(832) 576-3278Schedule a Quote

Commercial Site Work

Storm Sewer
in Houston, TX

Storm sewer installation for commercial sites, subdivisions and plant expansions across Greater Houston. RCP, box sewer, inlets and manholes laid to your approved plans and ready for City TV inspection.

Get a Free Estimate
Crew setting concrete storm pipe inside a steel trench box on a Houston site
23Years on Houston Ground
1Superintendent Per Job
$2MGeneral Liability
98%Repeat & Referral

Service Overview

Storm Sewer Installation Built to City Spec

About 52 inches of rain falls on Houston in a normal year, and the flat clay here soaks up very little of it. A commercial site in Houston has to pipe its storm water to the street or a Flood Control ditch. Storm sewer installation is the trenching, pipe, inlets and manholes that move that water away. Jimenes Construction self-performs that work as a storm sewer contractor, with its own operators and pipe crew under a single superintendent. We build to your engineer's sealed plans across Greater Houston, from inside the Loop to plant sites along the Ship Channel.

We build the full system: RCP mains and inlet leads, precast box sewer, curb and area inlets, manholes and junction boxes, and outfalls with headwalls. We tie new lines into the City storm sewer and match them to your detention pond outlet. Our crews can lay your water and sanitary lines on the same job, with the City's required clearance from the storm pipe. The civil engineer of record sizes the pipe and sets the grades. We build the system to those plans. City rules the plans follow: pipe sized for at least the 2-year storm, and a 24-inch minimum for mains and inlet leads. Manholes go at every size or grade change and at least every 700 feet.

Houston ground makes the work hard. Most of the city sits on Beaumont clay that drains slowly, and water often sits close to the surface. Deep trenches fill fast, so we run pumps and set a trench box to keep the cut safe and dry. Pipe sits on compacted bedding with no voids, bells face upstream, and grade is shot with a laser. Nothing is backfilled until the inspector signs off the pipe in the trench. After that the line is TV-inspected, and plastic pipe is mandrel-tested, before the City accepts it. Paving comes once the storm system is in, so we hand off a clean subgrade for parking lot paving.

Storm Sewer at a Glance

  • Self-performed pipe crews and operators
  • Built to IDM Chapter 9 and City specs
  • RCP Class III with gasketed joints
  • Laser-set line and grade
  • TV inspection coordinated before acceptance
  • City and HCFCD permits and notices tracked

Coverage

Storm Sewer Services We Self-Perform

Six parts of a storm system, built by one crew under one superintendent.

RCP Storm Mains & Leads

Reinforced concrete pipe, Class III with rubber-gasket joints, from 24-inch inlet leads up to large trunk lines, laid to plan flowlines.

Precast Box Sewers & Box Culverts

Precast box sections set tongue downstream and sealed at every joint, for storm flows too big for round pipe.

Curb Inlets, Area Drains & Catch Basins

City standard curb inlets on streets, plus area drains and catch basins in parking lots and truck courts.

Manholes & Junction Boxes

Precast or cast-in-place structures at size changes, grade changes and pipe intersections, with frames and covers set to finished grade.

Outfalls to Ditches & Flood Control Channels

Outfall pipe, headwalls and erosion protection into roadside ditches, detention ponds and HCFCD channels, with flowlines checked before we set pipe.

HDPE Pipe & Private Site Systems

Dual-wall HDPE or PP storm pipe where the engineer and the owning agency allow it. Cover depth comes off the plans, and a mandrel test follows backfill.

Our Process

Our Storm Sewer Installation Process

Five steps take a storm line from sealed plans to City acceptance. Call (832) 576-3278 to put your storm sewer on our schedule.

  1. 01

    Plans, Permits & Submittals

    We price from the sealed plans, then line up City storm sewer and street cut permits, HCFCD notices and pipe submittals before we mobilize.

  2. 02

    Locates, Layout & Dewatering

    We call the 811 ticket, stake flowlines and structures from the surveyor's control, and stage pumps and a trench box for wet clay.

  3. 03

    Trench, Bed & Lay Pipe

    We start at the downstream end. Bedding is compacted with no voids, bells face upstream, grade is held by laser, and open ends are plugged each night.

  4. 04

    Structures, Tie-Ins & Outfall

    Manholes, junction boxes and inlets go in, leads connect square to the wall, and the outfall flowline is checked against the channel.

  5. 05

    Inspect, Backfill & TV

    The inspector signs off the pipe in the trench, we backfill in compacted lifts, then the line is TV-inspected and mandrel-tested for acceptance.

Timeline

How Long Does Storm Sewer Installation Take?

Planning ranges from mobilization to City acceptance, based on common storm sewer scopes.

Project TypeTypical ScopeDuration
Single inlet or tie-in to a City line1 structure, under 100 ft2 - 5 Days
Retail pad or small parking lot300 - 800 ft, 4 - 8 inlets1 - 3 Weeks
Warehouse or truck court1,000 - 3,000 ft, box and RCP3 - 6 Weeks
Subdivision sectionStreets, leads and manholes4 - 8 Weeks
Outfall into an HCFCD channelPipe, headwall, slope repair1 - 2 Weeks on site

Engineering & Compliance

Pipe, Structures & Code Compliance

A storm line in Houston is judged twice: by the inspector in the trench, and by the camera after backfill.

City Design Rules (IDM Ch. 9)

  • Pipe sized for at least the 2-year storm
  • 24-inch minimum mains and inlet leads
  • Manholes at changes and every 700 feet
  • 4 feet side, 2 feet vertical utility clearance

Pipe & Joints

  • RCP to ASTM C 76, Class III
  • Rubber-gasket joints for storm sewer
  • Box sections sealed at every joint
  • Plastic pipe changes material only in a structure

Bedding & Backfill

  • Compacted bedding with no voids
  • Cement-stabilized sand where plans call for it
  • Same-day embedment in wet trenches
  • Backfill only after pipe inspection

Inspection & Acceptance

  • 48-hour notice to City and HCFCD inspectors
  • TV inspection joint by joint
  • Mandrel test, 5 percent max deflection
  • Watertight joints and manhole connections

Why Jimenes

Why Builders Keep
Calling Us Back

One Crew, Trench to Tie-In

Storm jobs slip when excavation, pipe and structures are split among subs and nobody owns the grade. Our operators and pipe crew do all of it under one superintendent.

Built to Pass the Camera

A sag, an open joint or debris on the TV run sends a crew back to dig up buried pipe. We hold grade with a laser, keep bells upstream, plug open ends, and get the inspector's sign-off before backfill.

Permits and Notices Handled

Miss a 48-hour notice to the City or HCFCD and the work can be forced back open, which holds up the CO. We track the permits and call inspectors before each stage.

Line-Item Bids

Pipe by the linear foot and size, each manhole, inlet and junction box, the outfall, dewatering and trench safety all on their own lines. Any change is priced and signed off before the crew digs it.

Credentials

Insurance, Warranty & Sign-Off

Texas has no state license for building storm sewer. What a GC or owner can check is coverage, permits and sign-offs. Our bid package carries the insurance certificate and past inspection records.

Permitted & Inspected City of Houston and Harris County
General Liability $2M per occurrence
Workers’ Comp Full crew coverage
Warranty 1-yr workmanship

Where We Work

Our Service Area

Headquartered in Houston and building storm sewer from inside the Loop to new industrial parks along the Grand Parkway and the Ship Channel. If you searched for a storm sewer contractor near you, these are the cities our crews work in most.

Do not see your town? Call us, we travel for the right project.Check Your Address

Good Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Holding a set of storm sheets with open questions? Ring the superintendent who would lay the pipe and see it through City acceptance.

Talk to a Builder
(832) 576-3278
What type of pipe is used for storm sewers in Houston?

On City public work, reinforced concrete pipe is the standard. It is ASTM C 76, Class III, with rubber-gasket joints. Precast box sewer carries the biggest flows. Plastic pipe is allowed only in set cases.

  • RCP and precast box for most mains, leads and crossings.
  • HDPE only where the storm sewer serves a local street.
  • HDPE and PP from 24 to 48 inches in City right-of-way.
  • PVC kept out of City right-of-way, apart from small home lot drains.
On a private site, the engineer of record picks the material under the plumbing code, and many follow the City manual. Plastic pipe gets the cover shown on the plans and a mandrel test. Our crews can also lay your water and sanitary lines on the same job.

What size storm sewer pipe does the City of Houston require?

The City sets a 24-inch minimum inside diameter for storm sewer mains and inlet leads. Box culverts start at 3 feet by 2 feet. The pipe is sized for at least the 2-year storm, with the water level staying below the gutter. Smaller pipe is allowed only in narrow cases, such as a 12-inch private lead into the back of a curb inlet. Your civil engineer sets the actual sizes on the sealed plans, and we build to them.

How much does storm sewer installation cost?

We price storm sewer from the plans, so we do not quote a per-foot number sight unseen. A short tie-in and a full subdivision run price very differently. These drivers move the storm sewer installation cost:

  • Pipe size and material, and depth of cut.
  • Groundwater and dewatering in wet clay.
  • Number of manholes, inlets and junction boxes.
  • Tie-in or outfall work, plus pavement cut and repair.
  • Permits, inspection and precast lead times.
We bid it by the linear foot plus each structure as its own line. Deep, wet trenches also carry trench shoring as a separate item. Send your civil sheets for a written bid.

Is a storm sewer the same as a sanitary sewer?

No. A storm sewer carries rain runoff to ditches, bayous and Flood Control channels, untreated. A sanitary sewer carries waste to a treatment plant. The two systems stay separate by code. The City also wants clearance between the storm line and other utilities, 4 feet to the side and 2 feet vertical. Keeping them apart is part of how the plans get approved.

What permits and inspections does a storm sewer tie-in need in Houston?

Connecting a site to a City storm sewer takes a City Storm Sewer Permit. The application needs a street cut permit and one approved plan set less than a year old. Building new storm sewer in City right-of-way takes its own City permit.

  • Inspections are booked with the assigned City inspector at least 48 hours ahead.
  • A curb inlet takes only one private connection, made to the back of the inlet.
  • Leads cannot enter the front face or the short sides of the inlet.
Before the City accepts the line, it is TV-inspected and, on plastic pipe, mandrel-tested. We track the permits and book the inspections.

Can my site's storm sewer outfall into a Harris County Flood Control ditch?

Often yes, with HCFCD review. Where the pipe empties into a Flood Control channel, the City manual defers to HCFCD outfall standards. The process runs like this:

  • An HCFCD right-of-way permit through Harris County e-Permits.
  • A 48-hour notice to HCFCD inspectors before work starts.
  • Flowlines verified before the outfall goes in.
  • A final HCFCD inspection requested by your engineer.
Approval can take months, so we schedule the outfall around it. The detention pond that feeds the outfall is built to the same plans.

Laid. Inspected. Accepted.

Let's Set Your Storm Seweron Plan Grade.

Email the storm sheets and bid date. You get a line-item bid for pipe, structures and outfall, from the first trench to the final TV run.

Get a Free EstimateOR CALL (832) 576-3278
Jimenes Construction truck