How to Hire a Sewer Contractor in New Hampshire

Who licenses sewer contractors in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification houses the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board, which issues apprentice, journeyman and master plumber licenses. A master plumber signs for the drain and waste piping at the house. From the foundation outward the state is silent: there is no New Hampshire drain layer, utility contractor or general contractor license. Municipalities make up the difference. Hudson's Engineering Department and Public Works issue an annual drain layer license, backed by a bond, insurance and references, before a firm may work on sewer or water services in the right-of-way; Rochester's Public Works licenses the contractors allowed to do sewer and water work in a city road; Manchester, Nashua and Concord run approvals through their sewer and public works departments, and the municipal license and insurance certificate are the practical checks. Verify the master plumber through the Office of Professional Licensure's license verification, then call the sewer department to confirm the excavator is licensed there. Ask for the bond and insurance certificates in writing.

Permits and inspections

The sewer connection permit comes from the municipal sewer or public works department, and the plumbing permit for the house side from the building inspector. In Manchester the Environmental Protection Division runs the sewer system and the Highway Department issues the excavation and sewer permits for work in the street. Rochester's Public Works issues the water and sewer connection permit and a separate excavation permit for the right-of-way, and Nashua and Concord split the connection and the street opening between their utility and engineering offices. Expect an inspection of the trench and connection before backfill, and a camera recording for a lined pipe. New Hampshire law requires any excavator to notify Dig Safe at least seventy-two business hours before digging, weekends and holidays excluded. The licensed drain layer pulls the permits.

Who owns the pipe under the street

Most New Hampshire sewer departments draw the line at the main. Laconia, for one, makes the owner maintain the service line from the building to the main, and Manchester and Nashua generally work the same way, though get that in writing for your address. Concord is a useful exception: the city will build the service from the main to the property line itself if asked, or the owner can hire one contractor for the entire run. A few older seacoast systems in Portsmouth and Dover treat the stub at the main as public. The pipe is called the sewer service or house connection in New Hampshire. There is no state point-of-sale sewer inspection. A service crossing a neighbor's lot, common in Manchester's mill neighborhoods, adds an easement question.

What is under New Hampshire, and why it shapes the bid

Ledge is the New Hampshire word for bedrock, never far down. Manchester, Concord and the hill towns sit on glacial till over granite, with boulders throughout and ledge that can surface at two or three feet, so every bid should carry a rock allowance. The Merrimack valley floor in Nashua and Hudson is sand and gravel that digs easily but caves. The seacoast around Portsmouth and Dover has marine clay and a high water table that calls for pumping. Frost depth is about four feet in the south and five in the north. Mill-era housing from the 1880s through the 1920s has clay and cast iron services; postwar tracts used Orangeburg; PVC arrived in the 1970s.

What a New Hampshire sewer bid must include

• The master plumber's New Hampshire license number for the house connection and the municipal drain layer license or approval for the trench.
• The sewer connection permit and the street excavation permit from the highway or engineering office.
• A ledge and boulder allowance as a unit price, with the assumed trench depth below New Hampshire frost.
• Dewatering on the seacoast or trench boxes in Merrimack valley sand, priced separately.
• The Dig Safe ticket, the inspection before backfill and a camera recording to the main.

The full checklist, for any state, is on what a sewer bid should include.

Red flags in New Hampshire

• An excavator without the town's drain layer license or sewer department approval, which blocks the connection permit in Hudson, Rochester or Manchester.
• A New Hampshire bid with no rock clause in a town where ledge is a known hazard.
• A proposal that leaves the street segment to the city when most New Hampshire departments assign it to the owner.
• No Dig Safe notice before the dig.

Finding a sewer contractor in New Hampshire

New Hampshire does not yet have a verified contractor listed on this site, which is why the number on this page rings the national line. Call it or send the form with the property address and what the symptoms or the camera are showing, and we will locate a qualified sewer contractor near you, screen them the same way we screen every listing, and make the introduction. There is no charge for that. You can also search the CIPP Verified Installer directory yourself.

Estimates are free. Call now. (855) 804-1434

Where New Hampshire property owners ask for help most

The rules above apply statewide; the communities below are the ones that generate the most questions.

New Hampshire sewer contractor questions

Does New Hampshire license sewer contractors?

Not at the state level. New Hampshire licenses plumbers through the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board but has no drain layer or general contractor license. Towns such as Hudson and Rochester license drain layers themselves, with a bond and insurance, and larger cities approve who may connect to their mains.

Who owns the sewer service under a Manchester, New Hampshire street?

Usually the property owner. Most New Hampshire sewer departments hold the owner responsible for the whole service from the building to the city sewer, including the stretch under the pavement, and Manchester generally follows that pattern. Confirm the line for your address in writing before accepting a bid.

How far in advance must Dig Safe be called in New Hampshire?

At least seventy-two business hours, excluding weekends and holidays, and no more than thirty days before excavation begins. Dig Safe is the one-call center for New Hampshire, and the contractor should file the ticket and keep the number on site.

Why do New Hampshire sewer bids talk about ledge?

Because granite bedrock, called ledge locally, can appear within a few feet of the surface across much of New Hampshire, and breaking or blasting it changes the cost of a trench. A good bid carries a unit price for ledge.

How do I verify a New Hampshire plumber?

Use the license verification service of the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, which confirms a plumber's status and any discipline. For the excavator there is no state record; call the town's public works or sewer department and ask whether the firm holds its drain layer license.

The short version for New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, camera the service first and find the connection. Call the sewer department to confirm the ownership line and check that the contractor holds its drain layer license or approval, because the state does not license excavators. Verify the master plumber with the Office of Professional Licensure. Then compare bids on ledge, frost depth and pavement restoration, and keep the video.

Estimates are free. Call now. (855) 804-1434

Sources checked for this page: oplc.nh.gov/license-fees-mechanical-safety-and-licensing-boa... · www.hudsonnh.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/enginee... · www.rochesternh.gov/public-works/files/water-sewer-connectio... · concordnh.gov/m/faq?cat=76 · laconianh.gov/1104/Property-Owner-Responsibilities · www.energy.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt551/files/2022-02/unde...