Methodology
Utility Cost Guide separates published utility charges from user inputs and national planning estimates. Each calculator line item carries a label so you can see where its value came from and which amounts still need confirmation.
Data types and calculator labels
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Official fee | A charge from a utility or government primary document that our team has verified. The line links to its source and shows its effective and verification dates. It applies only to the stated provider, customer class, meter size, and basis. |
| Your input | An amount you entered, such as a quote or known fee. We use it in place of a planning value for that item; we do not verify your entry. |
| National estimate | A planning benchmark drawn from cited source material. It is not an official local fee. See benchmarks. |
| Calculated | An amount produced by calculator math, such as distance multiplied by a per-foot estimate. The formula and the underlying estimate are shown. |
Collecting official fees
For official fee rows, we use primary documents published by the utility or responsible government body: fee schedules, ordinances, tariffs, rate sheets, and board resolutions. We record the amount or range, charging basis, meter size, customer class, effective date or fiscal year, source URL, and date verified. We retain the fee name as published and identify the provider and jurisdiction. A public summary is not substituted for the underlying document when that document is available.
Verification status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | The row was checked against its cited official source and its recorded details matched. |
| Needs review | A report, source change, missing detail, or import difference needs a fresh check; it is not presented as a confirmed current fee. |
| Stale | The last verification is more than 12 months old. It may still be displayed with a warning, but its current applicability needs confirmation. |
| Superseded | A newer published fee replaced this record. It is retained for provenance, not treated as a current charge. |
We check source links weekly. A working link alone does not prove a fee remains current. Records move to stale after 12 months without verification and enter the review queue.
Per-unit and formula charges
Some utilities charge by equivalent dwelling unit (EDU), equivalent residential unit (ERU), service unit (SU), fixture unit, area, or a utility-specific formula. We display the published basis and formula instead of converting it to a flat fee unless the utility publishes the multiplier needed for that conversion. Charges listed as variable or actual cost likewise need a utility quote. You can enter a quoted amount as Your input.
Calculator math
The calculator builds a total from separate fee and construction line items. For distance-based work, it multiplies the entered feet by the relevant per-foot low, typical, and high values. Soil selections adjust trenching with the documented multiplier. Where water, sewer, electric, or gas work can share a trench, the model treats shared excavation as one line item instead of charging a full trench for each service. Road crossings, permits, and other applicable items appear separately.
Estimated line items and totals are rounded to the nearest $50 for planning; official fees are displayed at their published amounts. Low and high describe the source-backed range of scenarios, not guaranteed bounds. Typical is a central planning value, usually a median of published schedules where those exist. Project conditions and utility rules can put an actual quote outside the range.
National benchmarks
The table below lists the estimate components, units, source links, and method notes. Where comparable published schedules exist, typical is generally their median and low and high are the observed minimum and maximum. For some work, a published lump sum was divided by an assumed length to derive a per-foot figure; the assumption is stated in the row’s method note. Older figures were adjusted with a construction-cost index only where documented; the report applies no adjustment beyond 2023. Consumer-site data is generally a secondary cross-check, though the well-drilling per-foot row relies on it because a usable government schedule was not retrieved. Soil multipliers and pad-mount transformer costs also have limited published evidence. Review the row’s source and method note before using it.
What an estimate leaves out
Unless a specific line item says otherwise, the calculator does not include private plumbing inside the home, landscaping restoration, engineering, easements, HOA charges, or taxes. Site conditions, capacity upgrades, required permits, and utility-specific allowances can change the scope. Get a written utility determination and contractor quote before committing to a project.
See the sources and data policy for source selection and the fee database for downloadable official records.