Sewer Tap Fee by City (2026): Official Rates Compared
A sewer tap fee is the utility’s charge for making, or inspecting, the physical connection between your sewer line and the public main. In official 2026 schedules it ranges from $0 in Chattanooga, where city code charges nothing to connect to a 4-inch sewer lateral, to $6,444 in Charlotte, where Charlotte Water’s FY27 fee pays for a complete 4-inch service. Houston ($34.50, permit only) and Phoenix ($95, where city crews cut a 6-inch tap and install the wye) are the next-lowest. Most new homes also owe a separate capacity or impact fee of a few hundred dollars to about $6,670, so the tap fee is rarely the biggest sewer charge on the permit.
Because the word “tap” covers everything from a free ordinance connection to a full utility-built lateral, a low, or zero-dollar, tap fee does not mean a cheap connection. The tables below show what each city’s fee actually buys.
Estimate utility connection costs
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.
Official sewer tap and connection fees, 2026
Residential sewer tap or physical-connection fees as published by each utility, sorted low to high. “Scope” shows who does the work. Capacity or impact fees are not included here. Verified 2026-09-25.
| City | Utility | Fee name | Amount | Scope | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga, TN | City of Chattanooga | Sewer connection fee, 4″ lateral | $0 | No charge to connect to a 4″ lateral under city code; separate $70 sewer-connection and $20 building-sewer plumbing-permit line items still apply; a 6″ or larger city-provided lateral is $800 | City Code Sec. 31-4(d) |
| Houston, TX | Houston Public Works | Sewer tap permit fee | $34.50 | Permit only; plumbing permit adds $53.71 per sewer connection | 2026 fee schedule |
| Phoenix, AZ | Phoenix Water Services | Sewer tap, 6″ standard | $95 | City installs tap and wye; contractor runs line to property line. ROW permit $150, bond $500 | no date on page |
| Little Rock, AR | Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority | Connection fee, per building | $105 | LRWRA charges this to connect a building sewer; $160 first inspection billed separately | 2026 fee schedule |
| Charleston, SC | Charleston Water System | Sewer tap fee (up to 6″) | $200 | CWS inspects a contractor-made connection | 2026 page |
| Boulder, CO | City of Boulder Utilities | Wastewater tap fee, 4″ | $238 to $430 | $238 into a PVC or VCP main, $430 into a concrete (RCP) main; $5,358 wastewater plant investment fee is separate | 2026 Schedule of Fees |
| Nashville, TN | Metro Water Services | Sewer connection fee (4″ or 6″) | $360 | Connection charge under Metro Code 15.36.020 | current code |
| El Paso, TX | El Paso Water | Sewer service connection charge | $890 | Utility builds lateral from main to pavement edge; $0 if customer provides the line | R&R No. 7, 7/8/2026 |
| McKinney, TX | City of McKinney | 4″ sewer tap | $1,630 to $3,600 | City tap; $1,980 with pavement repair, $3,600 with bore and pavement repair | 10/1/2025 (FY2026) |
| Sacramento, CA | Sacramento Dept. of Utilities | Sewer service installation, 4″ easement tap | $1,781 | Contractor exposes the main and installs the connection; city makes the tap | FY2026-27 |
| San Antonio, TX | SAWS | 6″ sewer lateral installation (estimate) | $2,300 | Time-and-materials estimate; final charge can differ | 2024 Utility Service Regulations |
| Fort Worth, TX | Fort Worth Water | City-installed 4″ sewer tap | $2,600 to $7,900 | Unpaved $2,600/$3,200; asphalt $4,200/$5,300; concrete $3,500/$7,900 (same side/far side) | 10/1/2023 |
| Orlando, FL | City of Orlando | Residential sewer lateral construction | $2,950 | Only when the city must build the lateral; permit $50 | no date on page |
| Raleigh, NC | Raleigh Water | 4″ sewer tap (city installs service) | $5,155 | City-installed service; no city taps across divided roads or streets 45 ft or wider | FY27 |
| Charlotte, NC | Charlotte Water | 4″ sewer connection fee | $6,444 | Utility-installed service; 6″ and larger at cost; 10% off if installed during main construction | FY27, from 7/1/2026 |
Put those fifteen published fees in order and the median is El Paso’s $890 sewer service connection charge. The national estimate we use for planning is wider, $200 low, $3,000 typical and $6,100 high, because it was built from four 2025-26 schedules that ranged from a $200 inspection charge to a $6,132 full service. Neither figure replaces a quote: local schedules in this table alone run from free to $6,444.
Dallas no longer builds residential sewer laterals. Since October 1, 2024, Dallas Water Utilities requires the owner to hire a registered, bonded contractor for the lateral, and the city charges $465.50 to inspect each 6-inch lateral under the Meter and Wastewater Fee Schedule effective 10/1/2025. The older city-contractor prices ($4,060 for a 6-inch lateral in the 2020 table) are no longer offered, and the city does not publish what a contractor will charge. See Dallas tap fees.
Charges called “connection fees” that are really capacity fees
Some utilities use the word “connection” for a charge that has nothing to do with physical work. It is a buy-in to treatment capacity and is owed even if your own contractor does every foot of pipe.
Capacity-type sewer charges for one single-family home, official 2026 schedules. Verified 2026-09-24.
| City | Local name | Amount | Basis | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | Sewer permit fee (SAFE $410 + Metro Water Recovery $6,070) | $6,480 | Per dwelling unit | 1/1/2026 |
| Tucson, AZ | Pima County sewer connection fee | $4,443 | 5/8″ to 1″ meter | FY2026-27 |
| Las Vegas, NV | Sewer connection charge | $3,235 | 1.00 ERU per single-family home | 1/1/2026 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Sewer Availability Charge (SAC), Met Council | $2,485 | 1 SAC unit (274 gpd) | 2026 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Sanitary sewer connection fee | $545 | Per single dwelling | FY2027 schedule |
For comparison, cities that call it an impact or development fee: Charleston $6,670 per ERU (2026), Charlotte $5,066 (5/8″, FY27), Fort Collins $4,476, Fort Worth $2,838 (5/8″ × 3/4″, permits from 10/1/2026), Raleigh $2,223 (5/8″, FY27), Tampa $1,237 per ERU, Phoenix $1,071 in the Balance of City. The tap fee vs. impact fee guide maps every local name to what it pays for.
Worked example: same house, three cities
Take a 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch single-family home with the public main on the near side of an unpaved street and a 40-foot private lateral priced at the national estimate of $100 per foot ($4,000).
- Raleigh (FY27): tap $5,155 + sewer capital facility fee $2,223 + lateral $4,000 = $11,378.
- Fort Worth (permit from 10/1/2026): tap $2,600 + wastewater impact $2,838 + lateral $4,000 = $9,438.
- Charleston (2026): tap $200 + impact $6,670 + $35 origination + contractor connection and lateral. Here the tap fee does not include the connection work, so budget a contractor for the tap as well as the $4,000 lateral: at least $10,905 plus the contractor’s tap price.
The city with the lowest tap fee is not the cheapest. Charleston’s $200 fee sits next to the highest impact fee in the comparison, and the work the $200 does not cover still has to be paid for.
What to ask the utility before you pay
- Does the tap fee include the lateral to the property line, a cleanout, and street restoration, or only the tap or inspection?
- Is the fee fixed, or an estimate billed at time and materials, as SAWS’s lateral charge is?
- Which capacity or impact fee applies, at what meter size, and does plat date or permit date set it?
- Can your own licensed contractor make the tap, and what inspection fee applies if so?
- Replacing an older home? Ask whether the existing connection earns a credit; see tap fee credits on a teardown rebuild.
- Converting from septic? Ask whether a program price or assessment replaces the standard fees; see septic-to-sewer conversion costs by program.
- Is a scheduled increase coming? Charleston’s impact fee rises to $8,160 on 1/1/2027; Pima County’s connection fee rises to $4,576 on 7/1/2027. See why water and sewer tap fees are rising.
Put the answers into the utility connection cost calculator, or see the full sewer connection cost guide, the sewer lateral cost guide, who owns the sewer lateral, the water tap fee comparison, all tap fees by city and state guides for Texas, Florida and Arizona.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a sewer tap fee?
In the official 2026 schedules we compared, the physical sewer tap or connection fee ran from $0 (Chattanooga, where a 4-inch lateral connection is free under city code) to $6,444 (Charlotte, FY27). The median of the fifteen published fees was $890 (El Paso). Most homes also pay a capacity or impact fee on top.
What does a sewer tap fee include?
It depends on the utility. Chattanooga charges nothing to connect to a 4-inch lateral, Charleston’s $200 fee covers only inspection of a contractor’s connection, Phoenix’s $95 covers a city-installed tap and wye, and Charlotte’s $6,444 covers a utility-installed 4-inch service. Ask whether the lateral to the property line and street repair are included.
Why is my sewer tap fee so high?
High fees usually mean the utility builds the service line under the street, not just the tap. Paved or concrete streets and a main on the far side of the road raise the price; Fort Worth’s 4-inch tap goes from $2,600 to $7,900 for those reasons.
Is a sewer tap fee a one-time charge?
Yes. Tap, connection and capacity fees are one-time charges paid before or at connection. Your monthly sewer bill is separate and starts once service is active.
Can I avoid the sewer tap fee by using my own plumber?
Sometimes you can lower it. El Paso Water charges its $890 sewer service connection charge only when it builds the lateral, and Charleston lets a contractor make the connection for a $200 inspection fee. The capacity or impact fee still applies either way.
Are sewer tap fees going up?
Many are indexed or on a published schedule. Charleston’s sewer impact fee rises every January 1, Pima County’s connection fee every July 1, and Fort Worth’s wastewater impact fee rises to $2,838 (5/8″) for permits from 10/1/2026. Check the effective date on any schedule you use.