Boise Sewer Connection Fees and Water Hookup Costs (2026)

In Boise, two different organizations connect a new house. The City of Boise’s Water Renewal utility handles sewer, and Veolia Water Idaho, a private company regulated by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, supplies water at most addresses. A 2,100-square-foot single-family home on a low-density lot pays $4,549.20 in city sewer connection fees for fiscal 2026. That is a $2,647.06 treatment fee plus a $1,902.14 trunk fee, and a separate $84.42 tap-in permit brings it to $4,633.62. Veolia’s tariff has no hookup or capacity fee when its main already runs along the front of the lot. The caveat that matters most is timing. Boise is finishing a three-year phase-in, and the FY 2027 Proposed Budget would raise the same home’s sewer fees to $5,133 on October 1, 2026.

Boise connection fees at a glance

Boise’s sewer connection fee has two parts. The treatment fee depends on the home’s size, in five square-footage bands. The trunk fee depends on how densely the lot is developed, in three bands measured in dwelling units per acre. You pay one treatment band and one trunk band, not every row. The table lists each band from the fee-change tables in the city’s FY 2026 Adopted Budget, along with the FY 2027 proposed figures, which are marked for review because they had not been confirmed as adopted when we checked. Two rows apply only to some lots. The equivalent assessment is charged only when a lot has never paid for the sewer main in its street. The public service line fee applies where the city provides the public service line. Veolia’s rows come from its IPUC-approved tariff, effective June 1, 2025.

Worked example: a new home in Boise

Assumptions: a detached home inside Boise, served by city sewer and Veolia water, on a lot whose sewer main was already paid for (no equivalent assessment), with a Veolia main along the front of the lot. “Low density” means fewer than 6 dwelling units per acre. Since an acre is 43,560 square feet, that works out to lots larger than about 7,260 square feet (43,560 ÷ 6).

Boise sewer connection fees for four typical homes: FY2026 adopted vs FY2027 proposed

How the rows add up. For the 2,100-square-foot home: $2,647.06 + $1,902.14 = $4,549.20. Add the $84.42 tap-in permit and the city total is $4,633.62. Under the proposed FY2027 schedule the same home pays $3,019 + $2,114 = $5,133, which is $583.80 more. The largest band moves the most. A home over 2,800 square feet would go from $3,824.50 to $5,243 in treatment fees alone, and its low-density total would rise by $7,357 − $5,726.64 = $1,630.36.

Water adds nothing in connection fees in the base case. Veolia’s tariff says it makes the connection to a main that fronts the property and installs the service line from the main through the meter box, including the meter. It also says new service connections carry no charge during business hours; a connection requested outside business hours costs $25.

A lot that has never been served changes the math. If the lot was split, never developed or never connected, Boise adds an equivalent assessment based on lot area: $2,362.12 for lots up to 6,000 square feet, $2,755.80 for 6,001–8,000 and $3,543.18 for 8,001–10,000 in FY2026. With a $2,755.80 assessment, the 2,100-square-foot example rises to $4,633.62 + $2,755.80 = $7,389.42.

What is not included in Boise fees

The city says its connection fee does not cover the physical connection from the building to the edge of the right-of-way. That sewer lateral is built by your plumber or contractor. On the water side, Veolia installs the line only as far as the meter box, so the pipe from the meter to the house is yours. You still need a plumbing permit, trenching and possibly street work. National estimates (methodology):

• Sewer lateral: $50–$250 per foot, typical $100. At 50 feet, about $5,000.
• Private water line from the meter to the house: $30–$150 per foot, typical $50. At 50 feet, about $2,500.
• Street cut or bore, if one is needed: $1,000–$10,000 per crossing, typical $4,000.

Electric service from Idaho Power is covered by its line-extension tariff (Rule H). We were not able to retrieve the current version for this review, so this page lists no electric figures. For national ranges, see cost to run power to a property. We also have no published Intermountain Gas hookup figure on file.

How and when Boise fees are paid

Under Boise City Code 10-2-6-2, sewer connection fees are due before sewer service begins. They buy capacity at the city’s water renewal facilities (the treatment fee) and in the pipes that carry wastewater there (the trunk fee). The tap-in permit, $84.42 per sewer tap in FY2026, covers the physical tap. For questions about connection fees, the city lists its sewer rating staff at 208-608-7150.

On the water side, if no Veolia main fronts the lot, the tariff requires an individual-residence main extension agreement. Veolia pays for the extension when it costs $500 or less per service connection. Above that, the owner deposits the estimated cost of the extension, priced as an 8-inch main, minus the $500 allowance. When several owners ask for the same extension, the cost is normally divided by front footage.

Boise fee changes to watch

• October 1, 2026 (proposed): the FY 2027 Proposed Budget lists single-family treatment fees of $3,019 for 701–2,100 sq ft, $3,706 for 2,101–2,800 sq ft and $5,243 over 2,800 sq ft, with the low-density trunk fee at $2,114. Medium- and high-density trunk fees ($909 and $254) and the under-700 sq ft treatment fee ($1,647) would not change. The proposed budget set the public hearing on these fee changes for July 14, 2026, and says approved increases generally take effect at the start of FY 2027. As of September 24, 2026, the city’s budget library still listed only the proposed FY 2027 budget, so we could not confirm adoption.
• These amounts finish the three-year move to full cost of service that began October 1, 2024. The FY 2027 Proposed Budget also says that, starting in FY 2027, the city will raise fees proactively to keep up with rising costs. Before paying, check the fee-change table in the latest adopted budget.
• Veolia’s tariff is set by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The version we read took effect June 1, 2025 under Order No. 36624.

Boise tap fee FAQ

Related guides for Boise

Nampa, west of Meridian, also runs its own water and sewer systems; see Nampa water and sewer hookup fees.

West of Boise, the City of Meridian runs its own water and sewer utilities; see Meridian water and sewer connection fees for its assessment schedule.

sewer tap fee · water tap fee · cost to run power to a property · Salt Lake City tap fees · tap fees by city · utility connection cost calculator

Official documents behind the Boise figures

• FY 2026 Adopted Budget, Fee Changes, City of Boise. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• FY 2027 Proposed Budget, Fee Changes, City of Boise. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Sewer Connections and Fees, City of Boise Public Works. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Boise City Code 10-2-6, Fee Authority; Credits, City of Boise. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Water Renewal Connection Fees Updates (council memo, May 10, 2024), City of Boise Public Works. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Veolia Water Idaho tariff, effective June 1, 2025 (IPUC Order No. 36624), Veolia Water Idaho. Checked Sep 24, 2026.