Independent systems. Separate approvals.

Write down the system you actually intend.

Choose a clear description: a home with no electric utility connection; a connected home with solar; or a connected home that can power selected loads during an outage. List water pumping, wastewater equipment, refrigeration, heating, cooling and any other loads that are essential to your plan.

The Department of Energy explains that a microgrid can operate independently, while many solar installations disconnect when they detect a grid outage. Solar panels alone therefore do not establish that a particular house can operate during an outage. Ask the designer to document the intended operation and equipment. Source: DOE, distributed energy resources and microgrids.

Resolve four questions independently.

1. Building and occupancy: ask which electrical, mechanical, plumbing, battery, fuel and fire reviews apply to the proposed equipment, and what final documents are needed to inhabit the dwelling.
2. Connection duties: request the exact provision governing electricity, public water and public sewer for the property. Obtain an answer for each service and for both initial occupancy and later changes.
3. Service terms: if a connection will remain, ask the provider about interconnection, backup operation, metering and disconnection procedures for your design.
4. Charges: obtain the applicable tariff, rate schedule and assessment information. Ask which amounts depend on consumption and which, if any, remain when consumption is zero.

These are questions to resolve, not a claim that every listed approval or charge exists everywhere. Keep the response from the building office separate from the response from the utility: each needs to address the part it administers.

Arizona example: Phoenix sewer availability matters.

Phoenix’s 2026 Water and Wastewater Design Standards Manual explains the city’s restrictions on private sewage systems and the limited circumstances in which they may be used. It quotes City Code §28-26: where a public sewer becomes available for connection, the building must stop using its private sewage disposal system and connect. Section V.G also sets out exceptions for new systems and conditions for existing systems to remain.

The practical step is to request a Water Services determination of sewer availability and the applicable exception, if any, before relying on septic. A state wastewater pathway does not settle this municipal question. This example covers Phoenix’s stated jurisdiction and service rules; it is not a rule for all Arizona land. Source: Phoenix 2026 manual, §V.G, printed pages 72–73 (PDF). The city’s manual index also provides implementation guidance.

Texas example: municipal sewer authority is explicit.

Texas Local Government Code §214.013 authorizes a municipality to provide a sewer system and require owners to connect. It also authorizes specified enforcement measures when an owner does not connect. This establishes municipal authority; it does not tell us whether a particular municipality has imposed a requirement on a particular lot.

Request the local ordinance, its applicability to the parcel and any available exception. Do not treat eligibility for an onsite-sewage permit exemption as proof that a separate sewer connection duty is absent. Source: Texas Local Government Code §214.013.

Send one precise request.

I am investigating parcel [number], at [location], for [dwelling and occupancy]. The proposed systems are [electricity, water, wastewater and heating]. Please identify the requirements your office administers, the current code or tariff sections, any mandatory connections or continuing charges, the permit and inspection sequence, and the evidence needed for an exception. Please distinguish what applies now from what would change if public service became available later.

Attach a basic site plan and equipment description. Save the reply with the respondent’s office, date, cited provision and the facts supplied. An informal response can guide an application; ask whether a formal determination or permit is needed before committing money.

Budget for the operating plan.

Ask a qualified designer for seasonal demand and supply estimates, usable storage, backup operation and equipment replacement assumptions. Request separate quotes for installation, access, ongoing service and eventual replacement. Compare those figures with any available utility extension offer using the same household needs and time period.

For heating and fuel, ask the relevant building or fire office to identify equipment, storage, venting and inspection requirements for the proposed installation. Use the installer’s design and the applicable authority’s requirements to resolve the details.

What a complete utility file contains

• A defined operating mode and a design matched to the household.
• Written permit, inspection and occupancy requirements.
• Separate water, sewer and electricity applicability decisions.
• Current fee schedules, tariffs, estimates and any recorded service obligations.
• A maintenance, replacement and backup plan.

Use the power and utility checklist →

Arizona guide · Texas guide · Research method · Report a correction