piping.
- Denver Sewer and Water: Builds the setting to the published specification.
- Denver Sewer and Water: Coordinates inspection and meter installation.
- Denver Sewer and Water: Backfills, compacts, and restores the surface.

## How a Meter Pit Installation Runs

1. **Confirm the Specification** We pull the utility's current setting detail for the service size involved rather than reusing an older standard.
2. **Locate the Setting** Placement is coordinated with the service route, the right of way line, and access for utility staff.
3. **Excavate and Set** The pit or vault is set on prepared base at the required depth for freeze protection and access.
4. **Inspection and Meter** The setting is inspected, the utility installs the meter, and we finish backfill and restoration.

## Meter Pit Costs and Who Pays What

Meter and account related charges come from the utility and are the property owner's responsibility.

Contractor cost tracks pit or vault size, excavation depth, groundwater conditions, and whether the setting sits under lawn, walk, or driveway.

We do not publish fee amounts. Tap fees, plant investment fees, permit fees, and inspection fees are set by the authority with jurisdiction and change on their schedule, not ours. We confirm the current figures in writing with that authority for your address before work is scheduled.

## Frequently asked questions

**Do I buy the meter?**

In most jurisdictions the utility supplies and owns the meter and bills the associated charges. We confirm the arrangement for your address.

**Can the pit go anywhere convenient?**

No. Location is set by the utility's specification and access requirements, not by preference.

**Will my old pit work with a larger service?**

Usually not. Upsizing generally means a new setting sized for the larger meter and its valves.

**Are you Denver Water?**

No. Denver Sewer and Water is a private, family owned and operated company. We are not Denver Water or the City and County of Denver. We are the licensed contractor who performs the physical work after the authority with jurisdiction issues the permit.

**Can you tell me my tap fee amount over the phone?**

We can tell you which fees apply to your project type and who charges them. The dollar amounts come from the authority with jurisdiction, and we confirm them for your specific address rather than quoting from memory.

## Related Tap Services and Municipal Process Pages

- [Denver Water Tap Installation](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/taps/denver-water-tap-installation) Who authorizes a water tap, who physically makes the connection, and how the two fit together.
- [Water Service Line Upsizing](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/taps/water-service-line-upsizing) Increasing service size for added fixtures, fire service, or a remodel.
- [Backflow Preventer Installation and Certification](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/taps/backflow-preventer-installation-certification) Installing an assembly and getting it tested and reported to the authority.
- [Tap Permit Process in Denver](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/taps/tap-permit-process-denver) How a tap moves from application to authorized construction in Denver.
- [Abandonment and Cut-and-Cap Requirements](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/taps/abandonment-cut-and-cap-requirements) Properly killing an old service at the main during demolition or replacement.
- [Tap Process in Aurora](https://www.denversewerandwater.com/taps/tap-process-aurora) Aurora runs its own water and sewer utility, so the process differs from Denver.

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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/taps/water-meter-pit-installation