Engineering Department

Department Information

Helpful Information

Statement:  The Engineering Division's charges, duties and responsibilities encompass a broad range of tasks and functions that are performed both independently and cooperatively with many of the other divisions and departments of the City. These activities include but are not limited to the following:

• Have charge and custody of all maps, plans and surveys of all right-of-ways, sidewalks, bridges, landings, sanitary sewers, storm water drains, dams, reservoirs and other public land, works and structures.
• Assign all street numbers (addresses) to all dwellings, tenements and buildings in the City.
• Prepare and file record of all sidewalk and sanitary sewer assessment data.
• Prepare or review and approve all plans to construct, extend or connect to the municipal sanitary sewer or storm water drain system.
• Issue Trench Permits for any proposed trench to be opened within the City (this includes all private and public property).
• Issue Right-Of-Way Permits for proposed construction activities within public Right-Of-Ways. The Right-Of-Way & Trench Permit Manual is currently being updated. Here is the Permit Manual which contains relative valuable information.
• Issue permits to construct, repair, extend or connect to the municipal sanitary sewer or storm water drain system per approved plans. The required permit will only be issued to an individual who is officially approved and licensed by the City. The list of Licensed And Bonded Drainlayers is available in the Engineering office. Please view our Drainlayer's Information page for additional forms and information.
• Prepare or review and approve all plans to construct, extend or improve a roadway or sidewalk or install utilities within any right-of-way.
• Review all proposed subdivision, special permit, and site plans relative to engineering design and City standards and requirements. We additionally review all plans that are submitted for Conservation Commission approval, again relative to engineering design and City standards and requirements.
• A site plan is required for all commercial or industrial projects, including renovation to an existing building; for all new residential dwellings; and for renovation of a residential dwelling when the number of units is to be increased or decreased and/or municipal utilities are to be changed. The Development Review Filing Process And Application is available on-line.
• Perform all necessary field investigations required for associated plan reviews and inspections for all sanitary sewer and storm drain main installation and service connections.
• Perform survey, drafting and design plus prepare contract plans and specifications for many of the public sewer, drain, sidewalk, parking lot, landscape and intersection improvement projects through-out the City.
• Perform inspection of contracted projects and clerk-of-works duties for construction activities of the approved subdivisions.

Direct services that are available to the public include but are not limited to the following:

• You can obtain a copy of your property parcel (plot plan). (There is a charge for reproduction costs.)
• You can obtain or verify your legal street number (address).
• You can obtain floodplain, flood zone and flood elevations information. (There is a charge for reproduction costs.)
• You can obtain data relative to the location of your sanitary sewer service connection. There is a charge for Sewer and Drain permits.
• You can obtain a copy of the Licensed And Bonded Drainlayers list to select and hire a drainlayer to secure a permit to install a new or repair an existing sanitary sewer or drain service.
• When you are going to construct a new or make additions, repairs or renovations to a building, dwelling or structure, you will need to secure a building permit from the Building Inspector. The first step to this process is to obtain a "Building Permit Plot Plan" from the Engineering office. (There is a charge for the Building Permit Plot Plan.)
• You can obtain a copy of any of the maps (street map, zoning map, ward and precinct map, etc.) or plans (land survey plan, subdivision plan, right-of-way layout and utility plan, etc.) on file. (There is a charge for reproduction costs.)

Relative to Floodplain, Flood Zone and Flood Map – we assist the public as follows:

• Help with whether a site is in or out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), as
  shown on the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Haverhill.
• Provide additional flood insurance data for a site such as the FIRM Zone, Base Flood
  Elevation (BFE) or floodway, if shown on the FIRM.
• Produce copy of Elevation Certificate, if available.
• Additional Flood Map Information can be found via the following links:
  • National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) – FloodSmart
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)
• Merrimack River Gauge Data at Haverhill
  • NOAA National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service
  • USGS Station Number 01100693