Cary, NC Water & Sewer Tap and Development Fees (2026)

The Town of Cary provides both water and sewer to addresses in its utility service area, and it sizes the development fees for a new house by the home’s square footage, not by the meter. For a single-family home with 2,401 to 3,100 square feet under roof on a subdivision lot where the developer’s contractor already built the services, the fiscal 2027 total is $6,766: a $2,548 water development fee, a $3,683 sewer development fee and $535 for Cary to set a 1-inch meter (Town of Cary FY2027 Fee Schedule, fiscal year starting July 1, 2026). If the Town has to make both taps on an infill lot, the meter charge is replaced by a $6,237 full water tap and a $4,569 sewer tap, and the total becomes $17,037 before any street cut. Check the measurement before you budget: Cary bases the fee on total area under roof, and the schedule does not say it is limited to heated space. On our reading, that means a covered porch or garage could put a home in a higher tier than its listed square footage suggests, so confirm the figure with Cary.

Cary connection fees at a glance

The table lists every Town of Cary row we verified from the FY2027 schedule. Utility system development fees are Cary’s capacity charges, in five square-footage tiers that apply in all areas Cary serves. Utility connection fees pay Town crews: a “full tap” connects at the main, runs the service to the property line and includes the meter, box and yoke, while “meter only” sets a meter in an existing box. Street cuts, irrigation split taps, deposits and the new-account charge apply only as their notes describe. The smallest size in Cary’s connection table is 1 inch.

Worked example: a new home in Cary

Assumptions: one detached house on Cary water and sewer, no irrigation meter, FY2027 fees, a 1-inch meter, and no street or sidewalk cut unless stated. Columns A to C vary house size on a subdivision lot; D is an infill lot.

Town of Cary one-time water and sewer charges for one house, FY2027 (source: Cary FY2027 Fee Schedule, utility system development fees and utility connection fees).

The arithmetic: A is $2,077 + $3,162 + $535 = $5,774. B is $2,548 + $3,683 + $535 = $6,766. C is $3,067 + $4,108 + $535 = $7,710. D is $2,548 + $3,683 + $6,237 + $4,569 = $17,037. The smallest tier (under 1,700 square feet) totals $1,670 + $2,258 + $535 = $4,463, and the largest (over 3,800 square feet) totals $3,928 + $5,225 + $535 = $9,688.

On an infill lot, installation is the bigger cost. In case D, $10,806 of the $17,037 is the two taps. Cary adds $1,675 for each curb cut, street cut or bore the work needs, and $1,740 for each 5-by-5-foot sidewalk section it has to replace. One street cut raises D to $18,712. If both the water and sewer taps need a street cut, the total is $20,387. A lawn irrigation meter is a separate choice. It adds a $2,814 split tap plus a $1,639 potable-irrigation development fee per lot, $4,453 in all.

How Cary compares with Raleigh and other North Carolina cities

The figures below come from each city’s page on this site. Meter sizes differ and Cary’s fees follow house size, so read this as a budget comparison, not a like-for-like price list.

Official one-time water and sewer charges for a single-family home, FY2027 (Cary: 2,401–3,100 sq ft, 1″ meter; other cities from our Raleigh, Charlotte, Concord and Wilmington pages).

Against Raleigh, the subdivision-lot gap is $2,806, almost all capacity charges: Cary’s $6,231 in development fees against Raleigh’s $3,670 for a 5/8-inch meter. On an infill lot it narrows to $2,166, because Cary’s two taps ($10,806, meter included) cost slightly less than Raleigh’s ($10,911). In Raleigh a bigger meter raises the fees; in Cary a bigger house does.

What is not included in Cary fees

Cary’s tap prices stop at the property line, and the development fees buy capacity only. Your builder or plumber still has to connect the house:

• Water service line from the meter to the house: $30 to $150 per foot, about $50 typical, trench included (national estimate).
• Sewer lateral from the house to the property-line cleanout: $50 to $250 per foot, about $100 typical, trench included (national estimate).
• Trenching on its own: $4 to $15 per foot in normal soil, about $8 typical (national estimate), more in rock.
• Plumbing permit: $100 to $1,300, about $300 typical (national estimate).

A house set 60 feet back would add roughly 60 × $50 = $3,000 for water and 60 × $100 = $6,000 for sewer at typical prices. These ranges come from our national benchmark set, not from Cary. Building permit fees and Cary’s transportation development fees (Land Development Ordinance section 7.11), both charged at permit issuance, are also left out. Build your own total with the calculator:

When you pay Cary connection fees

• Development fees are due at building permit issuance. For a new house they are based on the total area under roof for each meter. A residential addition pays on the area it adds.
• The Town does the tap work. The connection fees apply when Cary crews make a tap or set a meter. Connections not on the schedule are estimated by the Public Works Director and paid in advance, with a refund or extra charge once actual costs are known.
• Utility inspection fees. On land that needs development plan or plot plan approval, the owner pays $100 per tap and $1.25 per foot of line when the final plan is submitted. In a new subdivision that is usually the developer.
• Opening the account costs an $18 new-service charge plus a deposit per meter, $100 for a 1-inch meter or $60 for a 5/8-inch meter, unless Finance Policy 112 waives it. A second trip, such as a meter set the site was not ready for, costs $100.

For help calculating development fees on a specific lot, the schedule points to 311 inside Cary or (919) 469-4000 outside it.

What could change in Cary

These are Cary’s FY2027 fees, for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Cary’s fees page says the document was extracted from the proposed FY2027 operating budget. Town Council adopted that budget on June 25, 2026, and its list of changes to the recommended budget touched only fire permit and commercial alteration fees, not the utility fees used here (Town of Cary budget page). The adopted budget also raised monthly base charges, which are not part of these one-time totals. If you pull a permit after June 30, 2027, check the FY2028 schedule. In Council-designated “Special Utility Areas,” Cary collects the water and sewer development fees as one combined fee, which should not change the totals above.

Common questions about Cary fees

Where to go next from Cary

Compare Cary with Raleigh, Charlotte, Concord and Wilmington on the North Carolina utility connection costs hub, or see the national tap fees by city table. Background: tap fee vs. impact fee, sewer tap fees, water service line cost and utility costs for new construction. For a full budget, use the utility connection cost calculator.

Official documents behind the Cary figures

• Cary Fiscal Year 2027 Fee Schedule (FY2027 Fees and Charges), Town of Cary. Utility inspection fees, utility system development fees, utility connection fees and utility deposits. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Fees (residential permits and inspections), Town of Cary. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Water Rates and Utility Fees, Town of Cary. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• FY 2027 Adopted Budget, Town of Cary. Adoption date and changes to the recommended budget. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• National cost estimates: Utility Cost Guide benchmark methodology.