The Engineering Department is responsible to issue permits to construct, repair, extend or connect to the municipal sanitary sewer system per approved plans. The required permit will only be issued to an individual who is officially approved by the Town. The list of Approved Drain Layers is available here and at the Community Development Office on Whipple Road. Instructions for becoming an approved drain layer in Tewksbury can be found by clicking here.
You must use this Drain Layers list to select a contractor to connect your building to the town's sewer system.

NOTE:
Local contractors on the Approved Drain Layers list are qualified to make the connection to sewer. You DO NOT need to hire a Professional Engineer to do this work. You are free to do that if you choose to, but you will be paying for much more expertise than is required. In other towns, some firms have been advertising their services for connections. An Engineer is not required for this work.

The following information to connect to the sewer system is available here on line and in the Community Development Office.

March 1, 2006 Presentation on connection procedures

Sewer connection instructions

Sewer application
There is a $50 sewer application fee. Please bring that with you to the Community Development office. (If you pick this up at the DPW office, you will get a "yellow" form.)

Plumbing Inspection form
There is a $40 fee for the Plumbing inspection. Please bring that with you to the Community Development office. Allow time for the inspection and any necessary plumbing work when setting your schedules.

Decommissioning Septic System

When connecting to the Town Sewer System, you must also decommission your septic system. The form will be supplied to you when you apply for the sewer connection.

Septic System Inspections

Title 5, the regulations that govern septic systems, requires that systems be inspected prior to the sale of any property. The code does allow for the waiver of that inspection if sewer construction is expected to be complete within 2 years of the property closing, and an enforceable agreement to connect to sewer is instituted. Persons wishing to increase the flow of sewage from their property (adding bedrooms or other increases to use) are not eligible for a waiver; this does not apply to persons wishing to add a bathroom within the existing footprint of their building.

The enforceable agreement will be a two page document signed by the Town, the seller, and the buyer, and it must be filed at the Registry of Deeds. That document will acknowledge that the inspection is being waived, and that the buyer will be responsible for taking any action to prevent the septic system from backing up or overflowing, and will require a sewer connection within 30 days of the sewer being available for use. A sample agreement can be obtained from the Board of Health and from the website, but note that each agreement is tailored to the particular circumstances at each property. The final agreement will be generated by the Board of Health Office. 

Note that while the town, buyer, and seller may all agree to the inspection waiver, some lending institutions may not allow it; buyers should verify if their lender will agree to this waiver prior to having the Board of Health draft the document.

Upgrade of Failed Septic Systems

Title 5 allows the waiver of an upgrade of failed septic systems when there is a fiscal (financial) commitment to install the sewer within 5 years, and an enforceable agreement to connect to sewer is instituted. Please see the above timeline to determine when we expect to be able to issue this waiver for your phase. Persons wishing to increase the flow of sewage from their property (adding bedrooms or other increases to use) or encroach on required system setbacks are not eligible for a waiver; this does not apply to persons wishing to add a bathroom within the existing footprint of their building.

The enforceable agreement will be a two page document signed by the Town, the seller, and the buyer, and it must be filed at the Registry of Deeds. That document will acknowledge that the septic system was inspected, that it failed the inspection, and that fixing the system is being waived. The buyer will be responsible for taking any action to prevent the septic system from backing up or overflowing, and will be required to complete a sewer connection within 30 days of the sewer being available for use. A sample agreement can be obtained from the Board of Health and from the website, but note that each agreement is tailored to the particular circumstances at each property. The final agreement will be generated by the Board of Health Office.

Each waiver is considered on its own merits. Systems that technically fail but do not create an immediate nuisance may be allowed to stay as is, while systems that are overflowing or backing up into a home may have to be somehow repaired to correct the problem. The Board of Health staff will work with your contractor to work out the best and least expensive response to the problem, but note well that there are no guarantees that any work done on the system will correct the problem. If there is any concern on the part of a buyer or seller that there may be a problem, then it is in everyone’s best interest to hire an engineer and install a fully compliant septic system.

Note that while the town, buyer, and seller may all agree to the repair waiver, some lending institutions may not allow it; buyers should verify if their lender will agree to this waiver prior to having the Board of Health draft the document.

Engineering Office
DPW Building
999 Whipple Road
Tewksbury, MA 01876
978-640-4370