Plumbers in Laurel, MD

A mill town between two cities

Laurel grew up as a Patuxent River mill town, incorporated in 1870 and again in 1890, and became one of the early commuter towns between Washington and Baltimore. The city is about 16 miles from downtown Washington in a straight line. US 1, MD 198, I-95 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway all pass through or beside it, and the Main Street Historic District, Laurel Lakes and the Laurel Park racecourse are the familiar landmarks. The city built its first sewer system in 1912, about 12 miles of line, which shows how long pipes have been in the ground in the old core.

City limits versus the Laurel address

A Laurel mailing address does not always mean the City of Laurel. The postal area also covers unincorporated West Laurel and South Laurel in Prince George's County, North Laurel in Howard County and Maryland City in Anne Arundel County. Outside city limits, building permits come from the county you are in, and in the Howard and Anne Arundel parts the water utility and gas company can differ, so check your bills before you call.

Water and sewer

Within the city, WSSC Water supplies water and runs the sewers. Its water comes from the Potomac River and from the Patuxent River reservoirs, Triadelphia and T. Howard Duckett. WSSC disinfects with chlorine, uses UV disinfection at its filtration plants and adds orthophosphate to coat pipe interiors. Its report gives no hardness figure for your tap. WSSC says it has removed all known lead pipes from its distribution system and publishes a map of service line materials, including on private property, at wsscwater.com/LCR-map. Water or sewer emergencies go to 301-206-4002 at any hour.

Permits in Laurel

The City of Laurel's Department of the Fire Marshal and Permit Services, at 8103 Sandy Spring Road, issues building permits, but its checklist says the city does not review or inspect plumbing. Plumbing permits go directly to WSSC Water Permit Services, 301-206-4003. In Prince George's County, swapping existing fixtures generally needs no permit, but water heater replacements and testable backflow devices do. Water and sewer service line repairs and gas water heater replacements must be done by a plumber or gasfitter holding a WSSC license.

Testable backflow assemblies, including residential fire sprinkler double checks, in-ground irrigation devices and those on chemically treated boilers, must be tested every year and after installation, repair or relocation by a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician.

Gas: Laurel is BGE territory

Unlike most of Prince George's County, the City of Laurel lists Baltimore Gas and Electric as its gas utility. If you smell gas, leave the house right away, then call BGE at 877.778.7798 or 911 from outside. Homes outside the city should go by the company on their own gas bill.

What is different from the District

In Washington, DC Water and Washington Gas cover the whole city. In Laurel, a different gas company, a city permit office that does not touch plumbing, and an address that may cross county lines all change who a plumber deals with. When you call, say whether you are inside city limits, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who sets the price and schedule with you.