About Us Jobs News & Publications Environment & Education Business with DC WASA Customer Care Home
Business > Permits > List of Permits >
Covenants and Easements
Title: Covenants and Easements
Policy: DCWASA requires either covenants or easements for public water mains, sanitary sewers, and storm sewers, which are constructed on private property or when streets or alleys are closed. Applicants are required to prepare easement documents when they construct new public pipelines, and when public alleys or streets are closed and transferred to the adjacent property owners. Applicants are required to prepare and record covenants when planning to construct a building over a large sewer that cannot be relocated out of the footprint of their new building.
Covenants:

DCWASA requires two types of covenants:

  1. DCWASA allows applicants to construct buildings over sanitary, combined or storm sewers. DCWASA will not allow anyone to construct buildings over water mains. DCWASA will require applicants to relocate water mains away from the proposed building. The applicants must prepare and enter into a covenant for the sewer. Click here for a sample covenant that you can use to prepare a draft document for your project that DCWASA will review and approve if all of DCWASA requirements are within the document.
  2. An applicant may want to construct a private pipe system in public space. The applicant will be required to operate and maintain these pipe systems. The covenant will contain the applicant's statement in which they agree to perpetually operate and maintain the private pipe system. Click here for a sample covenant you can use to prepare a draft for DCWASA to review for your project.
Easements:

DCWASA requires easements when an applicant choices to relocate a DCWASA pipeline on their property. The applicant will also be required to record an easement for DCWASA facilities that will remain in a street or alley that the applicant has closed for their private use. See Street and alley closing section for more details. Click here for a sample easement document you can use to prepare a draft document for your project. DCWASA will review you draft and eventually approve it when all conditions and requirements are within the final document.

TOPtop