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Leander staff outline microtrenching permit details and limits as option for fiber expansion
Summary
City public works staff updated council on proposed microtrenching standards for fiber installation, describing typical trench size, materials and limits and a draft schedule for ordinance hearings and engineering details.
Leander public works staff on May 1 briefed the City Council on proposed permitting and technical specifications the city would use to allow microtrenching — a narrow trenching technique for installing fiber-optic lines — and the schedule for adopting related ordinance and subdivision-code updates.
Robin Lisonbee, Executive Director of Public Works, described microtrenching as a method that places “the small trench along the gutter line, lay the fibre in it, put some flowable fill, and then, yeah, move on,” and said typical trenches would be about 2½ inches wide and 10–18 inches deep depending on road class. Lisonbee said the engineering team has prepared standard details showing curb and behind-curb installations, vault locations and splice points for service to individual homes, and is considering a curb “marker” to indicate buried fiber.
The update said staff would present the draft ordinance to the Planning and Zoning Commission and hold two council hearings in June. Proposed technical limits include a maximum trench width of about 2.5 inches, 1,000–1,200 psi flowable fill, a two‑year warranty obligation on streets where microtrenching is allowed, a required top crack-seal and a prohibition on perpendicular trenches. New subdivisions, streets still under a two‑year warranty period, streets without curb and concrete streets would be ineligible; staff said many new subdivisions already have fiber installed and the practical target for microtrenching is older neighborhoods.
Council members asked how permit priority and timing would work if multiple companies wanted to serve the same neighborhood. Lisonbee said permits would be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and that carriers must extend an existing system into a subdivision rather than place isolated runs. Council also asked whether permits expire; staff confirmed permits have time limits so one company cannot reserve sites indefinitely. Lisonbee said staff will check spacing practices used by Austin for curb markers and return with the final ordinance and details.
Council did not take action at the briefing workshop; staff will return the draft ordinance and standard details for formal hearings in the coming weeks.
