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NoVA & DC Plumbing Map

Sheet 8 of 18 · City of Alexandria

Old Town Alexandria: combined sewer and BAR review

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Old Town is the part of Alexandria still served by a combined sewer, its sewer laterals split at July 1, 1955, and reviewable work needs Board of Architectural Review approval ahead of the permit.

Sheet revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map

Painted brick townhouses at Cameron and North Fairfax Streets in Old Town
Cameron Street at North Fairfax Street in Old Town Alexandria.
Who does what here
WaterVirginia American Water for the main and curb stop source
SewerCity sewers; owner's lateral share depends on install date source
PermitsCity Permit Center, after any BAR approval source
LicensingVirginia DPOR source
Lead pipesAsk the water company about its records source

The combined sewer

The city says its combined system dates to the 1800s and covers about 540 acres in the Old Town area. In wet weather it discharges through one of four outfalls. Backups here can happen because the combined pipe is full. Elsewhere in the city sanitary and storm pipes are separate. The state passed a law in 2017 requiring the outfalls to be fixed by July 1, 2026, and AlexRenew is building a tunnel system under its RiverRenew program. We could not confirm completion.

The city is also separating some sanitary sewers from the combined system: N Pitt Street is finished, N Columbus Street was due to finish in April 2026, and others are in design. Upsizing projects target blocks with repeated backups, among them N Alfred, Wolfe and Madison. The Old Town North rehabilitation was due to enter design in spring 2026, with construction anticipated to begin in spring 2027, and a lateral rehabilitation project is listed as planned.

White-painted Moses Hepburn Rowhouses on North Pitt Street behind parked cars
The Moses Hepburn Rowhouses on North Pitt Street, Old Town Alexandria.

The 1955 rule

Alexandria's sewer page says a lateral installed before July 1, 1955 is the owner's to maintain from the curb to the property. For laterals installed on or after that date, the owner maintains everything from the building to the main. A city newsletter from August 2025 describes the city as responsible for pre-1955 laterals from the curb to the main. We cannot tell you which date applies to your line; the city's records can. Stormwater laterals are the owner's. See sewer lateral repair.

BAR before permits

Old and Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray are the city's two BAR districts. Per the city's letter, a reviewable job needs BAR approval first, ahead of any permit. Reviewable work includes anything visible from the public right-of-way, down to minor items such as vents. Administrative approval is possible. Details are in historic district limits.

Backflow help

The city's Backflow Preventer Assistance reimburses up to 50 percent, to a maximum of $2,000, for a licensed plumbing contractor's installation, and you must apply first. The page was updated April 2, 2026. See backwater valves.

What the map can't tell you

  • Which side of the 1955 line your lateral falls on.
  • Whether your block is on the combined sewer.
  • Whether a project in the list above will reach your street before you repair.
  • Whether a vent or meter box on a street face needs BAR review; that is a call for city staff.

Check your own address

  1. Ask the City of Alexandria's sewer staff, through Alex311, when your lateral was installed.
  2. Ask the city, again through Alex311, whether your job is BAR-reviewable, before you apply for a permit.
  3. Apply for backflow assistance before the plumber starts.
  4. If the home may be pre-1970 and a downspout enters the ground, ask the city whether it connects to the sanitary sewer.
  5. Call 811 before a dig.

More on checking an address

Survey notes: sources for this page