Permit: Water Meter Vaults
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Water Meter Vaults
Title: Water Meter Vaults
Policy: Water meter vaults are required on all domestic, fire protection or combined water connections three inches or larger in diameter. Two inch and smaller water meters are installed in a small meter pit according to detail W/80.01.
Procedure: Water meter vaults are required on all water services three inches or larger in diameter when there is sufficient space in the public right of way. Design engineers can download the DCWASA design criteria for all sizes of water meters. When there is no space to construct a water meter vault, a meter room in the building is allowed, but it must meet the requirements for DCWASA staff to test, repair and replace the meter. The size of a water meter vaults shall be in accordance with DCWASA standard details DGW 23.01, DGW 23.03, or DGW 23.05. Click on DGW 23.01 to review or download a compound meter vault, which is required for a domestic water service. Click on DGW 23.03 to review or download a FM meter Vault, which is required for combined domestic and fire protection services. Click on DGW 23.05 for a Detector check meter vault, which is required for fire protection services. Vaults can be pre-cast or cast-in-place reinforced concrete. Structural calculations, certified by a professional engineer registered in the District of Columbia, are required with the submission of the details of all cast in-place or pre-cast concrete vaults. The Engineering Inspection Branch (EIB) inspects the construction of the vault. The cost of the vault inspection includes the inspection of the manufacturing of a pre-cast vault at the plant, or the inspection of the construction of a vault at the site and the final inspection of all of the valves and fittings in the vault when the work is complete. When the applicant is reusing an existing water service line and has not paid the fee for a large water connection, a fee to pay for the inspection costs of the EIB will be charged on the permit application for the water meter vault.

  1. When an application for a water meter vault is received in the Documents and Permits Section (DPS) it is handled like a Public Space Permit. DPS logs in the application into the Public Space Permit Book. It is reviewed to assure that it contains the following information:
    1. Original water meter approval stamp from DWMB.
    2. Structural calculations of meter vault.
    3. Site plan showing all underground utilities.
    4. Payment for water service connection.
    5. If a meter room is going to be built instead of a meter vault, the details for the room should show the type and thickness of floor, specifications for floor, walls and ceiling, room dimensions, meter layout, and dimension and location of access openings.
    6. A Water and Sewer availability Certificate.
  2. If the application is complete, the DPS reviews the site plan to assure that minimum clearances are provided between vault and utilities and property line.
  3. The DPS reviews the structural calculations and details of the vault as follows:
    1. For Smith Midland precast vault model number 660 or 860, calculations and details are compared to the pre-approved copies in the records. If they are the same, the application can be approved.
    2. For all other precast or cast-in-place concrete vaults, the structural calculations must be stamped by a Professional Engineer (PE) registered in the District of Columbia. They will be reviewed by DCWASA and approved if the design is acceptable.
  4. If the applicant is reusing an existing water connection and has not paid the fee for a large water connection (3-inch and larger in diameter), a fee will be requested prior to being approved. This fee will authorize the inspection of the meter vault.
  5. If the structural calculations for the pre-cast vault were submitted to EIB staff, reviewed and approved by them, the application can be approved.
  6. If the application meets the requirements of steps 1 through 5, the application shall be approved, logged out of the Public Space Permit Book and submitted to EIB with details and calculations for the vault and job number for the project.
  7. If the application does not meet any of the requirements of steps 1 through 5, the application shall be rejected, logged out of the Public Space Permit Book as an objection and send back to applicant to revise with the objection comments written on the site plan. When the revised application is resubmitted, follow steps 1 through 6 as applicable.

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