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Fayetteville Water & Sewer Connection Fees (2026)

Last reviewed: By Utility Cost Guide editor

The City of Fayetteville supplies its own water and sewer service through the Water and Sewer Division; there is no separate utility board like the ones in Little Rock or Bentonville. For a new single-family home with a standard 5/8-inch meter inside city limits, the published one-time charges come to $7,335: an $810 water tap, an $855 sewer tap, a $2,672 water impact fee and a $2,998 wastewater impact fee. Outside city limits the tap fees are higher, for a total of $7,676. The impact-fee portion roughly tripled on July 1, 2026, when Ordinance No. 6994 replaced the older $971 water / $872 wastewater figures that are still printed in the codified Municode text (recodification lags a few months behind a new ordinance). Get a written quote from the Water and Sewer Division before you budget, since fee schedules do change. For how this compares nationally, see our guide to the cost to connect to city water.

Fayetteville tap and connection charges at a glance

The table lists every Fayetteville row in our database with its source. Tap fees come from Section 51.114 of the Code of Ordinances, Article IV of Chapter 51, last amended May 6, 2025. Impact fees come from Section 159.02; the current amount is the one on the city’s Fees page, set by Ordinance No. 6994 (adopted May 5, 2026, effective July 1, 2026). The older amount from the 2019 codified table is also kept in the database, marked as superseded, for anyone who sees it still printed in Municode. Rows marked as not typical, such as street bores and extra-depth charges, apply only in some cases.

ServiceCategoryFeeMeterAmountBasisEffectiveSourceVerified
General — Deposit
GeneralDepositMinimum Service Deposit - Private Residential Consumer—$50flat fee—Official source2026-09-25
General — Impact
GeneralImpactFire Protection System Impact Fee - Residential—$150per unit2019-11-05Official source2026-09-25
GeneralImpactPolice and Public Safety System Impact Fee - Residential—$162per unit2019-11-05Official source2026-09-25
Sewer — Impact
SewerImpactWastewater Impact Fee - Single-Family Dwelling (codified ordinance table, 2019)
Codified ordinance table (2019, possibly superseded)		—$872per unit2019-11-05Official source2026-09-25
SewerImpactWastewater Impact Fee - Single-Family Dwelling (current fee page)
Current city Fees page (2026)		—$2,998per unit2026-07-01Official source2026-09-25
Sewer — Inspection
SewerInspectionTelevising Existing Service Line (credited to tap fee if a new connection is required)—$275flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
Sewer — Tap
SewerTap4-inch Sewer Tap Connection Fee (inside city limits)
Inside city limits		—$855flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
SewerTap4-inch Sewer Tap Connection Fee (outside city limits)
Outside city limits		—$1,009flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
Water — Impact
WaterImpactWater Impact Fee - Single-Family Dwelling (codified ordinance table, 2019)
Codified ordinance table (2019, possibly superseded)		—$971per unit2019-11-05Official source2026-09-25
WaterImpactWater Impact Fee - Single-Family Dwelling (current fee page)
Current city Fees page (2026)		—$2,672per unit2026-07-01Official source2026-09-25
Water — Other
WaterOtherCost Per Additional Depth (exceeding 5 feet, up to 10 feet)—$606flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterOtherCost per Additional Lane—$213flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterOtherCost Per Additional Length (per foot exceeding 60 feet)—$40per linear foot2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterOtherGravel Road Crossing/Cut—$774flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterOtherStreet Bore—$560flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterOtherStreet Cut—$1,136flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
Water — Tap
WaterTap2-inch Water Tap Connection Fee (inside city limits)
Inside city limits		—$2,249by meter size2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap2-inch Water Tap Connection Fee (outside city limits)
Outside city limits		—$2,436by meter size2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap1-inch Water Tap Connection Fee (inside city limits)
Inside city limits		1"$1,087by meter size2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap1-inch Water Tap Connection Fee (outside city limits)
Outside city limits		1"$1,273by meter size2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap5/8-inch Double Water Tap Connection Fee (inside city limits)
Inside city limits		5/8"$957flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap5/8-inch Double Water Tap Connection Fee (outside city limits)
Outside city limits		5/8"$1,144flat fee2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap5/8-inch Water Tap Connection Fee (inside city limits)
Inside city limits		5/8"$810by meter size2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25
WaterTap5/8-inch Water Tap Connection Fee (outside city limits)
Outside city limits		5/8"$997by meter size2025-05-06Official source2026-09-25

What a new Fayetteville house pays: worked example

Assume one detached house on a lot with an existing water main and sewer main at the curb, using a standard 5/8-inch water meter and a 4-inch building sewer tap. Section 51.114 sets separate inside-city and outside-city tap amounts; Section 159.02 assesses the water and wastewater impact fees “at the time of installation of the water meter serving the property or of the connection to the wastewater system, whichever comes first,” with no inside/outside split.

Published City of Fayetteville charges for one new single-family home (private plumbing, deposits and general city impact fees not included).

Case Water tap Sewer tap Water + wastewater impact Total
Inside city limits $810 $855 $5,670 $7,335
Outside city limits $997 $1,009 $5,670 $7,676

Both the tap fee and the impact fee changed within the last two years, and in both cases the city’s own Fees web page is the one that’s current — it’s the codified Municode text that’s lagging. Section 51.114 was amended on May 6, 2025, roughly doubling every tap-fee line item on the prior schedule in a consistent pattern that reads as one deliberate increase; Municode’s codified text still shows the pre-amendment figures ($425 water, $425 sewer).

The impact fee tells the same story on a longer delay. The Fees page shows $2,672 water + $2,998 wastewater = $5,670 per home; Municode’s codified Section 159.02 still prints the 2019 table, $971 + $872 = $1,843. We traced the roughly 3x jump to Ordinance No. 6994 (File No. 2026-1386), adopted by City Council on May 5, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, which raised the fee based on a Carollo Engineers Cost of Service / Rate & Impact Fee Study (authorized May 2025, findings presented April 14, 2026). The city cited higher wholesale water costs from the Beaver Water District, rising operating costs and population growth as the reasons for the increase. The 2019 figures are kept in our database as superseded, historical rows. Municode recodification typically lags an adopted ordinance by a few months, which is why the older numbers are still visible there as of this check (September 2026).

What is not included in Fayetteville fees

National figures are estimates from our benchmark set. The calculator below loads Fayetteville’s official fees; add your contractors’ quotes to it:

Estimate utility connection costs

Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.

Location and property
Services and site work

Many codes require horizontal separation between water and sewer. This estimate assumes separate water and sewer trenches unless you select a shared run where your utility allows it.

Quoted fees and comparison assumptions

Paying Fayetteville fees: timing and process

City crews make or supervise every tap on an existing water or sewer main (Section 51.114(A); Water Service Line and Connection Policy OP-02 item 1). You purchase the tap, mark the spot with a city-provided stake, and pay before the city makes the connection. New taps run first-come-first-served: three to six weeks for water, four to six weeks for sewer, plus another four to six weeks if the tap sits on or near an Arkansas State Highway right-of-way, which needs its own state permit. The city’s work stops at the meter box or the sewer property line; your plumber connects the yard line and the house.

The water and wastewater impact fee is due “at the time of installation of the water meter serving the property or of the connection to the wastewater system, whichever comes first” (Section 159.02(C)(1)). The $50 minimum deposit is collected with the service application — in full, in part, or spread over the first few bills — and refunded after 12 consecutive on-time months.

What could change in Fayetteville

How Fayetteville compares

Fayetteville’s $7,335 published total (inside city limits) sits between its two Northwest Arkansas and central-Arkansas neighbors in our database. Bentonville charges $8,992 for a home on a lot created after January 22, 2026 (driven by its $7,867 wastewater development fee), or $1,125 if the lot was already platted — a swing that dwarfs anything in Fayetteville’s numbers. Little Rock‘s published total is only $435, but that figure is misleadingly low: it excludes Central Arkansas Water’s own connection charge for the service line and meter, which CAW doesn’t publish. Fayetteville stands out among the three for how recently and sharply its own charges moved: the tap fee doubled in May 2025 and the water/wastewater impact fee roughly tripled in July 2026, both faster than Municode’s codified text has caught up with.

Fayetteville tap fee FAQ

How much does it cost to connect a new home to water and sewer in Fayetteville?

For a 5/8-inch meter inside city limits, the published city charges are $7,335: an $810 water tap, an $855 sewer tap, a $2,672 water impact fee and a $2,998 wastewater impact fee. Outside city limits the tap fees are higher ($997 and $1,009), for $7,676.

Why do the city’s fee page and its municipal code show different impact fee amounts?

Fayetteville’s “Fees” web page currently lists $2,672 (water) and $2,998 (wastewater) per single-family home, while the codified text of Section 159.02, last amended in November 2019, still shows the older $971 and $872. The gap is explained by Ordinance No. 6994 (File No. 2026-1386), adopted May 5, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, which raised the fee following a Carollo Engineers rate and impact fee study but hasn’t yet been folded into the codified Municode text — recodification typically lags an ordinance by a few months. The Fees page reflects the current, higher amount; call the Water and Sewer Division (479-575-8386) to confirm before you budget.

What’s the difference between the tap fee and the impact fee?

The tap fee (Section 51.114) pays for the physical work of connecting to the city’s main — $810 for a standard 5/8-inch water tap and $855 for a 4-inch sewer tap inside city limits. The impact fee (Section 159.02) is a separate, larger charge meant to make new development pay its share of water and wastewater system capacity; it’s assessed per dwelling, not per meter size, and is due when the meter is set or the sewer connection is made.

Does it matter if my new home is inside or outside Fayetteville city limits?

Yes, for the tap fee. Section 51.114 sets separate inside-city and outside-city amounts for every tap size — for example $810 versus $997 for a 5/8-inch water tap. The water and wastewater impact fee is the same either way; Section 159.02 applies “within the city’s water and wastewater service areas, including areas outside the corporate city limits.”

Who installs the water and sewer taps?

City crews make or supervise every tap on an existing main. You purchase the tap and mark the spot with a stake the city provides; the city’s work ends at the meter box (water) or the property line (sewer). Your own licensed plumber connects the yard line and ties it into the house, and city crews will not make that connection.

How long does a new connection take in Fayetteville?

The city’s written policies quote three to six weeks for a new water tap and four to six weeks for a new sewer tap, on a first-come-first-served basis. Add another four to six weeks if the connection is on or next to an Arkansas State Highway right-of-way, which needs a separate state permit.

Related: water tap fees · sewer tap fees · tap fee vs. impact fee · Bentonville fees · Little Rock fees · utility connection cost calculator

Official documents behind the Fayetteville figures