Georgetown Utility Systems Tap & Impact Fees (2026)

Inside Georgetown, the City of Georgetown’s utility department, Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS), supplies water and wastewater, and in part of the city it is also the electric provider. A new single-family home assessed on or after August 31, 2026, with a 3/4-inch meter inside city limits, pays about $24,494 in official water and wastewater charges: $12,000 water impact fee, $10,250 wastewater impact fee, a $698.50 water meter connection, a $300 sewer tap and $1,245 in engineering and inspection fees. Where GUS also provides electricity, a $318 electric connect fee brings the total to $24,812. The biggest caveat is the assessment date. Georgetown locks the impact-fee rate on the date the subdivision’s preliminary plat application was accepted as complete, so a house in an older subdivision can owe $5,000 or more less than one on a newly platted lot.

Georgetown connection fees at a glance

The table below lists every Georgetown row in our database, each linked to its ordinance or resolution. The impact fees are quoted per service unit equivalent (SUE). Under Table 13.32.050(B) of the city code, a detached single-family home counts as 1.0 SUE no matter which meter it gets. A small home, up to 1,200 square feet of conditioned space with no automatic irrigation system, counts as 0.667 SUE. Each service has four impact-fee rows because Ordinance 2025-40 phases the fee in and keeps older rates for development already assessed; you pay one. The water meter connection appears twice because it rises on October 1, 2026.

What a new Georgetown house pays: worked example

Assumptions: detached house inside city limits, standard 3/4-inch meter (Georgetown does not list a 5/8-inch water connection), 1.0 SUE, meter connected on or after October 1, 2026. Impact fees come from Ordinance 2025-40 (adopted August 12, 2025). The water connection is from Ordinance 2026-34 (FY2027). The inspection fees and sewer tap are from Ordinance 2025-48 and Ordinance 2025-49, both effective October 1, 2025.

Georgetown water and wastewater charges for one home, by impact-fee assessment date. Impact fee = rate per SUE × 1.0 SUE.

Adjustments:

• Meter set before October 1, 2026. The FY2026 inside-city charge for a 3/4-inch connection is $640, so subtract $58.50.
• Small home, 0.667 SUE. At Phase 2 rates the impact fees fall to 0.667 × $12,000 = $8,004 for water and 0.667 × $10,250 = $6,836.75 for wastewater. With the same $2,243.50 in meter, tap and inspection charges, the water and wastewater total is $17,084.25.
• Lot outside city limits but on city water. The FY2027 outside-city 3/4-inch connection is $768.40 instead of $698.50, and the outside-city 4-inch sewer tap is $450 instead of $300.

Electric: what GUS charges for a new home

In Georgetown the same municipal utility can bill for water, sewer and electricity. Parts of the city are served by other electric utilities, so confirm the provider for your parcel first. Where GUS serves the lot, its Electric Line Extension and Electric Meter Connect Policy (Resolution 071426-5.H, effective August 1, 2026) sets these charges:

• Connect fee, $318 per meter for single-phase residential service up to 400 amps. It covers the meter, installation and the first meter inspection, and it must be paid before the building permit is issued. Service over 400 amps is billed at actual cost.
• Line extension fee, $4,151 per dwelling unit, plus a $714 Plant Investment Fee. These pay for the subdivision’s distribution system (conductor, transformers, metering equipment) and are charged to the applicant for a residential development, usually the developer, before construction. The total is $4,865 per lot. Because the developer pays it, we leave it out of the typical total.
• Single-lot line extension application, $431, non-refundable, when one existing lot needs new or upgraded service. GUS then quotes the construction cost separately.

What Georgetown’s fees don’t cover

The city’s charges end at the meter and the sewer tap. The pipe on your side of those connections is private work:

• Water service line from the meter to the house. National estimate $30–$150 per foot installed, including trenching, typically about $50. A 60-foot run at $50 is $3,000. See water service line cost.
• Sewer lateral from the house to the tap. National estimate $50–$250 per foot, including trenching, typically about $100. A 60-foot lateral is about $6,000. See sewer lateral cost.
• Rock. Where a trench hits rock, excavation costs multiply (national estimate 2.5×–7× normal soil). See utility trenching cost.
• Building and plumbing permits, which are separate from utility fees. National estimate for a plumbing permit is $100–$1,300.

National figures are estimates from our benchmark set, not Georgetown quotes. To combine Georgetown’s official fees with your own line lengths:

When you pay Georgetown connection fees

• Impact fees are assessed early and collected late. The rate is fixed on the assessment date: for a subdivision, the date the preliminary plat application was accepted as administratively complete. For a lot that needs no preliminary plat, it is the date the utility connect application was submitted. The fee is collected when the building permit is issued. An expired or dormant preliminary plat is reassessed at the rate then in effect.
• Sewer taps are paid when the building permit is issued, under Sec. 13.04.160.
• Water meter. The city installs the meter once the water tap rate is paid.
• Electric connect fee is also due before the building permit is issued.
• Opening the account costs $80 (Ordinance 2025-50); requests need two business days’ notice, or $230 for same-day service.

Georgetown fee changes to watch

• August 31, 2027: Phase 3 impact fees take effect for new assessments. Water rises to $13,000 per SUE and wastewater to $13,500, which adds $4,250 per home over Phase 2. The adopted maximums are $13,835 and $13,577. Why tap fees keep going up explains the Texas impact fee rules behind phased increases.
• October 1, 2026: the 3/4-inch inside-city water connection rises from $640 to $698.50.
• Electric policy: GUS amended the line extension policy three times between October 2025 and July 2026, and it reviews those costs every year. Recheck the $318 connect fee and $4,151 line extension fee before you budget.

How Georgetown compares with Austin

Georgetown’s connection charges are roughly double those of its neighbor to the south. For a 3/4-inch meter, Austin Water’s published charges come to about $11,997 on a lot platted after October 1, 2023. Georgetown charges $24,493.50 for water and wastewater at Phase 2 rates. Most of the gap is impact fees. Austin charges $4,800 plus $2,900 per service unit, and a 3/4-inch meter counts as 1.5 units. Georgetown charges $12,000 plus $10,250, and every standard single-family home counts as 1.0 SUE regardless of meter size. Both lock the rate early, Austin by plat date and Georgetown by preliminary plat application.

Georgetown tap fee FAQ

South of Georgetown, Round Rock water and wastewater impact fees are another Williamson County comparison.

Related: Texas utility connection costs by city · tap fee vs. impact fee · water tap fees · sewer tap fees · cost to run power to a property · Austin fees · utility connection cost calculator

Sources for Georgetown figures

• Ordinance No. 2025-40, Water and Wastewater Impact Fees (Chapter 13.32), City of Georgetown, adopted Aug 12, 2025 (checked Sep 24, 2026)
• Ordinance No. 2026-34, Water Rates and Water Tap Fees for FY2027, City of Georgetown (checked Sep 24, 2026)
• Ordinance No. 2025-48, Water Rates and Water Tap Fees for FY2026, City of Georgetown (checked Sep 24, 2026)
• Ordinance No. 2025-49, Wastewater Rates and Sewer Tap Rates, City of Georgetown (checked Sep 24, 2026)
• Ordinance No. 2025-50, Miscellaneous Utility Fees, City of Georgetown (checked Sep 24, 2026)
• Resolution 071426-5.H, July 2026 Electric Line Extension and Electric Meter Connect Policy, City of Georgetown (checked Sep 24, 2026)