(a) Advance conceptual design approval.
(1) A Licensed Professional Engineer, Registered Architect or Licensed Master Plumber may obtain advance conceptual design approval for corporation stops (taps), wet connections, service connections or relays by submitting a conceptual design drawing to the Department and paying the required fee. Information on the related water demand, existing service material, length of service connection, proposed size of the corporation stop (tap)/ wet connection, type of service connection and fire sprinkler and/or standpipe systems to be utilized must also be provided.
(2) The advance review and approval of a conceptual design may be the basis for a permit application for a period of two (2) years.
(3) Prior to the expiration of an advance conceptual design approval, the Department may extend the approval for an additional sixty (60) days upon receipt of a written request for an extension.
(b) Internal water main approval.
(1) Design stage approval for internal water mains must be obtained from both the Department and the Department of Buildings. Approval for a meter must be obtained from the Department's Bureau of Customer Services and for Backflow Prevention Devices settings from the Department's Bureau of Water and Sewer Operations (Cross Connection Control Unit). Requests for approval must be made by a New York State-Licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect.
(2) Internal water mains must have, in addition to any meters required by 15 RCNY § 20-05(a), approved hydrants and backflow prevention devices in a meter vault or above-ground enclosure ("hot box") installed inside the property within two (2) feet of the property line. After installation, such hydrants and backflow prevention devices will be owned, maintained and repaired by the property owner while meters at the property line will be owned, maintained, and repaired by the Department. The meter at the property line shall be used solely for monitoring purposes and any individual meters in the development shall be used for billing unless the tax lot contains only one building in which case the property line meter will be used for billing.
(3) Design stage approval to install and repair internal water mains will be issued under the following conditions:
(i) Owners of the internal water mains shall be responsible for their maintenance and repair.
(ii) Internal water mains and any connections thereto shall be installed and repaired only with design stage approval, and may be inspected by the Department.
(iii) Internal water mains shall be sized in accordance with the Department's sizing table (Table #3) or as approved by the Department of Buildings. Where fire hydrants are required, internal water mains shall be a minimum of eight (8) inches in diameter.
(iv) Internal water mains shall be controlled by a gate valve placed approximately two feet from the property line on the street side. A DOT-rated extension street box shall be placed over the gate valve. An additional gate valve and extension street box shall be installed for each three hundred (300) linear feet section of the water main and at each point where a lateral is connected to the water main.
(v) Taps and wet connections to internal water mains must be installed by the Department. Service connections must be installed by a New York City-Licensed Master Plumber with design stage approval to perform the work and must be inspected by the Department.
(vi) Internal water mains must be disinfected in accordance with American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standard C651-14 for disinfection of water mains, prior to being accepted for individual service connections or being placed into service. A water quality sample result acceptable to the Department must be obtained for internal water mains prior to placing them into service or issuing design stage approval for connection to such internal water mains.
(vii) Written approval from the Fire Department is required before the Department may issue design stage approval of internal water mains.
(c) Department of buildings approval.
(1) Evidence of prior Department of Buildings approval of service pipe size will be required before DEP approval of a permit application for:
(i) Any new corporation stop (tap), wet connection and/or service pipe installation which supplies water to a sprinkler, fire or standpipe system.
(ii) Any corporation stop (tap), wet connection and/or service pipe installation for a sprinkler, fire or standpipe system for a major renovation, or for any location where a new certificate of occupancy is required.
(iii) Any corporation stop (tap), wet connection and/or service pipe installation for a domestic water supply system to which fire sprinkler heads are connected.
(iv) Any corporation stop (tap) or wet connection installed in order to supply an internal water main.
(2) For premises that are not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Buildings, or where the owner/developer is exempt from obtaining Department of Buildings approval, a Licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect may submit a letter to the Department that certifies that the corporation stop (tap), wet connection and service pipe are adequately sized, and will provide an adequate degree of fire protection and a sufficient supply of water for domestic purposes. This certification will be accepted by the Department in lieu of Department of Buildings approval for the purposes of processing a permit application.
(d) Sizing services.
(1) Acceptable sizes of corporation stops (taps), wet connections and service connections that provide domestic water supply shall be determined by the Department sizing tables. (See Appendix Tables #1, #2 and #3.) The minimum tap size shall be three-quarter (3/4) inch and the service connection shall be at least one (1) inch in diameter.
(2) Where the Department sizing tables indicate that a two (2) inch tap and a two and one half (2 1/2) inch service line are required, approval will also be granted for a two (2) inch tap and a three (3) inch service line.
(3) Where a Licensed Professional Engineer, Registered Architect, or Licensed Master Plumber proposes sizes of taps, wet connections, service pipes, or internal water mains using methods other than Department sizing tables, all calculations shall be submitted to the Department for review and approval.
(e) Department of buildings service pipe sizing. For service pipes that supply water to both domestic and fire protection systems, the service pipe size shall be the larger of the size determined by the Department of Buildings or the size as determined by the Department sizing tables. (See Appendix Tables #1, #2 and #3.)
(f) Materials for service pipes and fittings.
(1) New service pipes two (2) inches in diameter or less shall be brass pipe or copper tubing.
(2) Service pipes larger than two (2) inches in diameter shall either be brass or ductile iron, except that the above-ground portion of the service pipe, up to four (4) inches in diameter, may be Type K or Type L copper.
(3) Only new materials shall be used for service pipes.
(4) Service pipes shall be of uniform diameter and material unless otherwise approved by the Department.
(5) All service connections must conform to the most recent revision of the following standards, except that all service connections, corporation stops, tail pieces, nuts and other fittings must not have a lead content that exceeds 0.250%:
(i) New York City Plumbing Code section PC 605, except that above-ground, copper indoor service connection four (4) inches or smaller, including the meter setting and piping for any backflow prevention device, must be Type K or Type L copper.
(ii) For three (3) inch and four (4) inch diameter iron pipe: ANSI/AWWA C151/A21.51, Class 52, Standard for Ductile Iron Pipe, Centrifugally Cast, for Water or Other Liquids.
(iii) For greater than four (4) inch diameter pipe: ANSI/AWWA C151/A21.51, Class 56, Standard for Ductile-Iron Pipe, Centrifugally Cast, for Water or Other Liquids.
(g) Approved dimensions and weights. Pipe dimensions and weights shall be in accordance with Appendix Tables #5, #6 and #7. Ductile iron pipes shall be lined with a cement-mortar lining and coated with an asphaltic coating, in accordance with the latest revision of ANSI/AWWA C104/A21.4.
(h) Joints. Ductile iron piping must have mechanical or push on joints with field-lock gaskets. Rodding of fittings, when necessary, must be in accordance with NYC DEP Standard Sewer and Water Main Specifications (July 2014 or later editions).
(i) Mechanical and flare joints. Connections of existing lead service pipes to copper tubing or brass service pipes shall be made using either a compression coupling or an equivalent approved by the Department.
(j) House control valves. House control valves, which must be made of material similar to the corresponding service connections, must be gate OS&Y type with the exception of those between the sizes of three-quarter (3/4) inch and two (2) inches, which may be full port ball valves. The lead content of such valves must not exceed 0.25% as determined by current NSF International Standard/American National Standard NSF/ANSI 61. The house control valve must be placed on the service connection inside the building within two (2) feet of the building wall, and must be located where it is accessible at all times. All valves must be designed for a 150 psi minimum working pressure. For fire, sprinkler, and/or standpipe service connections, and for any service connection which supplies sprinkler heads, the house control valve must be an OS&Y Valve. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, for fire or combined service connections two (2) inches or smaller, the house control valve may be an OS&Y valve or a UL/FM-approved full-port ball valve approved by the Department of Buildings.
(k) Curb valves.
(1) Curb valves must be full port ball valves or non-rising stem gate valves designed for a minimum of 150 psi of working pressure.
(2) Curb valves must be included on all water service connections that supply all systems. All curb valves must be set in the service connection in the sidewalk area, and must be located eighteen (18) inches from the curb line or other such locations as may be approved by the Department.
(3) All curb valves shall be provided with a tar coated iron extension box with a cover which is flush with the sidewalk. Each curb valve larger than two (2) inches in diameter shall be equipped with an operating nut at least one and one quarter (1 1/4) inch square. Curb valves two (2) inches and smaller in diameter may be full port ball valves equipped with a quarter turn shutoff nut.
(4) The property owner shall protect the curb valve/box from any damage and shall promptly report in writing to the Department any circumstances that may adversely affect the operation of the curb valve.
(l) Straight service pipes. Service pipes shall be laid in a straight line at right angles to the street main, and shall extend from the corporation stop (tap) or wet connection to the main house control valve. Where conditions preclude such an installation, a Licensed Master Plumber shall submit a proposed alternate for review and approval.
(m) Gooseneck and offset swing joints on service pipe connections. Each brass or copper tubing service pipe must have at least three (3) feet of copper tubing formed in a gooseneck connection to the corporation stop (tap) and laid to the right hand facing the tap, as shown in Appendix Figure #2. Each brass service pipe with threaded joints shall be installed as shown in Appendix Figure #2. No offset swing joint shall be made for ductile iron connections. Swing joints and/or goosenecks shall be located at the corporation stop (tap) or wet connection, and may also be placed immediately outside a building laid to the right hand facing the building where the building is constructed on a pile foundation or other unyielding support.
(n) Service connection depth. All service connections must be installed at a depth of at least three and one-half (3 1/2) feet, no more than six (6) feet below ground, unless a written waiver is obtained from the Department. Where a service connection is installed with less than three and one-half (3 1/2) feet of cover, it must be insulated and protected in accordance with the requirements described in 15 RCNY § 20-03(y). A service connection must not be laid within six (6) inches of any other sub-surface structure, conduit or pipe. A service connection must not be laid directly below, and parallel within six (6) inches of any other sub-surface structure, conduit or pipe.
(o) Service in construction trench. Service connections laid in a construction trench must be adequately supported and protected from settlement (deflection).
(p) Service pipe in subway air vent. Where service pipes are installed through a subway vent or similar construction, the method of installation shall be as illustrated in Appendix Figure #4.
(q) Backfill. Backfill around and one foot over a service connection must be of clean earth, free of stones, and must be carefully tamped and compacted in accordance with the latest NYC DOT Standard Highway Specifications (2015 or later editions). The remainder of the backfill must be free of stones larger than three (3) inches in diameter, and must be satisfactorily compacted either by tamping, flushing or both. Where tunneling has been permitted, the backfilling of the tunnel portion must be well compacted with clean earth fill free of stones.
(r) Test of service connection. Each new or repaired service connection shall be subject to a pressure test performed under street main pressure. This test must be conducted by the Licensed Master Plumber in the presence of a Department inspector. All service connections and accessories must remain uncovered for the duration of the test for observance of leakage.
(s) Service connection repairs. A new service connection must be installed where more than one-half (1/2) of an existing service connection is in need of a repair or when any repairs are required and the existing service connection is lead, galvanized steel or galvanized iron. All repairs must conform with the standards described in this section.
(t) Service pipe damaged by electrolysis, galvanic action or other local conditions. When a service pipe has been damaged by electrolysis, galvanic action or other local conditions, it shall be repaired and protected against such damage in a manner approved by the Department.
(u) Thawing. Thawing of water service pipes shall be performed under permit only by Licensed Master Plumbers.
(v) Protection of service connection and house control valve.
(1) The property owner, and not the Department, is responsible for:
(i) Preventing physical deterioration of the service, curb valve, house control valve or distribution pipe which may damage a meter or prevent its maintenance or replacement;
(ii) Repairing or replacing equipment, service or distribution piping to allow maintenance, proper operation or replacement of the meter; and
(iii) The maintenance of the service and distribution pipe and its associated fittings and equipment.
(2) The meter setting is the responsibility of the Department.
(w) Replacement of old service pipes upon establishment of new water service. If a tap or wet connection has been destroyed or shut off due to vacancy of a building, the service pipe must be replaced as part of any new tap or wet connection unless the existing service pipe is less than 40 years old, has a functioning curb valve and is neither lead, galvanized steel or galvanized iron.
(x) Installation of a meter on unmetered properties whenever a domestic service connection is replaced, repaired or relaid. Whenever a domestic or combined service connection for an unmetered property is installed, replaced, repaired or relaid, a water meter must be installed to cover the entire premises in accordance with 15 RCNY § 20-05. When the work is not performed under emergency conditions, DEP will indicate on the permit that the property is unmetered. When the service connection relay, repair or replacement occurs on an emergency basis, the Licensed Master Plumber may install a set of meter inlet and outlet valves and a spool piece of a length similar to the displacement meter for that size service if the Licensed Master Plumber does not have a meter available for installation at the time of the emergency visit.
(y) Insulation. Insulation, where required by 15 RCNY § 20-03(n), shall be cellular glass insulation manufactured in accordance with ASTM C552 "Standard Specification for Cellular Glass Thermal Insulation", where a quality system for manufacturing, inspecting and testing insulation is certified in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9002. The insulation shall be fabricated in half sections wherever possible. For large diameter piping where half sections are not practical, curved sidewall segments are preferred. Wherever possible, the insulation should be factory jacketed with a 70 mil thick self-sealing high polymer asphaltic membrane with an integral glass scrim and aluminized mylar film on the surface. Mastic finish shall be pitcote 300 or an asphalt cutback mastic. Reinforcing fabric shall be an open mesh polymer fabric with 6 x 5.5 mesh per inch configuration. Sealant shall be a nonsetting butyl sealant with a minimum 85% solids content. The Department shall maintain a list of approved insulation materials. Alternate materials may be submitted for approval by the Department.
(Amended City Record 7/26/2021, eff. 8/25/2021)