The Engineering Department reviews plans for private roads and parking lots, and conducts spot inspections during the construction to ensure that they meet local and State guidelines.

The following describes the basic process of approving on-site water & sewer systems (for projects such as subdivisions and planned unit development), and dedicating those lines to the county.

1. A private engineering firm provides detailed drawings and specifications for the desired water & sewer lines to the Engineering Department for review and approval. (These plans also include stormwater management plan, erosion control plan.)
2. During construction, a Brunswick County Engineering Field Inspector conducts spot inspections of the project to ensure that lines are being laid according to plans and specifications approved by Brunswick County and the State, and in accordance with the Brunswick County Zoning Ordinance and Partial Development Code. If the Engineering Field Inspector detects a problem in installation, the private engineering firm is notified and given an opportunity to correct the problem. (All water and sewer lines must be installed by a licensed North Carolina utilities contractor.)
3. The contractor notifies the Public Utility Department when all lines have been installed and are ready for testing. In order to receive aNotice Of Substantial Completion from the Engineering Department, all lines must be put in the ground by the contractor; and the main county water line tapped*, a pressure check conducted by the Public Utilities Department; and bacteriological tests completed. (Bacteriological tests must be performed by a private, North Carolina licensed laboratory. Original test samples must be turned in to and reviewed by the Public Utilities Department before aNotice Of Substantial Completion is issued.) Substantial completion
   
   * For a commercial water line, the owner must hire a private, licensed North Carolina Utilities Contractor to tap the county's main water line. (Subject to county inspection.)
   Subdivision water lines are tapped by the Brunswick County Public Utilities Department. may occur before roads and ditches are complete, and landscaping has been added. At this point, construction of houses and other buildings to the subdivision or planned development can begin. After roadwork and landscaping are complete, the contractor notifies the Public Utilities and Engineering departments, and a final inspection is conducted.
4. The owner then dedicates the water and sewer lines to the county, the necessary documents are forwarded to the County Attorney for review. If approved by the County Attorney, the documents are submitted to the Brunswick County Board Of Commissioners for approval. Once approved, the County Attorney records theDeed And Dedication with the Register Of Deeds office. The county now owns the waterlines and is responsible for the maintenance and repairs.

NOTE: Impact fees for water service for subdivisions and commercial projects are calculated in the Engineering Department (for payment by the owner) and forwarded to the Public Utilities Department for collection information.

All subdivisions plans for stormwater drainage are forwarded from the Planning Department to the Engineering Department for review. A Technical Review Meeting is held once a month to review all plans that have been submitted during this monthly time frame. Representatives from Engineering, Planning, North Carolina Department Of Transportation (NCDOT), local utilities companies, and the development owners are present for these review meetings. During construction of the subdivisions, spot inspections are made to ensure that private roads and stormwater drainage systems are being constructed to county and state standards.