Commercial Plumbing in Sanford, NC

Who provides water and sewer to a Sanford business now?

TriRiver Water, formerly City of Sanford Public Utilities, became the water and wastewater provider for Sanford and Pittsboro on July 1, 2024; Siler City and most of Chatham County joined a year later. Customer service is at 225 E. Weatherspoon St. (919-775-8215). Water comes from the Cape Fear River, and wastewater is treated at the Big Buffalo plant, about 12 MGD, which discharges to the Deep River. A water filtration expansion from 12 to 30 MGD, with granular activated carbon filters, is expected to finish in 2028.

In August 2026, TriRiver issued a boil water advisory for the Oakleaf Road area after a total coliform detection and lifted it after clear tests. If an advisory affects your area, follow TriRiver's notice; restaurants and clinics should also follow any health department guidance that applies.

Who issues commercial plumbing permits?

The City of Sanford / Lee County Inspections Division serves Sanford, Broadway and Lee County, with applications through the CSS Portal (919-718-4654). The plumber usually pulls the permit for remodels, added fixtures and water heater replacements.

What do older Sanford buildings tend to need?

Sanford is the Lee County seat and a longtime railroad and industrial city known as the "Brick Capital of the USA." About 44% of homes were built before 1980, and the Downtown Sanford Historic District, Hawkins Avenue (US 1) and Horner Boulevard (US 421) have plenty of older commercial buildings. That means aging drain lines, past repairs of mixed materials and supply piping that may be near the end of its life. TriRiver is also running a lead service line identification effort with a neighborhood status lookup, which is worth checking for an older property.

Backflow requirements weren't found on TriRiver's public pages in our research. If your building has a fire line, irrigation or a process connection, ask TriRiver what assembly and test schedule apply.

A note on gas

Natural gas exists in Lee County, but our research didn't confirm which utility serves a given address. If anyone smells gas, leave the building and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.