First Acceptance

First Acceptance:

Upon completion of the construction of water and sanitary sewer infrastructure for commercial or residential developments, the Owner/Developer/Engineer/Contractor must submit a request to the Utilities Department for acceptance of the infrastructure.  

Below are the standard items required for the issuance of First Acceptance:

1. Testing of Infrastructure (Performed by the Contractor & Witnessed by the County)
   • Hydrostatic Pressure Testing of New Mains (Water Mains & Force Mains)
   • Vacuum Testing of New Sanitary Sewer Manholes
   • Low-Pressure Air Testing of New Sanitary Sewer Mains
2. Bacteriological Sampling of Water Mains
   • Request for Sampling on the Project Tracking Portal
3. Submission of Geotechnical Reports
   • Submit to the Project Tracking Portal
4. Recordation of Public Utility Easements
   • Planning Application Packets
   • Spotsylvania County Circuit Court
5. CCTV Inspection of Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure
   • Request for CCTV Inspection on the Project Tracking Portal
6. Record / As-Built Drawings
   • Submit to the Project Tracking Portal
   • Record Drawing Requirements – Section 1.12 of the Water and Sewer Design and Construction Standards Manual 
7. Utility Inspector Walk-through (Performed by the Contractor & Witnessed by the County)
   
   
8. Request for First Acceptance / Cost Estimate
   • Request for First Acceptance on the Project Tracking Portal

If the project is not accessible on the Project Tracking Portal, the Owner/Developer/Engineer/Contractor can request First Acceptance in writing by emailing the appropriate form to the Utilities Development Services Manager, Joshua Adkins, at [email protected]. Residential:  Request for First Acceptance Request (Residential) or Commercial:  Request for First Acceptance Request (Commercial).  

Once all of the above items are submitted and approved, the Utilities Department will issue a First Acceptance Letter to the Owner/Developer/Engineer/Contractor. This letter will authorize: water meters to be set and sewer lateral connections, water/sewer locations to be made within easements of County mainline facilities and the establishment of utility billing accounts.

Warranty of Infrastructure 

Upon completion of water and sanitary sewer facilities, a one-year guarantee of equipment, materials, and labor begins on the date set forth in the First Acceptance Letter. Feel free to stay in contact with the Utilities Department throughout the entirety of the project to ensure all infrastructure is prepared for bond reductions and releases.

Bond Reduction

All bond reduction inquiries will need to be routed through the Spotsylvania County Planning Department. To provide guidance for the reduction of water and sanitary infrastructure feel free to view the Utilities Department’s Bonding Policy.

Miss Utility Locations

If you have received a First Acceptance Letter from the Utilities Department, the water and sanitary sewer infrastructure referenced in the First Acceptance Letter will be eligible for Miss Utility Locations.  

Call Before You Dig! Please call 811 or 1-800-552-7001 for all excavation work anywhere in Virginia.