What does Scottsdale charge to install a water meter and service line?

Sec. 49-21(a) opens with who does the work: "The City shall tap the water main, install water service line to the property line, water meter boxes, or meter vaults, within the City and charge the contractor or owner at the rates noted below." When a state-licensed contractor taps the line and installs the service line and box or vault to city inspection standards, the city supplies the meter in 5/8 to 2 inch sizes, and furnishes the meter with strainer in 3, 4, 6 and 8 inch sizes, at these rates:

The footnotes add three rules. Large meters: "Concrete water vaults are required for all 3", 4", 6" and 8" meters to be installed by Developer/contractor." The meter charge includes delivery and connection to an existing service line. And a home that upsizes its meter "due to fire suppression requirements" may get a refund of the meter-only charge, up to a prorated value.

The rest of the section:

• (b) Fire sprinkler services. The city taps and installs only 1.5 and 2 inch commercial fire sprinkler services. Larger fire lines are installed by state-licensed contractors approved by the city. Manifolds or tees tying several 2 inch and smaller service lines together are prohibited unless the Water Resources Division approves.
• (c) Outside the city. Connections outside city limits or in a county island cost 125 percent of the table.
• (d) Meter changes. Upgrades and downgrades happen "only on accounts in good standing."

Sec. 49-27 then sets the size and count. A meter "shall be sized so that it does not exceed the anticipated maximum normal daily operating flow" under the city's Design Standards and Policies Manual. "Single-Family residences shall be limited to one water meter and one Account Holder per parcel." A second or redundant meter needs division director approval, and "Two (2) or more meters in a manifold configuration are prohibited."

• Tap. The connection cut into the city water main.
• Service line. The pipe from the main to the property line, where the meter box sits.
• Cost recovery. The city bills its actual cost instead of a flat fee.
• Manifold meter. Two or more meters piped in parallel to act as one larger meter. Sec. 49-16 defines it; Sec. 49-27 bans it.
• County island. Unincorporated land surrounded by the city but served by city water.

Anyone adding or changing a Scottsdale water service: owners of new homes and guest houses, builders, developers and commercial tenants needing a bigger meter. This does not cover the private pipe from the meter to the building. That is the owner's plumbing, not priced in this table. It also does not include water and wastewater development fees, which are a separate charge under Sec. 49-82.

A Cactus Corridor remodel. The owners add a pool, a casita and more bathrooms and ask for a 1 inch meter on their existing service line. The meter column says it "Includes delivery and connection to existing service line," so the 1 inch meter fee ($490) is the one that fits. The account has to be in good standing before the change.

A medical office building. The engineer's peak flow calls for a 3 inch domestic meter. That moves the job into cost recovery, with a concrete vault built by the contractor after the city coordinates the service.

The edge case. A developer proposes two 2 inch meters side by side instead of one 3 inch, hoping to stay on the flat-fee table. Sec. 49-27 prohibits two or more meters in a manifold configuration, and 49-21(b) bars tying service lines together without division approval. The answer flips to a single larger meter at cost recovery.

1. 1Have your designer calculate the maximum normal daily operating flow under the city's Design Standards and Policies Manual.
2. 2Pick the meter size from that flow, not from pipe size.
3. 3Decide whether the city or a state-licensed contractor installs the tap and service line.
4. 4If the service crosses the street or sidewalk, get the city's right-of-way permit first (see Scottsdale right-of-way permits).
5. 5Clear any past-due balance before asking for a meter change. To go smaller, file a down-size request at the One Stop Shop. Scottsdale's Water and Sewer Planning page says a building with a fire sprinkler system needs the seal of "a Fire Protection Engineer or NICET level three" on the request. Scottsdale also tells the owner to get "a Minimum Plumbing Permit for connecting to the new meter."
6. 6Ask Water Resources, 480-312-5650, for the cost-recovery estimate on any 3 inch or larger meter.

• Myth: the meter fee is the whole bill. Development fees under Sec. 49-82 are separate.
• Myth: two small meters are cheaper than one big one. Manifold meters are prohibited in Scottsdale.
• Myth: the county rate is the same. County island connections cost 125 percent of the city table.
• Myth: a fire-sprinkler upsize gets no break. The code allows a prorated refund of the meter-only charge for a residential upsize driven by fire suppression requirements.