Costs vary, depending on several factors. Specific costs for each community are based on density of homes and location relative to the existing sewer system. If you would like to learn more about the cost for your community, please enter your address here. If your neighborhood has already begun the pre-petition process, you will be prompted to visit your community page, which includes cost information. If your neighborhood has not started the pre-petition process, you can email the program team to set up that process for your neighborhood to understand costs and impact.

The cost to construct the local sewer system is paid for in the form of an annual assessment that is paid back over 40 years. DPW is offering residents in eligible communities a subsidy of up to 25% of the total project cost. Homeowners in eligible areas also have the option to defer up to 50 percent of the payments. Typical annual assessments will range from $1,000 to $2,000 per household.

Work on private property to provide a new sewer connection includes septic tank abandonment, piping from home to sewer cleanout, and property restoration. For most homes, the cost will be less than $10,000 and in many cases a State Bay Restoration Fund grant can be used to cover this cost.

This charge is collected when the building permit or connection permit is issued. It recovers the cost of constructing water reclamation facilities, pumping stations and conveyance facilities other than lateral lines. The Capital Facility Connection Charge will be determined when the Notice to Proceed is issued for project construction. This is a one-time charge and can be paid up front, or can be financed at the County's bond rate for 40 years. The financed Capital Facility Connection Charge is billed annually in January, beginning after the project is released for service. Established charges are as follows:

The County code contains exemption criteria for elderly and low-income residents and disabled residents. You may find more information here.

In Anne Arundel County, the sewer utility is an enterprise fund, which means it is paid for by users of the system. Property taxes are not used to pay for water and sewer projects.

The County requires homeowners to abandon septic systems when a property is connected to public sewer. Septic system abandonment requires the services of a licensed disposal system contractor and/or licensed liquid waste hauler. You may find detailed information on the Anne Arundel County Department of Health website.

No, DPW does not maintain a list of approved master plumbers.

The Department of Public Works would restore any road surfaces impacted by DPW contractors.

If you live in an eligible community*, visit the County's Septic-to-Sewer Connection Program page and submit the interest form. In the meantime, talk to your neighbors about learning more about the program. Ultimately, it is a community decision whether to proceed with connecting to public sewer.

*To determine if you live in an eligible community, enter your address in the search bar on our Septic-to-Sewer Connection Program page.

The process can take 3-4 years and the first step is to request a pre-petition information meeting with DPW. During these meetings, DPW will explain the program in greater detail and answer questions residents have. The informational meeting is not a binding commitment.

If a community decides to move forward, a representative may file a petition for wastewater extension on behalf of the community (Step 3). During the petition process, DPW will prepare a site-specific preliminary engineering study that includes costs for installing the public infrastructure. DPW will also prepare an estimate of the annual assessment to present to the community at a formal public meeting. Homeowners are then sent a ballot to vote for or against the project. If the majority of homeowners approve, the project will move forward to design and construction (Step 4). Once the public infrastructure work is complete, all homeowners in the project area are required to connect within nine months. A homeowner who has recently upgraded to an advanced nitrogen-reducing septic system may request an extension for connecting to the public sewer.

The Septic-to-Sewer Program petition process is specific to eligible areas. The pre-petition process is intended to give interested eligible communities more information on potential costs and for the County to prioritize projects for the County subsidy and state funding. The pre-petition meeting does not commit the community or the County to moving forward with a project. Any community that submits a petition must ultimately vote and pass a formal ballot with a majority to be connected to public sewer.

Yes, a community may petition for water and sewer service extension at the same time. DPW analyzes the requests as separate projects and residents vote on the projects separately. However, the subsidy and deferment options available through the Septic-to-Sewer Connection Program are only available for sewer projects, and not water.

If a community votes to move forward with a public sewer connection project, the County code requires all residents within the project area to connect within nine months of project completion. Residents who have recently replaced their septic systems or have installed an advanced nitrogen-reducing septic system may request an exemption for the connection timeframe, but are still subject to the assessment after project completion.

The features of the Septic-to Sewer Connection Program, including the subsidy and payment deferment options, apply only to residential properties with existing improvements located in an eligible wastewater extension project area.