Editorial Policy

The Utility Cost Guide research team writes pages from cited source documents and labeled planning benchmarks. Advertisers and contractors do not choose the fees, estimates, or conclusions we publish.

How pages are prepared

We collect official utility and government documents, record each fee’s scope and date, and link to the source. We explain assumptions where a calculator uses a national estimate. Drafts may be prepared with AI tools; every figure is checked against its cited source before publication. We do not invent local fees to fill gaps.

Advertising and partnerships

We do not accept paid placement in editorial results or fee tables. Advertising, if shown, is separate and labeled. Any future contractor referral partnership will be disclosed where it appears. See the advertising disclosure.

Updates and review dates

We check source links weekly and flag fee records when 12 months have passed since verification. A page’s “Last reviewed” date changes only when its content or underlying data is actually re-checked. A link check or automated page render alone does not reset that date. Report an error through our corrections process.