Plumbers in Manassas, VA

An independent city with its own utilities

Manassas has been an independent city since 1975. It remains the seat of Prince William County but is a separate jurisdiction, with 42,772 residents in the 2020 Census and a location about 27 miles from downtown Washington in a straight line. Its historic Old Town, railroad and Civil War heritage, the Manassas VRE and Amtrak station, Manassas Regional Airport and a large tech employer base led by Micron define it, along with Route 28, Route 234 and Portner Avenue. Some Manassas mailing addresses fall outside city limits in Prince William County, and those follow county rules and may have a different water provider.

Lake Manassas water, and it is softer

The City of Manassas runs water, sewer and electric service. Its drinking water comes mainly from Lake Manassas, an impoundment on Broad Run, treated at the city plant; Prince William Water supplies extra water treated at Fairfax Water's Corbalis plant during peak demand or emergencies. The city disinfects with chlorine. The city's water quality report lists total hardness around 47 ppm, noticeably softer than most neighboring systems, so scale is less of a factor here and softeners are seldom the first fix for a fixture problem.

The city has completed a service line material inventory, published online, and its Water and Sewer department has a page on lead pipes. Customer service is 703-257-8219 on weekdays; the city's after-hours utility emergency line, 703-257-8353, covers water, sewer and electric problems.

Sewer and backflow

City sewer service comes from the same Water and Sewer department, which also runs a cross-connection program for backflow devices. If a drain backs up, the after-hours line can check the city side; a clog or break in your own line is a job for a plumber.

Gas is Columbia Gas here

Manassas is Columbia Gas of Virginia territory, not Washington Gas. If you smell gas, get outside first, then call 911 and Columbia Gas of Virginia at 1-800-544-5606. The city's 703-257-8353 line is for city electric, water and sewer, not gas.

Permits and housing

Inside city limits, the City of Manassas Development Services office at City Hall, 9027 Center Street (703-257-8200), issues building permits for equipment regulated under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, with a self-service online portal. Addresses outside the city go to Prince William County. The median home in the city was built around 1985, with older houses in and around Old Town.

Manassas versus the District

DC homes buy Potomac River water from DC Water and gas from Washington Gas. Manassas homes use softer lake water from the city and gas from Columbia Gas, and they get permits at City Hall. Call with your street and the problem, and you will be connected with an independent plumber who sets price and timing with you.