Florida Utility Connection Costs (2026): Tap Fees by City

Last reviewed: September 24, 2026By Utility Cost Guide research team

For a new single-family home in the Florida areas we cover, official one-time water and sewer charges run from about $4,400 to about $9,100 before private plumbing. Inside the City of Orlando, OUC water plus city sewer comes to $9,067.50 when OUC installs the whole service, or $4,442.50 when your contractor builds the line and the lot has reclaimed water. Unincorporated Orange County charges $8,060 in capital charges alone. Inside Tampa, the published charges total about $6,465 outside the special CIAC areas, but Tampa’s water schedule is labeled 2021 and needs confirmation. Jacksonville (JEA) is not in our database yet. The utility’s website did not respond when we collected fees, so we give no JEA figures here.

Official fees in Florida

The table lists every Florida fee row in our database, each with its utility, basis, effective date where published and a source link. Rows marked needs-review come from documents older than our freshness threshold. The Florida utilities we cover price capacity per equivalent residential connection or unit (ERC or ERU), and a single-family home usually counts as one. OUC defines its ERC as 275 gallons per day. On top of capacity, the utility charges for the physical connection and meter. In some Tampa areas the city adds a contribution in aid of construction (CIAC) charge.

City	Provider	Water typical new home*	Sewer typical new home*
Orange County	Orange County Utilities (OCU)	$2,790	$5,270
Orlando	Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC)	$6,480	$2,537.50
Tampa	City of Tampa Wastewater Department	—	$1,237

* Simplified sum of default official residential fees for a standard meter and one unit where applicable. Confirm your actual charges with the utility.

City comparison: one house, same assumptions

Official one-time water + sewer charges for one single-family home, smallest listed residential meter (sources: OUC Water Tariff Book, Jan 2026; City of Orlando sewer connection, no date shown; Orange County Utilities, plans on/after Apr 1, 2025; Tampa water fees, labeled Mar 2021; Tampa wastewater capacity fees).

Area and situation	Water	Sewer	Total
Orlando city, OUC installs service, 5/8″, no reclaim	$6,480	$2,587.50	$9,067.50
Orlando city, contractor builds line, 5/8″, no reclaim	$2,785	$2,587.50	$5,372.50
Orlando city, contractor builds line, 5/8″, reclaimed water	$1,855	$2,587.50	$4,442.50
Unincorporated Orange County (capital charges only)	$2,790	$5,270	$8,060 + meter/install
Tampa city, non-CIAC area, 3/4″ (water needs review)	$5,228	$1,237	$6,465
Tampa city, Downtown/South Tampa CIAC area, 3/4″ (water needs review)	$6,680	$1,237	$7,917
Jacksonville (JEA)	Not yet collected

How the rows add up. Orlando, OUC installs: SDC $2,325 + connection $4,155 = $6,480 water. Sewer impact fee $2,537.50 + permit $50 = $2,587.50. Orlando, contractor builds line: SDC $2,325 + meter set $460 = $2,785. With reclaimed water the SDC is $1,395, so water is $1,855. Orange County: $2,790 per ERC water + $5,270 per ERU wastewater. We have not collected OCU’s meter charges, so this row is incomplete. Tampa, non-CIAC: connection $2,800 + capacity $1,713 + meter installation $665 + application $50 = $5,228, plus wastewater capacity $1,237. A $45 deposit is extra. In CIAC areas the capacity fee drops to $1,020, but a $2,145 CIAC charge applies.

Three things stand out. Sewer, not water, is the expensive side in unincorporated Orange County ($5,270). In Tampa, and in Orlando when OUC installs the line, water is the larger side. Who builds the water line changes the Orlando bill by $3,695. And reclaimed water lowers OUC’s capacity charge by $930, while Orange County charges no capital charge for a reclaimed connection.

City pages with every fee row, timing and caveats: Orlando (OUC, City of Orlando and Orange County Utilities) and Tampa water and wastewater.

What is specific to Florida

Split providers. Water and sewer often come from different agencies. In Orlando, OUC supplies water and the city supplies sewer. Outside city limits, a county utility may supply both. A mailing address does not settle it, so check by parcel.
City vs. county lines. Tampa’s water connection fee is higher outside city limits ($3,500 vs. $2,800 for 3/4 inch). Unincorporated Hillsborough County has its own fee schedule. News reports describe a large proposed increase there, but we have not collected or verified the county’s figures.
Plan-date rules. Orange County’s current capital charges apply to plans submitted on or after April 1, 2025, and they are paid right before the building permit.
Septic areas. Some Florida lots have no sewer main nearby. If sewer is not available, see septic vs. sewer cost. If a well is the alternative, see well vs. city water.

Jacksonville/JEA data is not yet collected: jea.com did not respond when we gathered fees on September 24, 2026. JEA prices capacity by gallons per day, so a per-house figure needs JEA’s residential flow assumption. We will add JEA once we can read and verify its current tariff.

Costs beyond the utility’s fees

Budget for the private work between the utility’s connection and the house. These are national estimates, not Florida figures (methodology):

Water service line: $30 to $150 per foot, $50 typical.
Sewer lateral: $50 to $250 per foot, $100 typical.
Trenching in normal soil: $4 to $15 per foot, $8 typical.
Plumbing permit: $100 to $1,300, $300 typical.
New 200-amp electric service on the house side: $1,800 to $6,000, $3,000 typical. See cost to run power to a property.

Worked example: an Orlando city lot with the house 50 feet from the street, OUC installing the water service. The official fees are $9,067.50. OUC’s service charge already covers the line to the meter, so the private water run is from the meter to the house. Typical private work adds 50 × $50 = $2,500 (water) + 50 × $100 = $5,000 (lateral) + $300 (permit), for a planning total near $16,867.50. Model your own lot:

Estimate utility connection costs

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

Location and property State City or utility Property situation Distance from main or pole to building (feet) Meter size Soil or terrain Existing tap Electric service route

Services and site work Water Sewer Electric Gas Road or driveway crossing needed Share one trench where allowed Utility confirms water and sewer may share a trench Pad-mounted transformer needed

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 Water quoted fee ($) Sewer quoted fee ($) Electric quoted fee ($) Gas quoted fee ($) Estimated monthly city utility bill ($) Well depth (feet) Septic pumping interval (years) Replacement horizon (years)

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to connect a new house to water and sewer in Florida?

It depends on the utility. Official charges in our data run from $4,442.50 (Orlando city lot, contractor-built line, reclaimed water) to $9,067.50 (Orlando city lot, OUC installs service). Tampa is about $6,465 outside CIAC areas. Unincorporated Orange County’s capital charges are $8,060 before meter fees.

What is an ERC or ERU?

An equivalent residential connection or unit is the capacity of one typical home, and it is how the Florida utilities we cover scale capacity charges. OUC defines one ERC as 275 gallons per day. Tampa and Orange County count a single-family home as one unit.

What is CIAC on a Florida utility bill?

Contribution in aid of construction is an extra one-time per-ERU water charge in designated areas. In Tampa, Downtown and South Tampa lots pay $2,145 per ERU, and Northeast Area lots pay $2,724, on top of a reduced $1,020 capacity fee.

Does reclaimed water reduce connection fees in Florida?

At OUC, a single-family home with reclaimed water pays a $1,395 system development charge instead of $2,325. Orange County Utilities charges no capital charge for reclaimed-water connections.

Why is there no Jacksonville data?

JEA’s website did not respond when we collected fees on September 24, 2026. We publish only figures we have read in the utility’s own documents, so JEA will be added after we verify its current tariff.

Other state hubs: North Carolina, Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Southeast cities: Charleston, SC, Charlotte and Nashville. Guides: tap fee vs. impact fee, cost to bring utilities to land, sewer connection cost and tap fees by city.

Sources

Water Tariff Book (January 2026), Orlando Utilities Commission. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
Request a Residential Sewer Connection, City of Orlando. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
Utilities Permitting Fees (County Code Sec. 37-5), Orange County Utilities. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
Water Connection and Service Fees (labeled “Updated March 2021”), City of Tampa. Needs review. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
Wastewater Capacity Fees, City of Tampa. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
National cost estimates: Utility Cost Guide benchmark methodology.