Demolition Practices

If plans call for building demolition, or demolition of part of a building, we require certifications.

WSSC Water requires certification that water and sewer services have been disconnected from the building or area of the building that is to be demolished. Certification is required before county officials can issue a demolition (razing) permit.

For total demolition, WSSC Water provides customers with written certification after these 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 disconnection and removal of meters one and a-half inches or smaller, contact our Customer Service Department at 301-206-4001 or Demoletterrequest@wsscwater.com. If the meter is located inside a building, our field staff will need to enter the premises to remove it. If the meter is one inch or smaller, the turn-off fee will be $60. If the meter is larger than one inch, the turn-off fee will be $200. A plumber must remove and return meters two inches and larger to the Bladensburg Service Center, 4101 Lloyd Street, Hyattsville, Maryland.
   Note: if the meter is in a meter vault, plumbers must abide by the OSHA federal regulation for entering confined spaces, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146, Permit-Required Confined Space. For more information please see the OSHA website 
2. A WSSC Water-licensed Registered Master Plumber, licensed to work in the WSSC Water District, must cap water and sewer lines at the property line.
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3. Our Regulatory Services Division must inspect the plumber’s work and report the results on a “short-form permit.” A copy of the permit verifying that the work passed inspection should accompany the request for certification. We can also verify that the work passed inspection if you contact us at 301-206-4001 or Demoletterrequest@wsscwater.com with the permit number or service address. To arrange permit inspections, the Master Plumber must use their CSS Account Portal to schedule these inspection. For homeowners who would like to schedule an inspection, they should call 301-206-4004, between 8 a.m. and 3 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 permit. To arrange permit inspections, the Master Plumber must use their CSS Account Portal to schedule these inspection. For home owners would like to schedule an inspection, they should call 301-206-4004, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Partial demolitions do not require payment of the outstanding account balances or the removal of the on-site meter, because WSSC Water will continue to bill the property for services.

Those in need of certification for structures when WSSC Water does not provide service (well and septic or privately owned and maintained water supply/sewage disposal systems) should contact WSSC Water's Customer Service Department at Demoletterrequest@wsscwater.com to obtain the necessary written certification.

Important Notice

To obtain information about system development charge credits for fixtures to be removed from a structure to be demolished, please contact Permit Services at 301- 206-4003 or OneStopShop@wsscwater.com. WSSC Water must verify the fixture count for SDC credits before fixtures are removed and before building demolition. A Registered Master Plumber must apply for the SDC Fixture Credit Permit and schedule the fixture count inspection.