Utility Connection Cost Calculator
Using only national estimates, a new home 75 feet from the street comes to about $29,650 to connect to water, sewer, electricity and gas. Pick a city with published fees and the same house changes: about $20,256 with Salt Lake City’s charges, or $34,826 with Denver’s once its lot-size charge for a 7,000-square-foot lot is added. This calculator starts from the official fee schedules we hold for 122 U.S. cities in 34 states. It then adds per-foot costs for the lines between the street and your house and shows every line of the math, so you can swap any assumption for a real quote.
Estimate utility connection costs
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.
How to use it
- Choose the state and city or utility. Where we hold fee rows, they are used with their effective dates. Choose “Not listed” and the tool uses labeled national estimates.
- Pick the property situation. An existing home converting from well or septic, a new home on a lot with a stub, and vacant land with no services each call for different components.
- Set the meter size. Most new homes use 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch. A 1-inch meter, often required for fire sprinklers, can multiply capacity fees.
- Enter the distance. Measure from the main or pole to the building along the route you can actually dig, not a straight line.
- Flag site conditions. Choose the soil type, overhead or underground electric, whether a tap already exists, and tick a road crossing, a shared trench or a new transformer if they apply. Untick any service you don’t need.
- Enter quotes. If a utility has quoted a fee for water, sewer, electric or gas, type it into the quoted-fee field so your number is used.
Lot-size formulas, such as Denver Water’s charge per square foot of lot, are shown on the city pages; check them there if your lot is much larger or smaller than typical.
What each line in the result means
| Label | Meaning | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Official fee | Transcribed from a utility or city fee schedule, with source link and effective date | Check that the fee applies to your address, meter size and permit date |
| Your input | A distance, fee or condition you entered | Double-check measurements against the site plan |
| National estimate | A planning figure from our benchmark method, not a local price | Replace with a quote before you commit money |
| Calculated | Arithmetic on the lines above, such as feet × price per foot | Recheck when any input changes |
The default assumptions
Used when no local fee or quote is entered. National estimates; see methodology for sources.
| Component | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer capacity or impact fees, combined | $7,500 | $3,500–$25,000 |
| Water tap fee (median of 5 utility schedules) | $1,600 | $500–$5,500 |
| Sewer tap fee | $3,000 | $200–$6,100 |
| Water meter set | $300 | $200–$500 |
| Water service line, per foot | $50 | $30–$150 |
| Sewer lateral, per foot | $100 | $50–$250 |
| Electric service, 200 A panel and meter base | $3,000 | $1,800–$6,000 |
| Overhead service drop (utility charge) | $900 | $0–$3,500 |
| Underground electric service, per foot (instead of the overhead drop) | $15 | $6–$30 |
| Electric line extension, per foot | $15 | $6.50–$30 |
| Gas service line, per foot | $8.40 | $1.40–$15.50 |
| Gas meter set and short service | $0 | $0–$900 |
| Plumbing permit, exterior lines | $300 | $100–$1,300 |
| Road bore or street cut | $4,000 | $1,000–$10,000 |
Worked example: the same house in three places
A single-family home with a 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch meter, 75 feet from water, sewer, power and gas at the street, normal soil, no road crossing.
| Line | National defaults | Salt Lake City | Denver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity, tap, meter and inspection charges | $7,500 + $1,600 + $3,000 + $300 = $12,400 | $2,706 (official) + $300 meter set = $3,006 | $7,126 (official; lot-size charge in note) |
| Water line, 75 ft × $50 | $3,750 | $3,750 | $3,750 |
| Sewer lateral, 75 ft × $100 | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,500 |
| Plumbing permit | $300 | $300 | $300 |
| Electric service, 200 A panel and meter base | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Overhead service drop | $900 | $900 | $900 |
| Electric line extension, 75 ft × $15 (rounded) | $1,150 | $1,150 | $1,150 |
| Gas service line, 75 ft × $8.40 (rounded); meter set $0 | $650 | $650 | $650 (see note) |
| Total | $29,650 | $20,256 | $24,376 + lot-size charge |
Salt Lake City’s official lines are the $1,871 water connection fee for a 3/4-inch meter, the $545 sewer connection fee, a $120 new-meter inspection and a $170 sewer lateral inspection, $2,706 in all (SLC Public Utilities, FY2027 schedule); a proposed increase was pending when we checked. Denver’s official lines are a $185 tap, $265 meter, $155 meter inspection, $41 tap stub-in fee and the City of Denver’s $6,480 sewer permit fee, $7,126 in all. Denver Water’s system development charge depends on lot size, so the calculator leaves it out until you enter one; for a 7,000-square-foot lot it is $3,380 + 7,000 × $1.01 = $10,450, which brings the Denver total to $34,826 (Denver Water, effective July 1, 2026; Denver Water other fees; Denver sewer permit fees, January 1, 2026). The gas meter set uses the national estimate of $0, the median of six current tariffs for a gas-heated home within the utility’s free footage. The calculator still prices all 75 feet of gas line at $8.40 a foot, so the $650 is a cushion if your utility’s free footage covers the run. Denver is the weak spot in that assumption: Colorado law (C.R.S. 40-3.2-104.3) bars gas utilities regulated by the state PUC from offering line extension allowances, and Xcel Energy’s April 2022 guide priced a short service at $999 before its allowance. Ask Xcel for its current charge and enter it as a quoted fee.
Notice what does not change: the $17,250 of lines priced at national rates in every column. In low-fee cities, distance is most of the bill. Moving the house 25 feet closer to the street saves an estimated 25 × ($50 + $100 + $15 + $8.40) = $4,335 at typical rates.
Cities with built-in official fees
We hold official fee rows for 122 cities. This list shows some of the larger ones (a few rows are flagged for review on the city page). Each city page shows the fee rows and the local traps. Texas: Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, El Paso, Frisco, McKinney. Southeast: Charlotte, Raleigh, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, Charleston. Mountain West: Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City. West Coast and Midwest: Portland, Seattle, Sacramento, Columbus. Compare them side by side on tap fees by city.
What the calculator can’t see
It does not know whether the main in front of your lot has capacity, whether a main extension is required, or whether an electric transformer is already at its limit. It can’t see rock until you tell it, and it doesn’t price easements, traffic control, unusual pavement restoration, taxes or financing. Non-utility impact fees for roads, parks and schools, which some cities collect with the same permit, are outside its scope. Monthly bills are also outside it; this is a one-time connection estimate. For long water runs, see our guide to the cost to run water line 1000 feet.
Turn the estimate into a quote
Send each utility the address or parcel number, a site plan with the house location, the meter size or electric load, and your target construction date. Ask for an itemized estimate with the fee schedule cited, what work the utility performs versus your contractor, any free-footage or allowance, and when the quote expires. Then get private-side bids for the same routes. When the numbers come back, enter the utility quotes in the quoted-fee fields and compare the private bids with the construction lines.
For raw land start with cost to bring utilities to land. By service: water connection cost, sewer connection cost, cost to run power to property, utility trenching cost, and all our calculators.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this utility connection cost calculator?
The official fee lines are as accurate as the published schedule on its effective date. The construction lines are national estimates with wide ranges; a 75-foot sewer lateral, for example, runs an estimated $3,750–$18,750. Replace them with bids before you rely on the total.
Does it include impact fees?
Yes. For supported cities it includes water and sewer capacity, impact or system development fees at your meter size; elsewhere it uses a national estimate of $3,500–$25,000 combined. It does not include non-utility impact fees such as roads or parks.
Does it include the line from the street to the house?
Yes, as separate per-foot lines for water, sewer, electric and gas. Measure along the real route. If the utility’s tap fee already includes the service to the property line, enter only the distance from the property line to the house.
Why is my utility’s quote different?
The utility may bundle the meter or service line into its fee, apply a free-footage allowance, require a main extension, or use a newer schedule. Fees also change on set dates, such as January 1 in Charleston and March 1 for the Las Vegas regional connection charge.
What meter size should I choose?
Use the size on your plumbing plan. Most single-family homes use 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch. Choosing 1-inch can cost thousands more: Fort Worth’s FY2027 impact fees are $5,828 for 5/8-inch and $14,570 for 1-inch.