Repiping in Arvada, CO

Is my Arvada house old enough to need it?

Possibly. Arvada grew quickly after World War II from its farming past, and census survey data puts about 52.5% of its homes before 1980. In that group, original supply pipe has often been in the walls for well over 40 years. Galvanized steel narrows from rust inside, and older copper can thin and develop pinholes. Homes around Olde Town Arvada and the postwar streets near Wadsworth and Ralston Road are the likeliest candidates. A house from the 1990s or later usually does not need a full repipe unless one material or fitting type keeps failing.

Does the city's service line program replace my pipes?

Not inside the house. The City of Arvada owns the water service line from the main to the meter pit, and you own the line from the meter pit to the foundation. Lead and pre-1960 galvanized service lines are prohibited in Arvada's system, and the city runs a Service Line Inventory and Replacement Program to find and replace remaining customer-owned lines of those types. The inventory has found mostly copper and no lead lines. The program explicitly leaves out internal plumbing, so pipes in your walls and floors are a separate job. If your service line is listed as unknown, the city asks owners to get in touch.

Arvada water is fairly soft, with the city reporting average hardness near 43 ppm from the Ralston plant and 65 ppm from the Arvada plant, so heavy scale is rarely what drives a repipe here. Age and material usually are.

What permits and contractor rules apply?

City of Arvada Building Services handles plumbing permits and inspections at 8101 Ralston Road, and contractors with an active City of Arvada license apply online through Arvada Permits. Water or sewer service installation or repair also needs a city permit. Any work in the public right-of-way requires a separate General Municipal Contractor's license, while plumbing license holders may pull permits only for work on private property. A plumber should know which applies before quoting yard work.

A note on Arvada districts

Most Arvada addresses get water from the city, but some areas inside city limits are served by other districts, including Ralston Valley, Valley Water, North Table Mountain, Consolidated Mutual and Denver Water. If you are in one of those, the meter-pit ownership rule above may differ, so check your water bill first.