Infrastructure Construction Plans

Infrastructure Construction plans are required to perform public and/or private infrastructure improvements such as (roadway, stormwater, water and sewer). Plan reviewers from Stormwater, Public Utilities, Street Maintenance, Fire, Urban Forestry and Planning review Infrastructure Construction Plans for compliance with all applicable Raleigh City Code requirements. Upon final approval of Infrastructure Construction Plans (blue lines) the client will submit mylars for sign off by the City of Raleigh plan review staff. Mylar sign off results in the permit issuance for water, sewer and roadway work in the public right-of-way.
In addition to Infrastructure Construction Plan approval, site work requires a Site Permitting Review or Mass Grading Review. An approved tree conservation plan and tree conservation permit may be required prior to site work. Please reference these processes and the City Zoning Code to determine what is best for specific project types.
Prior to being placed into service, all sewer main extensions and water/sewer service connections to the City's water and sanitary sewer systems installed by a private contractor shall be inspected and determined to have been properly installed by inspectors from the City's Public Works Department and the City's Public Utilities Department.
In the Raleigh planning jurisdiction where the inspections are performed by the Public Works Department, these fees shall be collected by the Development Services Customer Service Center at the time of application.
In the Garner, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wake Forest, Wendell, and Zebulon planning jurisdictions, these fees will be collected at the time the construction plans are submitted for Public Utilities approval.
See the City of Raleigh Development Services Glossary
for any unfamiliar terms.
New Service Option!
We are now offering a new service for Expedited Review! See bottom of page for more details.
Are there any prerequisites to this process?
- Approved Preliminary Development Plan (site or subdivision) *Please note exceptions below.
- Note: Water line extensions that are outside of the City Limits are not required to have a Preliminary Plan approval.
- Commercial Building Plans submitted for building permits may require the submittal of infrastructure construction plans
*Exceptions:
- City projects and internal projects are not normally associated with development plans and therefore would not have an approved plan for the submission of Infrastructure Construction Plans.
- When a preliminary development plan is associated with Infrastructure Construction Plans, it must be approved prior to the submission of the Infrastructure Construction Plans.
- Infrastructure Construction Plans will not be accepted on a pending preliminary site plan. The exception to this would be for administrative preliminary site plan, where at the last review cycle all conditions have been met and the plan is simply waiting to be written and signed; upon request, the Infrastructure Construction Plans may be accepted. However, the Development Services Customer Service Center must be informed of this exception.
How do I start the process?
The complete infrastructure construction plan submittal package is delivered to the Development Services Customer Service Center for review by Street Maintenance Division, Stormwater Division, Public Utilities, and the Department of City Planning.
What do I need to submit to the City?
| SUBMITTAL PACKAGE | |
| Required for Submittal |
|
| Recommended for a Successful Review | Infrastructure Construction Plan Checklist |
| Required for Some Projects | Public Water Application and Engineers Report Public Gravity Sewer Application Public Sewer Pump Station and Force Main Application Public Improvement Quantities Infrastructure Construction Plan Signature Block |
| Declaration of City of Raleigh Code Provisions For Development with Common Elements and Common Expenses Declaration of Maintenance Covenant and Grant of Protection Easements for Stormwater Control Facilities |
|
Note: Stormwater Legal Documents are required for multiple lots utilizing a common stormwater device to comply with the City's stormwater regulations. A Stormwater Replacement Fund must be established with the City per City Code Part 10 Section 9027. The fund is there to pay for any major repair or replacement that may be needed during the life of the device. As part of this package, an association must be formed for the multiple lots and this association and the developer must enter into a contract with the City to start this replacement fund. This document package must be submitted to the City Department of Planning or emailed to stormwater.review@raleighnc.gov
at the same time Infrastructure Construction Plans are submitted to the Public Works Department.
What additional documents may be needed?
- Off-site Easement Plats (City Code requirement): If the development sewer needs to cross someone else's property, an easement will be required from that property owner. The easement map (map that shows the location of the easement) must be recorded through the Department of City Planning prior to submitting Infrastructure Construction Plans for approval
- Financial Security Process (Letter of Credit), if applicable, after this process is complete
- Appeal Process Disclaimer
(DSCSC form regarding project submittal during an appeal cycle) - Public Improvement Quantities Table

Where can I find detailed information regarding submittals?
- Streets, Sidewalks, and Driveway Access Handbook

- Stormwater Design Manual
- This document can be found divided into chapters - Public Utilities Handbook
Where do I submit my application?
All commercial plans should be submitted to the Development Services Customer Service Center.
What are the keys to success?
- Accurately review the Infrastructure Construction Plan Application and Infrastructure Construction Plan Checklist to ensure you have included all documents, fees and requirements
- Ensure that the plan content meets the requirements as outlined in the Streets, Sidewalks and Driveway Access Handbook (SSDA), Public Utilities Handbook, Stormwater Design Manual, and Public Works Standard Detail Drawings
- If infrastructure construction plans are being routed for review, approval, and permitting and are part of your Commercial Building Plans review, the engineer needs to make sure that the approved infrastructure construction plans are included in the commercial building plan submittal package. This will ensure an efficient and timely review as part of your commercial building plans review
What fees are involved and when do I pay them?
Fees are due with each submittal, if applicable, and can be paid in the form of cash, MasterCard, Visa or check made payable to: City of Raleigh.
See Development Fee Schedule for the following applicable fees:
- Infrastructure construction plan submittal
- Public water application and review fee, if applicable
- Private water application and review fee, if applicable
- Public sewer application and nondischarge application and review fee, if applicable
- Private sewer application and nondischarge application and review fee, if applicable
- Pump station start up and inspection fee, if applicable
- Pump station design application and review fee, if applicable
- Camera review fee. Sewer main extension projects which are determined by the City during their initial CCTV inspection to not be ready for inspection shall be charged a re-inspection fee equal to the initial inspection fee for each attempted re-inspection
- Sewer service connection inspection fee shall be collected for each sewer service stub at the time of utility connection permit issuance processed and collected by the Development Services Customer Service Center located at One Exchange Plaza Suite 400 Raleigh
- Water service connection inspection fee shall be collected for each service stub at the time of utility connection permit issuance processed and collected by the Development Services Customer Service Center located at One Exchange Plaza Suite 400 Raleigh
Note: The inspection fee below is calculated after the infrastructure construction plan approval process is complete and is due before client receives the approved plans. This can be paid in the form of cash, MasterCard, Visa or check made payable to: City of Raleigh.
- Inspection fee is billed per linear foot for construction of public street, water main, or sewer main constructed within public right-of-ways or easements. This inspection fee applies to each improvement.
How long will this process take?
- For a typical plan, the review process takes 2-3 review cycles
- Each Blue Line review cycle takes approximately 10 business days
- Each Mylar review cycle takes approximately 12 business days
- Additional time may be required for complex and difficult plans
Expedited Review Option
Infrastructure Construction Plans may be reviewed via the following expedited path if desired:
The initial review must be conducted using the standard review path as described above.
Should subsequent reviews be required, they should be conducted using the Coordinated Team Review (CTR). The CTR is a face-to-face, expedited review service which provides immediate feedback from City review staff. The CTR does not result in the issuance of any permits or the signing of any mylar plats.
Once all review comments have been addressed and there are no unresolved issues, a review may be scheduled to review and sign the final mylar plat. This face-to-face review session will be conducted after-hours.
Scheduling:
If you are interested in the expedited review option, please contact a Project Coordinator (PC). The PC will serve as your point of contact with the Development Services office and is available to answer any questions you may have related to process and procedure. When you are ready to schedule your expedited reviews, please contact the Scheduling Coordinator
for information and to confirm an available date.
After-hours review is available on the first and third Thursday of each month, unless an observed holiday falls on that day. In that case, the date will be adjusted based on staff availability.
Each session will begin promptly at 5:00 p.m. and end no later than 8:00 p.m. It is estimated that each session will last approximately one hour.
Payment/Cancellation policy:
If using the expedited path, please note that the following fees will be applicable: standard review fees, Coordinated Team Review fees, and after-hours review fees. Please see the Development Fee Schedule and/or the process description pages for further information.
After-hours review:
- $1,600/hour
- A deposit equal to one hour of review time must be paid at the time of confirmation (this must occur no less than five business days prior to the review or the appointment will be cancelled)
- If the appointment is cancelled three business days in advance or sooner, a cancellation fee of one half hour will be assessed. If cancelled thereafter, the deposit will be forfeited. If a client fails to show up for a scheduled review, the deposit will be forfeited and the applicant will be ineligible for future expedited review services for a period of one year
- No partial refunds will be made if the review takes less than one hour
- If the review lasts longer than one hour, the client will be billed in quarter-hour increments and the additional amount will be due immediately following the review
Submittal requirements:
Please see the submittal requirements for Infrastructure Construction Plans located on this web page. For CTR and after-hours review, the submittal requirements are due to the Scheduling Coordinator no less than five days in advance of the review. The Scheduling Coordinator will notify the client of such requirements based on the type of review.
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