Des Moines Water Works Tap & System Development Fees (2026)
In Des Moines, water comes from Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) and the sanitary sewer belongs to the City of Des Moines, whose Permit and Development Center issues the permit for the new sewer and water service lines. For a new single-family house inside the city, the published 2026 charges come to $2,037.25: DMWW’s $1,500 system development fee and $460 tap charge for a 1-inch tap, plus the city’s $77.25 permit for installing the sewer and water services. DMWW sets the meter at no charge. The caveat that matters most is location. The same 1-inch service costs $3,600 in system development fees in DMWW’s outlying service areas, and a lot inside one of the city’s sewer benefited districts can owe a per-acre sewer connection fee on top.
Official Des Moines fees in one table
DMWW’s figures come from its Schedule of Charges (Rules and Regulations Section 511), effective January 1, 2026. DMWW prices by tap size, not meter size, and its smallest tap is 1 inch, so a house with a 5/8-inch meter still pays the 1-inch rows. Rows marked not typical apply only to larger services, other service areas or particular districts.
| Service | Category | Fee | Meter | Amount | Basis | Effective | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General — Permit | ||||||||
| General | Permit | Plumbing permit for plumbing installations associated with the construction of new dwellings | — | $206 | flat fee | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
| Sewer — Connection | ||||||||
| Sewer | Connection | Connection fee, Southeast Ridge Area Trunk Sanitary Sewer System Benefited District (Sec. 118-215) | — | $3,297.71 | formula | — | Official source | 2026-09-25 Confirm with utility |
| Sewer | Connection | Sewer connection fee for connections from outside the city (Sec. 118-204(5)) | — | See formula | formula | — | Official source | 2026-09-25 Confirm with utility |
| Sewer — Permit | ||||||||
| Sewer | Permit | Plumbing permit for installation of sewer and water services only for new dwellings | — | $77.25 | flat fee | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
| Water — Impact | ||||||||
| Water | Impact | System Development Fee, All Other Service Areas (outside City of Des Moines), 1-inch metered connection Other DMWW service areas (outside city) | 1" | $3,600 | by meter size | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
| Water | Impact | System Development Fee, Des Moines, 1-inch metered connection Inside City of Des Moines | 1" | $1,500 | by meter size | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
| Water | Impact | System Development Fee, Des Moines, 2-inch metered connection | 2" | $3,750 | by meter size | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
| Water — Tap | ||||||||
| Water | Tap | Uniform Tap Charge, 1-inch tap (2-inch through 16-inch main) 1-inch tap | 1" | $460 | by meter size | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
| Water | Tap | Uniform Tap Charge, 2-inch tap (4-inch through 8-inch main) 2-inch tap | 2" | $1,675 | by meter size | 2026-01-01 | Official source | 2026-09-25 |
Worked example: a new home in Des Moines
Assume a new house on a lot inside the Des Moines city limits that fronts a DMWW main between 2 and 16 inches in diameter, a 1-inch service with a 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch meter, and a sewer connection to a city sewer outside any benefited district. The system development fee is Table 511.6 and the tap charge is Table 511.7 of DMWW’s 2026 Schedule of Charges. The permit is from the city’s Permit and Development Center fee schedule, new fees effective 1-1-26.
Published DMWW and City of Des Moines charges for one new home (contractor’s work not included).
| Case | System development fee | Tap charge | City sewer/water service permit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Des Moines, 1-inch tap | $1,500.00 | $460.00 | $77.25 | $2,037.25 |
| Inside Des Moines, 2-inch tap on a 6- or 8-inch main | $3,750.00 | $1,675.00 | $77.25 | $5,502.25 |
| DMWW “all other service areas,” 1-inch tap (water only) | $3,600.00 | $460.00 | not a Des Moines permit | $4,060.00 |
The third row, for comparison, covers areas such as unincorporated Polk County.
The city also charges $206 for the whole-house plumbing permit on a new dwelling. That is a building-permit item, so we leave it out. The schedule does not say whether it also covers the service lines. If it does, the $77.25 services-only permit would not be charged on top, and the published utility charges for the first row would be $1,960. Ask the Permit and Development Center which applies.
What is not included in Des Moines fees
The biggest costs are private work by a licensed plumbing contractor:
- Water service line from the main to the meter. DMWW requires at least 1-inch inside diameter, type K copper, red brass or PEX with tracer wire, at least 5 feet of cover, and a curb stop in a stop box 1 to 6 feet from the property line. National estimate $30–$150 per foot, typically about $50, with trenching in normal soil included. See water service line cost.
- The tap excavation. The contractor digs and shores the hole before DMWW arrives. For a 1-inch tap it must be at least 3 by 5 feet and reach 12 inches behind and below the main.
- Building sewer from the house to the city sewer. National estimate $50–$250 per foot, typically about $100, trenching included. See sewer lateral cost.
- A meter pit, at the owner’s expense, if there is no suitable spot inside the house or the private part of the service runs more than 250 feet.
- Electric and gas. We did not verify a MidAmerican Energy line-extension charge. For rock or deep digging, see utility trenching cost.
National figures are estimates from our benchmark set. Put your contractor’s quote into the calculator, which loads Des Moines’ official fees:
Estimate utility connection costs
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.
When you pay Des Moines connection fees
The contractor first gets the city permits (right-of-way and plumbing) and gives DMWW the permit numbers. Under Rule 503.1.5, DMWW will not approve a water service application until the system development fee, tap charge and anything else owed have been paid. DMWW makes every tap itself on 48 hours’ notice and bills the plumbing contractor who signs for it; that contractor must hold an Iowa plumbing license and post a $20,000 annual bond with DMWW. DMWW sets the meter free but charges $40 if the meter setting is incomplete when the crew arrives.
Sewer connections need a city permit. Inside a benefited district created under Municipal Code Sec. 118-208, the connection application must be approved, the per-acre district fee paid and any connection structures the city engineer requires built, in addition to the plumbing permit.
What could change in Des Moines
- Annual increases. Rule 511.3 says charges in the Schedule of Charges are escalated each year based on the Engineering News-Record Construction Cost Index. The 2026 increase was larger than that. An archived copy of DMWW’s January 1, 2025 schedule showed a $950 system development fee and a $410 tap for a 1-inch service in Des Moines. The 2026 figures are $1,500 and $460, so the two charges together went from $1,360 to $1,960. Expect new figures each January.
- Stale district figures. The only benefited-district amount we read is Southeast Ridge’s $3,297.71 per acre from a 2004 ordinance. That ordinance allowed the fee to be lowered to actual construction cost and said the city intended to add a schedule raising it each July 1 by 9% simple interest. We did not find the current figure; treat it as a flag, not a price.
How Des Moines compares with Omaha and Kansas City
A standard new home in Des Moines pays $2,037.25 in published charges, between Kansas City’s $858 with KC Water and Omaha’s $3,155.25 with M.U.D. and the city. Des Moines’ $1,500 system development fee is smaller than M.U.D.’s $2,112 impact fee; Kansas City has no such fee in the documents we read. Des Moines’ $460 tap sits between Omaha’s $597 and KC Water’s $303. The meter is where Des Moines saves most: DMWW sets it free, while M.U.D. charges $393 and KC Water $239.50 plus a $73.50 set fee.
Des Moines tap fee FAQ
How much does it cost to connect a new house to water and sewer in Des Moines?
Inside the city, DMWW charges a $1,500 system development fee and a $460 tap charge for a 1-inch service in 2026, and the city charges $77.25 for the sewer and water services permit. That is $2,037.25 in published charges before the contractor’s digging and pipe, which usually cost more.
What is the DMWW system development fee?
It is a one-time charge on every new water service that helps pay for treatment, pumping, storage and distribution capacity for new customers. It is based on tap size: $1,500 for a 1-inch tap and $3,750 for a 2-inch tap inside Des Moines in 2026. Outlying service areas pay more, for example $3,600 for 1 inch in the “all other service areas” group.
Can I get a smaller tap to lower the fees?
No. DMWW’s minimum tap is 1 inch and new residential service lines must be at least 1 inch inside diameter. The meter can still be 5/8 inch; DMWW sizes meters up to 1-1/2 inches from the expected flow.
Do I pay for the water meter?
Not for a normal installation; DMWW installs meters without charge. The $143 listed for a 5/8-inch meter sits in the Schedule of Charges’ meters section, which covers damaged or lost meters.
Is there a sewer connection fee in Des Moines?
There is no general per-home sewer connection fee in the documents we read, only the $77.25 permit. Lots inside a benefited district pay a per-acre connection fee set by that district’s ordinance. Properties outside the city that are allowed to connect pay a formula fee of $0.015 per square foot of lot plus $7.76 per front foot where no trunk-sewer fee is set.
Does the Wastewater Reclamation Authority charge a connection fee?
We found no WRA connection or capacity charge for a new home in the city and DMWW documents we read or in a search of WRA’s website. WRA treats Des Moines’ wastewater and says it is funded through sewer fees paid by its member communities, which reach homeowners through city sewer bills.
Related: water tap fees · sewer tap fees · tap fee vs. impact fee · water meter installation cost · Omaha fees · Kansas City fees · Minneapolis fees · utility connection cost calculator · cost to hook up to city water
Official documents behind the Des Moines figures
- Rules and Regulations Section 511, Schedule of Charges (Tables 511.6, 511.7, 511.9.3; effective January 1, 2026), Des Moines Water Works (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- System Development Fees and Tap Fees web pages, Des Moines Water Works (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Rules and Regulations Section 503, Applications for Installation of Water Service (2026), Des Moines Water Works (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Rules and Regulations Section 504, Taps and Connections (2026), Des Moines Water Works (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Rules and Regulations Section 505, Water Service Installation (2026), Des Moines Water Works (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Rules and Regulations Section 509, Water Meters (2026), Des Moines Water Works (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Permit and Development Center Permit Fees, new fees effective 1-1-26, City of Des Moines (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Ordinance No. 15,733, amending Municipal Code Secs. 118-204 and 118-208 (sewer connection fees), City of Des Moines (checked Sep 25, 2026)
- Ordinance No. 14,394 (2004), Sec. 118-215, Southeast Ridge Area Trunk Sanitary Sewer benefited district, City of Des Moines (checked Sep 25, 2026)