Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Demolition Procedures

When planning total or partial demolition of a building, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) requires certification that water and sewer services have been disconnected from the structure or portion of the structure awaiting demolition. This certification is required before county building officials can issue a demolition (razing) permit.

For total demolition, WSSC provides customers with a written certification after the following steps have been completed:

1. The water must be turned off, the turn-off fee and any outstanding balance paid, and the meter removed. To request the disconnection and removal of meters two inches and smaller, call the Customer Care Center at 301- 206-4001. If the meter is located inside a building, our field staff will need to enter the premises to remove it. A plumber must remove and return meters three inches and larger to the Bladensburg Service Center, 4101 Lloyd Street, Hyattsville, Maryland.



2. A WSSC licensed Registered Master Plumber, licensed to work in the Washington Suburban Sanitary District, must cap water and sewer lines at the property line.



3. Our Regulatory Services Group must inspect the plumber’s work and report the results on a “short form postcard permit.” A copy of the postcard permit verifying that the work passed inspection should accompany the request for certification. We can also verify that the work passed inspection if you call us at 301-206-4001 with the permit number or service address. To arrange postcard permit inspections, the Master Plumber should call 301-206-4004, between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For partial demolition, the water serving the building or the portion of the property pending demolition must be turned off. Both water and sewer lines must be capped as far away as practical from the structure scheduled for demolition. Similar to total demolition, a Registered Master Plumber must accomplish the work and have it inspected under the postcard permit. The Master Plumber should call 301-206-4004, between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, to schedule a postcard permit inspection. Partial demolitions do not require payment of the outstanding account balances or the removal of the on-site meter, because WSSC will continue to bill the property for services.

Those in need of certification for structures when WSSC does not provide service (well and septic or privately owned and maintained water supply/sewage disposal systems) should call Correspondence Services at (301) 206-8895 to obtain the necessary written certification.

- Important Notice -

To obtain information about SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CHARGE (SDC) credits for fixtures removed from a demolished structure, please contact Permit Services at 301- 206-4003. WSSC must verify the fixture count for SDC credits prior to demolition of the building. A Registered Master Plumber must apply for the SDC Fixture Credit Permit and schedule the fixture count inspection.