Aurora Water Tap Fees and Connection Fees (2026)
In Aurora, Aurora Water provides water, sanitary sewer and stormwater service, and it collects the regional Metro Wastewater District sewer fee along with its own fees. A new single-family detached home with three bathrooms, a 5/8-inch meter and an 8,000 sq ft lot pays $44,456 in 2026 connection fees. That is the example Aurora prints in its own Fee Schedule 7. Two things drive the bill: the number of bathrooms, which sets the indoor water fee, and lot size, which sets the outdoor water and stormwater fees. All fees are charged at the rate in effect on the day you pay, not the day the fees were assessed.
Aurora connection fees at a glance
The table lists every Aurora row we verified from Fee Schedule 7 and the city’s 2026 development fees checklist. Aurora splits the connection fee into three parts that are added together: the Water Service Connection Fee, the City of Aurora Sanitary Sewer Connection Fee, and the Metro Wastewater District Connection Fee. The water fee has an indoor part (a flat amount by bathroom count) and an outdoor part (a rate per square foot of lot). Each water part has a companion “transmission development fee,” and the city sewer fee has a companion “interceptor development fee.” The Stormwater Development Fee is also charged per square foot of lot. The rows marked as not typical cover townhomes, one drainage basin, charges paid at platting, and the city’s Capital Impact Fee, which is not a utility charge.
| Service | Category | Fee | Meter | Amount | Basis | Effective | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General — Impact | ||||||||
| General | Impact | Capital Impact Fee - Single-family (detached) | — | $9,327 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer — Capacity | ||||||||
| Sewer | Capacity | Metro Wastewater District Sanitary Sewer Connection Fee, 1-inch meter | 1" | $29,136 | by meter size | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Capacity | Metro Wastewater District Sanitary Sewer Connection Fee, 3/4-inch meter | 3/4" | $12,140 | by meter size | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Capacity | Metro Wastewater District Sanitary Sewer Connection Fee, 5/8-inch meter | 5/8" | $6,070 | by meter size | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer — Connection | ||||||||
| Sewer | Connection | City of Aurora Sanitary Sewer Connection Fee (single-family detached) | — | $5,875 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Connection | City of Aurora Sanitary Sewer Connection Fee, single-family attached | — | $3,231 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer — Impact | ||||||||
| Sewer | Impact | Sewer Interceptor Development Fee (single-family detached) | — | $536 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Impact | Sewer Interceptor Development Fee, single-family attached | — | $296 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer — Inspection | ||||||||
| Sewer | Inspection | Sanitary Service Inspection - ROW to Unit | — | $158 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Stormwater — Impact | ||||||||
| Stormwater | Impact | Storm Drainage Development Fee (payable at subdivision platting) | — | $1,304 | varies | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Stormwater | Impact | Stormwater Development Fee (single-family detached), per sq ft of lot | — | $0.05 | per sq ft | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Stormwater — Other | ||||||||
| Stormwater | Other | Cherry Creek Basin Drainage Fee - Single family | — | $60 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water — Connection | ||||||||
| Water | Connection | Water Service Connection Fee - Indoor Use, 1-2 bathrooms (single-family detached) 1–2 bathrooms | — | $8,651 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Connection | Water Service Connection Fee - Indoor Use, 3-4 bathrooms (single-family detached) 3–4 bathrooms | — | $13,978 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Connection | Water Service Connection Fee - Indoor Use, 5+ bathrooms (single-family detached) 5 or more bathrooms | — | $24,224 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Connection | Water Service Connection Fee - Indoor Use, single-family attached | — | $13,841 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Connection | Water Service Connection Fee - Outdoor Use (conservation-ordinance development), per sq ft of lot Development under water conservation ordinance | — | $1.48 | per sq ft | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Connection | Water Service Connection Fee - Outdoor Use (standard), per sq ft of lot Standard outdoor rate | — | $2.09 | per sq ft | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water — Impact | ||||||||
| Water | Impact | Water Transmission Development Fee - Indoor Use, 1-2 bathrooms (single-family detached) 1–2 bathrooms | — | $295 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Transmission Development Fee - Indoor Use, 3-4 bathrooms (single-family detached) 3–4 bathrooms | — | $477 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Transmission Development Fee - Indoor Use, 5+ bathrooms (single-family detached) 5 or more bathrooms | — | $825 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Transmission Development Fee - Indoor Use, single-family attached | — | $472 | per unit | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Transmission Development Fee - Outdoor Use (conservation-ordinance development), per sq ft of lot Development under water conservation ordinance | — | $0.04 | per sq ft | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Transmission Development Fee - Outdoor Use (standard), per sq ft of lot Standard outdoor rate | — | $0.05 | per sq ft | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water — Inspection | ||||||||
| Water | Inspection | Water Service Inspection - Meter Pit to Unit | — | $158 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water — Other | ||||||||
| Water | Other | Construction Water Fee (added to connection fee total) | — | $55.50 | flat fee | — | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
How the single-family detached fee is built
Aurora Water single-family detached connection fees, effective 2026 (Fee Schedule 7)
| Component | 1–2 baths | 3–4 baths | 5+ baths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water connection fee, indoor use | $8,651 | $13,978 | $24,224 |
| Water transmission development fee, indoor | $295 | $477 | $825 |
| Water connection fee, outdoor use (per sq ft of lot) | $2.087 standard; $1.478 in developments under the conservation ordinance | ||
| Water transmission fee, outdoor (per sq ft of lot) | $0.050 standard; $0.036 conservation ordinance | ||
| City sewer connection fee + interceptor fee | $5,875 + $536 per unit | ||
| Metro Wastewater District fee | $6,070 (5/8-inch), $12,140 (3/4-inch), $29,136 (1-inch meter) | ||
| Stormwater development fee (per sq ft of lot) | $0.053 | ||
Aurora automatically subtracts a single half bath (a sink and toilet only) from the count, so a house with two full baths and a powder room is priced as a two-bath home. The outdoor rate drops from $2.087 to $1.478 per square foot only in developments that adopted the city’s newer water conservation ordinance. Your builder or the TAP Application Office (303-739-7393 or 303-739-7395) can tell you which rate applies to your subdivision.
Worked example for a single-family home in Aurora
Assumptions: a detached home platted on or after January 1, 2019 (so the interceptor and stormwater fees apply), a 5/8-inch meter, the standard outdoor rate, and payment in 2026. The fixed part for a 3-bath home is $13,978 + $477 + $5,875 + $536 + $6,070 = $26,936. The lot-size part is $2.087 + $0.050 + $0.053 per square foot.
Aurora connection fees by lot size, 3-bath home, 5/8-inch meter, standard outdoor rate (2026)
| Lot size | Outdoor water + transmission + stormwater | Total connection fee |
|---|---|---|
| 6,000 sq ft | $12,522 + $300 + $318 = $13,140 | $40,076 |
| 8,000 sq ft (Aurora’s own example) | $16,696 + $400 + $424 = $17,520 | $44,456 |
| 10,000 sq ft | $20,870 + $500 + $530 = $21,900 | $48,836 |
On the same 8,000 sq ft lot, bathroom count moves the total a lot. A 2-bath home pays $38,947 and a 5-bath home pays $55,050. In a conservation-ordinance subdivision, the 3-bath, 8,000 sq ft case drops to $39,472, a saving of $4,984. Meter size matters through the Metro fee alone: a 3/4-inch meter raises the $44,456 example to $50,526, and a 1-inch meter raises it to $67,522.
Aurora adds a $55.50 construction water fee to every meter under 1.5 inches, and it charges $158 for the water service inspection (meter pit to house) and $158 for the sewer service inspection (right-of-way to house). With those, the 8,000 sq ft example comes to $44,827.50.
How Aurora compares with Denver
Both cities pass through the same $6,070 regional Metro sewer charge: Aurora for a 5/8-inch meter, Denver per dwelling unit. The water side is where they part ways. For an 8,000 sq ft lot, the Denver Water system development charge inside Denver is $11,460 from July 1, 2026, and the Denver sewer permit is $6,480, together $17,940. Aurora’s comparable 3-bath total is $44,456, or $26,516 more. Most of the gap is Aurora’s water connection fee ($31,551 in the example). Denver Water prices a single-family home by lot area alone. Aurora prices it by lot area and bathroom count, so adding bathrooms raises the Aurora bill but not the Denver one.
What Aurora’s fees don’t cover
None of Aurora’s charges pays for the pipe on your lot. A contractor still builds the water service line from the meter pit to the house and the sewer service line to the main. Trenching, any street cut, and the plumbing and building permits are separate costs. These planning figures are national estimates, not Aurora prices (how we built them), and the per-foot figures already include trenching:
- Water service line: $30–$150 per foot, typical $50.
- Sewer service line: $50–$250 per foot, typical $100.
- Street cut or bore: $1,000–$10,000 per crossing, typical $4,000, when the main is across the street.
- Plumbing permit: $100–$1,300, typical $300.
Enter your lot size, meter and line lengths in the calculator:
Estimate utility connection costs
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.
Paying Aurora fees: timing and process
Aurora collects the water and sanitary sewer connection (TAP) fees at the time of connection or before the certificate of occupancy, according to the city’s 2026 Development Fees Checklist. Because the schedule says all fees are due at the rate in effect when paid, a home that pays in January 2027 will pay the 2027 schedule, not 2026. The per-acre development fees are a separate step: the Storm Drainage Development Fee of $1,304 per acre is paid by the developer when the land is platted. The water transmission and sewer interceptor per-acre fees are now $0.00 because Aurora moved them into the connection fee. Properties in the Cherry Creek Basin also pay a $60 per lot drainage fee.
Older lots can pay less. Connections on lots platted before January 1, 2017 may get a credit for water transmission fees already paid. Lots platted before January 1, 2019 may not owe the sewer interceptor or stormwater development fees. On an 8,000 sq ft lot, those two fees total $960 ($536 + $424).
Aurora fee changes to watch
- Fee Schedule 7 is marked “Effective 2026” and is the current schedule as of our September 24, 2026 check. The city labels its development fees by calendar year, so check for a 2027 schedule before paying in 2027.
- The Metro Wastewater District fee is a regional charge that Aurora collects with its own fees. The same $6,070 appears on Denver’s 2026 sewer permit sheet.
- The construction water fee rose from $54.00 in 2025 to $55.50 in 2026, according to the city’s 2026 Service Fees list.
Aurora tap fee FAQ
How much are water and sewer tap fees in Aurora, CO?
For 2026, Aurora’s own example puts a 3-bath detached home on an 8,000 sq ft lot with a 5/8-inch meter at $44,456. That total includes the water connection fee, the city sewer and interceptor fees, the Metro Wastewater fee and the stormwater development fee. Smaller homes and lots pay less. A 2-bath home on the same lot pays $38,947.
Why does Aurora charge by the number of bathrooms?
Aurora’s water connection fee has an indoor part that is set by bathroom count in three steps: $8,651 for 1–2 baths, $13,978 for 3–4 and $24,224 for 5 or more. A single half bath is not counted.
Why does lot size affect my Aurora tap fee?
Outdoor watering is priced per square foot of lot: $2.087 for the water connection, $0.050 for transmission and $0.053 for stormwater. Every extra 1,000 sq ft adds $2,190 at the standard rate.
What is the conservation ordinance rate?
Developments that adopted Aurora’s newer water conservation ordinance pay a lower outdoor fee of $1.478 per sq ft for the connection and $0.036 for transmission. For an 8,000 sq ft lot that saves $4,984 compared with the standard rate.
Is Aurora more expensive than Denver for a new home?
Yes, by a wide margin. For an 8,000 sq ft lot, Denver’s water charge plus sewer permit is $17,940 in the second half of 2026, while Aurora’s 3-bath example is $44,456. The regional Metro sewer charge of $6,070 is the same in both cities.
When are Aurora connection fees paid?
At the time of connection or before the certificate of occupancy, at the rate in effect on the payment date. The city’s $9,327 Capital Impact Fee is paid earlier, at building permit.
Where to go next from Aurora
Colorado utility connection costs · Denver Water tap fees · Colorado Springs Utilities development charges · Fort Collins plant investment fees · tap fee vs impact fee · water service line cost · sewer lateral cost · utility connection cost calculator
Sources for Aurora figures
- Fee Schedule 7: Water Development and Connection Fees (Effective 2026), City of Aurora / Aurora Water. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
- Development Fees Checklist (2026), City of Aurora. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
- 2026 Service Fees, City of Aurora. Checked Sep 24, 2026.