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HomeMy Public PortalAboutGeneral Information THE METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLAN REVIEW, APPROVAL, AND CONSTRUCTION PERMITTING OF PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS APRIL 2019 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLAN REVIEW, APPROVAL AND CONSTRUCTION PERMITTING OF PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THE METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT The following information will assist District customers when obtaining permits and construction approval for new projects as required by The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. Previous editions were: July 1995 December 1997 January 1998 November 2001 July 2004 September 2007 March 2014 June 2018 March 2019 DISTRICT BOUNDARIES The boundaries of the District include all of the City of St. Louis and the majority of St. Louis County. The District is bounded on the north by the Missouri River, the east by the Mississippi River, the south by the Meramec River, and the west generally by State Highway 109. DISTRICT OFFICE The main office of the District is located at 2350 Market Street in the City of St. Louis. This facility is located at Jefferson & Market. All inquiries related to the design or construction of private or public facilities should be directed to the: Engineering Department Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District 2350 Market Street St. Louis, MO 63103 Tel: 314-768-6272 Fax: 314-768-6302 The Plan Review and Permit Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. PROJECTS REQUIRING REVIEW BY THE DISTRICT All public or private sewerage and drainage works proposed to be constructed, altered or reconstructed by any person or corporation, public or private within the District boundaries will require review and approval by the District. This includes any altering of any storm drainage channel, site drainage or flood plain within the District’s boundaries. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CRITERIA All projects must be designed and construction in accordance with the latest version of the following: 1. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s “Rules and Regulations and Engineering Design Requirements for Sanitary Sewage and Stormwater Drainage Facilities.” 2. Standard Construction Specifications for Sewers and Drainage Facilities. 3. These documents are on the MSD website under “Plan Review Documents.” PLAN REVIEW SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS All of the following items must be submitted before the District will begin review of a project: 1. A submittal fee of $450.00. 2. Plan submittals are to be made online in electronic format on the District’s Accela website at https://aca3.accela.com/STLMSD OTHER PLAN REVIEW FEE REQUIREMENTS 1. Review Fee – In addition to the submittal fee, a review fee will be required. This fee will be determined by the District and will be based on one of the following criteria: $375.00 per acre or $1.40 per lineal foot of sewer extension 2. Connection Fee – A connection fee will be required for sanitary connections to the public system. The amount of this fee is based on the domestic water tap size of the proposed facility and are as follows: ¾” $ 1,126.00 1” $ 1,693.00 1.5” $ 3,111.00 2” $ 4,812.00 2.5” $ 6,485.00 3” $ 8,782.00 4” $ 14,453.00 6” $ 28,631.00 8” $ 45,644.00 10” $ 65,493.00 12” and larger Determined on a case by case basis 3. Impact Fees – Surcharge, recoupment or subdistrict fees have been imposed by the District in some areas within the District boundaries. If there are any questions as to whether or not the project is within an impact area, please contact: Bob Miller 314-335-2053 Mark Kuelker 314-335-2064 4. Construction and As-Built Deposits – After plan approval and before issuance of construction permits, the project owner will be required to submit cash deposits with the District in the amount of 10% of the estimated construction cost for all public sewer construction (100% for public pump stations) and for items that are private but are to be constructed under MSD inspection (such as detention). The cash deposit for stormwater BMP’s will be in the amount of 50% of the estimated construction cost for all stormwater BMP’s. In addition to the construction deposits, an as-built deposit will also be required. This deposit is computed based on the following criteria: $1,000.00 plus $100.00 per structure. CONSTRUCTION PERMIT REQUIREMENTS All applications for permits for construction of sewer and drainage facilities, for connection to such facilities and for repair of connection to such facilities shall be made by a master drainlayer having a certificate of qualification or other applicable license to perform work as a master drainlayer issued in his name by the Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Drainlayers of the City of St. Louis or St. Louis County, or other applicable licensing authority. No construction or connection permit shall be issued unless the applicant shall first have filed with the District a cash or corporate bond in an amount not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) and a general liability certificate. All questions regarding Performance Bonds should be directed to: Terri Stewart 314-768-6288 CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FEES The following construction permit and inspection fees must be paid at the time of issuance of the permit: House Connection Permit $75.00 Storm, Sanitary or Combined Construction Permit (with footage) $195.00 Construction Permits with no footage $75.00 Sanitary or Combined Fee $5.80/ft Storm Inspection Fee $4.20/ft Sampling Tee No Charge Lift Station $4,000.00 Questions regarding issuance of construction permits should be directed to: Dixie Bryant 314-768-6286 The permitted drainlayer is required to schedule the required inspection 24 hours in advance by calling: Erica Newton 314-768-6379 CONSTRUCTION APPROVAL Construction approval by the District is required prior to the release on any occupancy permits by the local authority. Questions regarding the status of the construction approval of a project should be directed to: Brian Dunn 314-335-2072 DEDICATION OF PUBLIC SEWER AND RELEASE OF DEPOSITS Following construction approval, the public sewers will be dedicated to the District. A dedication inspection of a single lot development will be done upon request immediately after construction approval. Dedication inspections for multi-lot commercial and residential developments will be done when 50% of the lots have been built and when 100% of the lots have been completed. One-half of the construction deposit will be released after each inspection and all discrepancies are corrected. To request a dedication inspection, contact: Mike Shelton 314-768-6387 CUSTOMER SERVICE DIVISION AND MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT The Customer Service Division and Maintenance Department are available for emergency situations regarding problems with all public sewers. In the event of an emergency, calls should be directed to: Customer Service/Dispatcher 314-768-6260 GENERAL STEPS FOR PLAN SUBMITTAL, REVIEW AND ISSUANCE OF PERMITS 1. A preliminary conference to obtain informal guidance for the proposed project is suggested and encouraged, especially if there are unusual site concerns or issues. 2. Plans are submitted for review, either hard copy or electronic plan, along with plan submittal requirements. Electronic submittals should be made on the Accela Citizen Access site at https://aca3/accela.com/STLMSD 3. Generally within 24 hours of the submittal of plans that have not been rejected due to lack of required information, the project is assigned an MSD reference number and assigned to a plan reviewer. 4. The owner and engineer are sent a notice that the plans were accepted for review. 5. Plans are reviewed by MSD personnel. 6. Review comments will be posted to the ACA website (https://aca3.accela.com/STLMSD). The engineer and owner are also notified of the District’s requirements with regard to detention Maintenance Agreement, easements, encroachment requirements, Agreement to Dedicate, review fee, connection fee, etc. 7. Revised plans are resubmitted for MSD review as necessary until all MSD comments have been addressed. In addition, easements are submitted for MSD review prior to execution along with Maintenance Agreements, Agreement to Dedicate, etc. 8. When the plans have reached a point that the District believes that only minor changes (or no changes) are required, the engineer will be notified that the final plans for approval may be submitted. The owner and the engineer will also be notified of all other outstanding requirements. In addition, the construction and as-built deposit amounts are computed and the Cash Deposit Agreement is sent to the owner. These deposits and the agreement do not need to be submitted prior to plan approval, but are required prior to permitting. 9. Upon receipt of the final plans and the submittal of all other requirements, the plans are approved by MSD and uploaded to the District’s Plan Review and Permitting website. An approval letter is emailed to the Engineer, Developer and to the appropriate MSD departments and government agencies. 10. Permits will only be issued to a licensed and bonded drainlayer after the receipt of the construction and as-built deposits and the executed Cash Deposit Agreement. The drainlayer will be required to pay the permit and construction inspection fees. 11. When problems are encountered in the field due to unforeseen conditions, the District will consider allowing a “field change” process in lieu of the formal submittal of a plan revision. In either case, the contractor should first notify the owner’s engineer as to what the problem is; the engineer should then contact the MSD Plan Review division. Field changes will generally be allowed, in lieu of a formal plan revision, when no new easements or detailed hydraulic analysis are required. The contractor should not proceed with the change until formal approval for either the revision or field change has been granted. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS Q. What projects need to be submitted to MSD for review? A. The District requires that all public or private sewerage and drainage works proposed to be constructed, altered or reconstructed by any person or corporation, public or private, within the District’s Boundaries, be submitted to the District for review and approval. This includes any altering of any storm drainage channel, site drainage or flood plain with those boundaries. Q. Who at MSD should be contacted and when? A. The applicant should contact the District’s Engineering Department/Plan Review Section (314-768-6272) with any general questions regarding the submittal of a project. If the applicant has questions about specific issues, it is recommended (and encouraged) that either the Manager or one of the Team Leaderss of the Section be contacted and a meeting arranged, if necessary. John Grimm, P.E. Program Manager (314) 768-2743 Bob Miller, P.E. Principal Engineer/Team Leader Missouri, Meramec & Coldwater Watersheds (314) 335-2053 Mark Kuelker, P.E. Principal Engineer/Teamleader Bissell & Lemay watersheds (314) 335-2064 Q. What are the District’s design and plan submittal requirements? A. The District’s design requirements are detailed in the “Rules and Regulations and Engineer Design Requirements for Sanitary Sewage and Stormwater Drainage Facilities” which was adopted by a resolution of the MSD Board of Trustees in February 2018. It can be found on www.stlmsd.com Q. What does the applicant need to submit to MSD for review? A. To initiate the project review, MSD requires an online submittal of a set of plans (prepared and sealed by an engineer registered in the State of Missouri) and a submittal fee of $450.00. The Engineering Department should be contacted if there is any question about the required submittal fee. Q. What other fees are required to be paid by the applicant? A. In addition to the submittal fee, the applicant must pay a review fee for the project. This fee is based on the acreage of the site for site development, or the footage of sewer, for projects only involving a sewer extension. The District’s current fees are $375.00/acre or $0.1.40/lineal footage of a sewer extension. The applicant will also be required to pay a connection fee , a subdistrict or surcharge fee (Caulks Creek and Williams Creek) if the project involves a connection to the public sanitary sewer system. The connection fee is based on the domestic water tap size for the building. The need for and amount of the payment of any subdistrict or surcharge fees will depend on the project’s location and property size. If the applicant has any questions regarding these fees, please contact John Grimm (314-768-2743) of the Engineering Department/Plan Review Section. In addition, the applicant will be required to pay a refundable construction deposit (10% of cost) and as-built plan deposit ($1,000.00 plus $100.00 for each structure) if the project involves the construction of sewers, which are to be dedicated to the District. Stormwater BMP Deposit (50% of the cost) will be required for projects that include Stormwater BMP’s. Payments must be in the form of a cashier’s check or cash for the construction deposit, and cash or personal check for the as-built deposit. These payments may be made after plan approval, but must be paid prior to the issuance of construction permits. Lastly, the applicant will be responsible for paying all document-recording fees such as Maintenance Agreements and Easements. Q. How does the review process generally work? Please see the District’s online Plan Review and Permitting website at https://aca3.accela.com/STLMSD Once the plans have been corrected to address all of the District’s requirements, and all other documents and fees have been paid, the District will process the plan approval and notify the developer, the project engineer and the appropriate municipal agencies of the approval. The developer will also be notified as to whether or not permits, construction deposit and an-built deposit are required. After the construction and as-built deposits have been paid, the developer’s licensed drainlayer must take out permits from the District for the work, prior to beginning construction. In addition, the MSD Construction Division (314-768- 6379) must be notified a minimum of 24 hours before start of construction. Failure to take out the permits and notify the Construction Division may result in the District withholding construction approval of the project, and the denial of the District to issue any future permits to either the owner or the drainlayer. In other words, construction approval is different than plan approval. Q. What will happen if the work is done without submitting plans to MSD or getting construction approval of the work? A. Failure to get the proper approvals from the District could result in the withholding and release of occupancy permits, as well as legal action by the District. COMMON ISSUES OR ERRORS WHICH DELAY THE PERMITTING PROCESS A. MSD does not receive the needed information to thoroughly review the project. 1. Site design does not include detention when required. 2. Detention calculations not submitted. 3. Stormwater hydraulics not submitted. 4. Pump station design information not submitted. 5. Failure to submit a geotechnical report or adhere to MSD policy regarding sinkholes. 6. The MSD “Rules and Regulations and Engineering Design Drainage Facilities” are not adhered to. B. Site design issues, which could delay the approval process. 1. Pump Stations – Pump stations will only be allowed if MSD determines that there is feasible means of servicing a development by gravity. a. Prior to formal submittal of improvement plans, sufficient information should be provided to MSD in order for the District to give “conceptual” approval of the pump station. b. Pump stations should be designed to MSD Pump Station Division standards. Review of the pump station design by the Engineering and Maintenance Departments could take up to 4 to 6 weeks. 2. Building or structure encroachment over easement/sewer. a. Prior to formal submittal of improvement plans, sufficient information should be provided to MSD in order for the District to determine if the proposed encroachment will be allowed. The sewer in question will need to be inspected to determine its condition. This inspection may take the MSD Maintenance Department from 4 to 6 weeks to schedule and complete. b. Should the District allow the encroachment, a pier and grade beam foundation design, approved by MSD, as well as the execution of an encroachment agreement will be required. 3. Downstream storm or sanitary system is inadequate to handle the additional flow from the proposed development. MSD may require the system to be upgraded, at the developers cost, as a condition of the plan approval. The District may also require offsite ponding or discharge easements if adjacent property is impacted by the construction of the storm sewers. 4. Easement Vacations – While the request to vacate an easement will not delay the MSD plan approval process, the developer should be aware that St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis and most municipalities will not issue a building permit until MSD’s (and other utilities) rights to any easements within the building footprint have been vacated. a. Easement Vacations are executed by the Director of Engineering based upon recommendations by Engineering Department staff. b. MSD staff will not recommend that a vacation be granted if there is an existing sewer within the easement. If the existing sewer is to be relocated, the easement will not be vacated until construction approval for the relocated sewer has been given. c. Depending on when the request for vacation is submitted to MSD, a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks may be required for review of the submitted documentation, preparation of the Easement Vacation and submittal to the Director of Engineering for approval. d. All MSD billing accounts held by the Petitioner must be current. e. Recording Fees will be determined and requested by MSD from the Petitioner once the easement vacation has been approved. C. Items required before plan approval. 1. Review Fees 2. Connection Fees 3. Special Fees 4. Recoupment Fees 5. Executed Easement 6. Pump Station approval 7. Detention requirements 8. Forms completed as required for project (Agreement to Dedicate, detention Maintenance Agreement, Indemnification Agreement, Encroachment Agreement, etc.