Plan Submission Requirements

Page last updated on March 13, 2025 at 4:03 pm

Not sure if your project requires CBU review & approval?

See below for Project Submission Guidelines, Project Types & Definitions; or contact our office at: (812)339-1444 and ask to be transferred to the Engineering Department. You may also email us at: UtilitiesPlanReview@bloomington.in.gov

CONTENT INDEX:

Project Types for CBU's Review & Acceptance
Plan Submission Guidelines
Plan Review Correspondence & Communication
Plan Requirements & Design Manual
Plan Acceptance & Building Permit Release
PreConstruction Meeting Requirements
Contractor Quick Links
CBU Construction Specifications
CBU Standard Details
Inspector Contact Information
Site Inspections
Infrastructure Testing Guidelines
New Water/Sewer Services
Final Site Inspections & Correction of Deficiencies

PROJECT TYPES FOR CBU REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE:

New Construction - Water, Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater Infrastructure Installation
- Residential - Single Family, Multi-Family, Subdivision Development
- Commercial, Mixed-Use Development, Food Service, Medical/Dental Offices
- Manufacturing & Industrial Users

Remodels / Renovations / Site Improvements (existing locations only)
- Existing Commercial Locations, including new Tenant Build-outs, Interior and/or Exterior Improvements
- Existing Restaurants or Food Service Establishments (FSE's)
- Existing Residential Locations, including interior remodel and/or exterior improvements.
- Property Improvements & Non-Utility Related Improvements for any Location within CBU's Jurisdictional Service Area
  - Permanent or Semi-Permanent Structures: These projects include but are not limited to: Pools, Fences/Retaining Walls, Detached Garage, Out-buildings/Sheds, and Porch/Deck being built or installed within the Right-of-Way, Utility Easement, or within 10-ft of existing utilities.
  - Landscaping: These projects include but are not limited to: Landscaping or tree planting within the Right-of-Way, Utility Easement, or within 10-ft of existing utilities.
- Existing Manufacturing / Industrial Locations
- Existing Locations Requiring Updates for Building, Plumbing Code, or other Utility-related Compliance. This may also include: PreTreatment and/or Backflow Prevention Updates

Change of Ownership for Food Service Establishment Permit Renewals
- Food Service Establishments that have changed ownership, but do not have any remodel or use-type changes. A Utility Compliance Review will be conducted as part of the permit renewal process. Applicant must submit plumbing plans and a Compliance Review Application to CBU for review prior to CBU's sign off on the Building Department's FSR permit. Email the completed application and plumbing plans to our office at: UtilitiesPlanReview@bloomington.in.gov.

PLAN SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Complete the appropriate Project Submission Application for your project. Application forms are available on our FAQ page under the PLAN SUBMISSION PROCESS section.
Submit the correct application for your project type and the digital PDF files of all required plans and project documents to CBU via email at: UtilitiesPlanReview@bloomington.in.gov. A list of minimum requirements can be found below, and a more complete list is available in our Design Standards Manual.
Digital plans are to include the following features prior to submission:
- All sheets compiled into a single pdf document (do not submit separate sheets for an entire plan set)
- Page labels created (pages # and sheet type)
- Viewports removed
- Sheets scaled prior to submission
Note: The following items may result in a rejected submission.
- Failure to provide sufficient plans to complete a proper utility review.
- Failure to address issues previously noted as requiring revisions.
- Failure to provide required documentation for specific review types.

PLAN REVIEW CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATION:

Average plan review timeframe for the Review Team is 2-weeks. From the time of initial submission, check in & distribution, staff review, finalization, and issuance of the formal email response generally averages 3 weeks for the entire process of each round of reviews. Please plan your submission and permitting requirements with these timeframes in mind. Due to the vast quantity of project submissions and permit reviews, we do not honor requests for expedited reviews.
Review comments and plan mark-ups will be emailed to the applicant and all appropriate parties listed on the application form at the end of the review period.
Questions should be emailed to: UtilitiesPlanReview@bloomington.in.gov, or you may contact our office and request to speak to a staff member in the Engineering Department. Phone: 812-339-1444

PLAN REQUIREMENTS:

Refer to the complete list of required plan sheets and associated project documents under the PLAN SUBMISSION Section of our Design Standards Manual & Project Review Guidelines. If your project requires plumbing and/or landscaping plans, please refer to those sections as well.

Preliminary Design Submittals: If you are submitting plans to satisfy another department’s requirements and are not prepared for a full plan review, make notations as such on the Plan Review Application form along with any additional information that will identify the level of review required at this time.

Full Design Requirements: Please refer to the list of required items for submission of plans under the PLAN SUBMISSION Section of our Design Standards Manual & Project Review Guidelines. If your project requires plumbing and/or landscaping plans, please refer to those sections as well.

Plans are to include:

Title page with official Project Name, Site Address, Owner/Developer Contact Information, Index, and Location Maps
Project Name, Page Numbers, North Arrow (on all applicable sheets), and Firm's Project #
Demo Plan (if applicable)
Site Plan, Easements (existing & proposed), Summary Chart or Note for the Total Pervious & Impervious Areas (must include all items within the parcel, or parcels, for this project), and the Total Area of Earth Disturbance (if applicable, to the nearest tenth of an acre).
Utility Plan & Profiles, All Existing & Proposed Utilities, Applicable Utility & Contractor Notes, and Legends
Grading Plan, Erosion Control, SWPPP
Landscaping Plans (if applicable)
Plumbing Plans (if applicable, must include the incoming water supply, sanitary waste, and any grease waste lines for your projects)
All CBU Standard Details applicable to your project
Plans must be sealed (stamped) by the appropriate Engineer
Digital plans are to include the following features prior to submission:
- All sheets compiled into a single pdf document (do not submit separate sheets for an entire plan set)
- Page labels created (pages # and sheet type)
- Viewports removed
- Sheets scaled prior to submission

This list is not all inclusive, but gives a guideline of frequent documents that may be required as part of CBU's plan review:

Water Fixture Count
Water Model Report
Sewer Flow Calculations
IDEM Water and/or Sewer Permit Applications
Best Management Practices (BMP) Operation & Maintenance Manual
Erosion Control Estimate
Stormwater/Drainage Calculations
Stormwater Management Permit Application
Phasing Plan
Pretreatment Unit Specifications
Backflow Device Specifications
Easements & Associated Exhibits. The Recorded version(s) are required to be provided to CBU prior to Plan Acceptance.
Primary & Secondary Plats. The Recorded version(s) are required to be provided to CBU prior to Plan Acceptance.
Fireline Design Plans and/or Calculations
Lift Station & Force Main Design, Calculations, Manual, and Specifications
DWG file of the site plan with the appropriate base layers (this item is required at the end of a project as part of plan acceptance).

Plan Acceptance & Building Permit Release

Once all items have been sufficiently addressed, CBU will issue a formal notification email stating that the Plans are Acceptable for our design requirements. CBU's Full or Conditional Acceptance of Plans for any project does not constitute an approval from any other City or County agencies (i.e. Planning Department, Building Department, Health Department, or applicable Fire Department). All projects are subject to inspection and must meet the current CBU Design Manual Standards, CBU Construction Specifications, mandatory testing & reporting protocols, and all other applicable codes & requirements for the project.

If a Preconstruction meeting is required for a project, the Applicant, Developer, or Contractor must contact the Utilities Engineering Technician to schedule that meeting prior to any work beginning on site. Contact our office at:

Building Department permits will not receive CBU's sign off until the preconstruction meeting is held. Occasionally, there will be a Conditional Plan Acceptance and/or Permit Release given. Those conditions will be outlined within the formal email notification from CBU and on the permit portal as well and are binding. Any timelines provided are to be adhered to.

PreConstruction Meeting Requirements

The Contractor and/or Developer must contact CBU to schedule this meeting prior to the start of construction on-site. This meeting will be held at CBU with all parties present. CBU will request the completion and submission of our PreConstruction Meeting Questionnaire prior to the meeting. Scheduling will be done by the Engineering Utilities Technician; and we request that this be scheduled a minimum of 2-weeks in advance of any planned work on-site. Contact our office at: UtilitiesPlanReview@bloomington.in.gov or by calling 812-339-1444 or 812-349-3676. Contractor must bring a copy (hardcopy or digital version) of the final plans to the meeting to verify that we are working from the same plan set. Upon completion of this meeting, CBU will complete our sign off of any outstanding Building Department permits on your project. For more information about the Preconstruction Meeting, please visit this webpage for contractors.

CONTRACTOR QUICK LINKS:

GENERAL FAQ'S

CBU CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS and STANDARD DETAILS

CBU INSPECTOR CONTACT INFORMATION

EAST ZONE BOUNDARY: Indiana Ave and further East (Call David @ 812-325-3766)
CENTRAL ZONE BOUNDARY: Rogers St to Indiana Ave (Call Mike @ 812-325-9162)
WEST ZONE BOUNDARY: Rogers St and further West (Call Eric @ 812-327-5480)
PRETREATMENT: (Call Carson @ 812-369-6928)
BACKFLOW: (Call Matt @ 812-349-3633)
MS4 / SWPPP / EROSION CONTROL: (Call Cason @ 812-361-1227)

SITE INSPECTIONS

Construction Utility Infrastructure Inspections: Water, Sanitary Sewer, and Storm Sewer Installation
Infrastructure Testing Guidelines: Refer to the CBU Construction Specifications Section #4.5.8.
- Pressure Testing, Bacterial Testing, Exfiltration Testing, Deflection Testing, Force Main & Wet Well Testing
Sanitary Sewer and Storm Sewer TV Inspection Requirements: Refer to the CBU Construction Specifications Section: #4.5.8.1.1.6.
MS4/SWPPP/Title 13 Stormwater Management Inspections: Refer to the Title 13 Stormwater Ordinance 2024-08
- Erosion Control, SWPPP, BMP Devices, Detention, and CSGP permit requirements
Backflow Device Installation Inspection:
- The Contractor is to provide the Backflow Program Manager with a picture depicting installation for each device. Email photo and serial number to backflow@bloomington.in.gov.
- The device(s) must be tested upon installation and yearly thereafter by a registered cross-connection control device inspector. Refer to IAC 327-8-10-8 for more details.
- All test results must be submitted to TrackMyBackflow.com within 30-days of each test. Backflow device testing and installation requirements can be found on our website at: https://bloomington.in.gov/utilities/backflow/testing.
PreTreatment Unit Installation Inspection:
- Internal Grease Trap: Contractor to contact CBU's Pretreatment Inspector to schedule a pretreatment equipment installation inspection once the unit has been installed and plumbed but prior to covering any plumbing pipes that run to/away from the unit.
- External Grease Interceptor: Contractor to contact CBU's Pretreatment Inspector to schedule a pretreatment equipment installation inspection once the unit has been installed and plumbed but prior to covering the unit and the associated plumbing that runs to/away from the unit.
- External Oil-Water Separator:
  - Units that are connected to the Sanitary Sewer: Contractor to contact CBU's Pretreatment Inspector to schedule a pretreatment equipment installation inspection once the unit has been installed and plumbed but prior to covering the unit and the associated plumbing that runs to/away from the unit.
  - Units that are connected to the Storm Sewer: Contractor to contact the appropriate MS4 Inspector to schedule an equipment installation inspection once the unit has been installed and plumbed bu prior to covering the unit and the associated plumbing that runs to/away from the unit.
    - Storm is within CBU's stormwater jurisdiction, contact CBU's MS4 Inspector
    - Storm is outside of CBU's stormwater jurisdiction, contact Monroe County's MS4 Inspector.
- Other Pretreatment Devices such as an Amalgam Separator, pH Neutralizing Device, etc: Contractor to contact CBU's Pretreatment Inspector to schedule a pretreatment equipment installation inspection once the unit has been installed and plumbed but prior to covering the unit and the associated plumbing that runs to/away from the unit.

NEW WATER & SEWER SERVICES

Please visit our Forms & FAQ's page to access the appropriate application for your project. For more information about Taps, Service Installation Guidelines, Estimated Fees, and Meter Release, please refer to our webpage for contractors.