Fort Worth Water Impact & Tap Fees (2026)
Fort Worth Water provides water and wastewater inside the City of Fort Worth, and a new single-family home pays two kinds of connection charges: impact fees, set by ordinance and multiplied by meter size, and city tap fees when the city has to cut into the main. For a standard 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter, the impact fees are $5,504 for building permits issued through September 30, 2026 and $5,828 for permits issued on or after October 1, 2026. If the city also makes the water and sewer taps, add roughly $5,600 to $11,600 more. The key local rule is that the impact-fee rate follows the building permit date, so a permit pulled a week later can cost $324 more.
Official fees at a glance
The table lists every Fort Worth row in our database with its source. The impact-fee rows come from Ordinance 27745-06-2025 and apply to lots platted on or after April 1, 2017; there is one set for permits issued October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 and one for permits on or after October 1, 2026. The tap rows come from City Code Sections 35-57.4 and 35-57.5 (Ordinance 26452-09-2023, effective October 1, 2023) and show a range because the price depends on pavement type and whether the main is on your side of the street (a “short” tap) or the far side (a “long” tap).
| Service | Category | Fee | Meter | Amount | Basis | Effective | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewer — Impact | ||||||||
| Sewer | Impact | Wastewater Impact Fee | 1" | $6,700 | by meter size | 2025-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Impact | Wastewater Impact Fee | 3/4" x 3/4" | $4,020 | by meter size | 2025-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Impact | Wastewater Impact Fee Building permit Oct 1, 2025–Sep 30, 2026 | 5/8" x 3/4" | $2,680 | by meter size | 2025-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer | Impact | Wastewater Impact Fee Building permit on or after Oct 1, 2026 | 5/8" x 3/4" | $2,838 | by meter size | 2026-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Sewer — Tap | ||||||||
| Sewer | Tap | Sewer Tap Fee (City-installed, 4-inch) | — | $2,600–$7,900 | varies | 2023-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water — Impact | ||||||||
| Water | Impact | Water Impact Fee | 1" | $7,060 | by meter size | 2025-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Impact Fee | 3/4" x 3/4" | $4,236 | by meter size | 2025-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Impact Fee Building permit Oct 1, 2025–Sep 30, 2026 | 5/8" x 3/4" | $2,824 | by meter size | 2025-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water | Impact | Water Impact Fee Building permit on or after Oct 1, 2026 | 5/8" x 3/4" | $2,990 | by meter size | 2026-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
| Water — Tap | ||||||||
| Water | Tap | Water Tap Fee (City-installed, 1-inch) | 1" | $3,000–$3,700 | varies | 2023-10-01 | Official source | 2026-09-24 |
Worked example: a new single-family home
Impact fees first. These come from the Fort Worth current impact fees page. The city’s meter multipliers are 1 for 5/8 inch, 1.5 for 3/4 inch and 2.5 for 1 inch.
Fort Worth water + wastewater impact fees by meter size and building permit date.
| Meter | Permit 10/1/2025–9/30/2026 | Permit on/after 10/1/2026 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/8″ x 3/4″ | $2,824 + $2,680 = $5,504 | $2,990 + $2,838 = $5,828 | $324 |
| 3/4″ | $4,236 + $4,020 = $8,256 | $4,485 + $4,257 = $8,742 | $486 |
| 1″ | $7,060 + $6,700 = $13,760 | $7,475 + $7,095 = $14,570 | $810 |
Now the taps. Assume a 5/8-inch meter and a building permit issued after October 1, 2026. Tap figures come from Fort Worth City Code Chapter 35.
Three cases for one home, 5/8-inch meter, permit on/after 10/1/2026.
| Case | Impact fees | 1″ water tap | 4″ sewer tap | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taps already in place | $5,828 | — | — | $5,828 |
| City taps, short side, asphalt street | $5,828 | $3,000 | $4,200 | $13,028 |
| City taps, long side, concrete street | $5,828 | $3,700 (top of range) | $7,900 | $17,428 |
The sewer tap drives most of the spread. On an unpaved street the 4-inch sewer tap is $2,600 short side or $3,200 long side; in asphalt $4,200 or $5,300; in concrete $3,500 or $7,900. The 1-inch water tap is $3,000 in pavement on the short side and $3,000 to $3,700 on the long side. (The code prints the unpaved short-side water figure ambiguously, so we have not recorded it.) An extra asphalt pavement-condition charge can apply on top of these amounts. Plumbing permits are separate again.
Meter size multiplies only the impact fees, not the taps. A 3/4-inch meter in the middle case would be $8,742 + $3,000 + $4,200 = $15,942, which is $2,914 more than the 5/8-inch version.
What these fees don’t include
Fort Worth’s fees end at the public main and the meter. On private property you pay for:
- Water service line from the meter to the house. National estimate $30–$150 per foot, typically about $50. See water service line cost.
- Sewer lateral from the house to the tap. National estimate $50–$250 per foot, typically about $100. See sewer lateral cost.
- Trenching in clay or rock, which national estimates put at 1.2× to 7× normal-soil cost. See utility trenching cost.
- Plumbing permits, which the city lists separately from impact and tap fees. National estimate $100–$1,300.
National figures are estimates from our benchmark set. Run your own case with Fort Worth’s official fees loaded:
Estimate utility connection costs
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.
How and when you pay
Fort Worth assesses impact fees at plat and collects them at the building permit. The rate you pay is the one in force on the day the building permit is issued, which is why the October 1, 2026 step matters for anyone close to pulling a permit now. Impact fees apply to lots whose plats were recorded on or after April 1, 2017.
Tap fees are paid when the city makes a tap, and they are in addition to impact fees and plumbing permits. The city will not cut a tap into pavement that is less than two years old; that situation is handled under a Community Facilities Agreement. If you are buying a lot on a new street, ask whether services were stubbed to the lot before paving.
Changes to watch
- October 1, 2026 impact-fee step. Ordinance 27745-06-2025 already sets the higher FY2027 rates listed above; they take effect for permits issued on or after that date.
- Tap fees date from Ordinance 26452-09-2023 (effective October 1, 2023). We found no newer tap schedule; confirm before budgeting a city tap.
- Older plats. The current impact-fee pages cover plats recorded on or after April 1, 2017. For an older plat, ask the city which schedule applies.
Fort Worth tap fee FAQ
How much are Fort Worth water impact fees for a single-family home?
For a 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter, $2,824 water plus $2,680 wastewater ($5,504) on permits issued through September 30, 2026, and $2,990 plus $2,838 ($5,828) on permits issued from October 1, 2026.
Does the permit date or the plat date set my rate?
Both matter. The plat must be recorded on or after April 1, 2017 for these schedules to apply, and the rate within the schedule follows the building permit issue date.
How much does Fort Worth charge to tap the water and sewer main?
A 1-inch water tap is $3,000 to $3,700 and a 4-inch sewer tap is $2,600 to $7,900, depending on pavement and which side of the street the main is on. Both are on top of impact fees.
Can the city tap a newly paved street?
No. Fort Worth does not allow taps in pavement less than two years old; that case is handled under a Community Facilities Agreement.
What does a 1-inch meter cost in impact fees?
$13,760 on permits through September 30, 2026 and $14,570 from October 1, 2026, because a 1-inch meter counts as 2.5 times a 5/8-inch meter.
Related: Texas utility connection costs by city · Frisco fees · McKinney fees · sewer tap fees · water tap fees · tap fee vs. impact fee · utility connection cost calculator
Sources
- Water Impact Fees: Current Fees (Ordinance 27745-06-2025), City of Fort Worth (checked Sep 24, 2026)
- City Code Chapter 35, Sections 35-57.4 and 35-57.5 (tap fees), City of Fort Worth via American Legal Publishing (checked Sep 24, 2026)