Oregon Utility Connection Costs (2026): Water and Sewer SDCs by City
In Oregon, a new single-family home pays $13,757 in City of Bend water and sewer system development charges (SDCs) for a 1,601–2,200 sq ft home with a 3/4-inch meter, fiscal 2026-27, and roughly $21,000 in Portland Water Bureau and Portland Environmental Services (BES) charges for a 5/8-inch meter and a new service under the same fiscal year, unless a temporary housing SDC exemption applies. The two cities don’t price a connection the same way: Bend charges by the size of the house, and Portland charges by meter size for water plus separate plumbing-fixture and impervious-area formulas for sewer and stormwater. Our database covers the City of Bend and the City of Portland (Water Bureau and BES) so far. Other Oregon utilities are not yet collected, and we say so rather than guess.
Official fees in Oregon
The table below lists every verified Oregon fee row in our database, with utility, meter size or tier, fiscal year and a link to the source document. Bend prices its water and sewer SDCs by the home’s square-footage tier, not by meter size; a separate, much smaller charge covers only the physical meter ($825 for 3/4 inch). Portland prices its water SDC by meter size, then adds a Water Bureau service installation charge and two Bureau of Environmental Services charges: a sanitary SDC priced per drainage fixture unit (DFU) and a stormwater SDC priced per 1,000 sq ft of new impervious area.
| City | Provider | Water typical new home* | Sewer typical new home* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bend | City of Bend | $7,600 | $6,157 |
| Portland | Portland Environmental Services (BES) | $5,483 | $623 |
* 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
FY2026-27 official water and sewer charges for one single-family home (sources: City of Bend 2026-2027 SDC Fee Schedule; Portland Water Bureau FY 2026-2027 Rates, Charges, and Fees and BES Full List of Rates and Charges; all effective July 1, 2026).
| Situation | Bend | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-size home, smallest standard meter | $13,757 (1,601–2,200 sq ft home, 3/4″ meter) | $21,004 (5/8″ meter, new service, no SDC exemption) | $7,247 |
| Larger home / larger meter | $22,383 (over 3,001 sq ft home, 3/4″ meter) | $34,783 (1″ meter, new service, with paving) | $12,400 |
How the rows are built. Bend: water SDC $6,775 + sewer SDC $6,157 + 3/4-inch meter installation $825 = $13,757 for a 1,601–2,200 sq ft home (Tier 4). For a home over 3,001 sq ft (Tier 6), $14,438 water SDC + $7,120 sewer SDC + $825 meter = $22,383. Bend’s transportation SDC, $10,230 for the Tier 4 home, is a separate city charge, not a water or sewer charge, so it is not counted in these totals. Portland: $5,483 water SDC + $8,464 new 1-inch service installation + $5,607 sanitary SDC (15 DFU × 60% × $623) + $1,450 stormwater SDC (2,500 sq ft × $580 per 1,000) = $21,004, using Portland’s own illustrative DFU and impervious-area assumptions rather than a published typical count. With a 1-inch meter, a new service with paving, 25 DFU and 3,500 sq ft of impervious area: $13,707 + $9,701 + $9,345 + $2,030 = $34,783.
Split the totals apart and the gap is less about pipe cost than about how each city measures new demand. Bend scales its two SDCs to the size of the house, so a home’s combined water-and-sewer SDC runs from $6,115 (under 600 sq ft) to $21,558 (over 3,001 sq ft) before the $825–$1,015 meter charge. Portland scales its water SDC to meter size ($5,483 at 5/8 inch, $13,707 at 1 inch) and its two BES SDCs to the plumbing plan and the paved or roofed area, so two houses of the same square footage can owe different sewer and stormwater SDCs depending on fixture count and impervious area. Portland’s own service installation charge, $8,464, is by itself more than half of Bend’s entire $13,757 total.
City pages with the full fee rows, worked examples and local caveats: Bend SDCs and tap fees and Portland SDCs and tap fees.
What decides your number
- House size versus meter size. Bend’s water and sewer SDCs are set by the home’s square-footage tier and don’t change with meter size (only the $825–$1,015 meter installation charge does). Portland’s water SDC scales with meter size, and its BES sewer and stormwater SDCs scale with plumbing fixture count and impervious area, so two similarly sized Portland homes can owe different amounts.
- Whether an SDC exemption or deferral applies. In Portland, permits for new housing units issued between August 15, 2025 and September 30, 2028 may be exempt from SDCs under certain conditions; if that exemption covered all three Portland SDCs, the $21,004 illustrative case would fall to just the $8,464 installation charge. Bend’s SDC Deferral Program, open since January 1, 2026, only moves payment to Certificate of Occupancy approval — it doesn’t reduce the amount owed.
- Whether the lot sits inside a supplemental boundary. A Bend lot inside the SE Area Supplemental SDC Boundary owes an extra sewer SDC, $3,482 for a Tier 4 home, on top of the citywide amount. Nothing comparable applies outside that boundary.
- Whether the service already exists. Portland charges $8,464–$9,701 to install a new 1-inch service, but only $523 to activate an idle existing one, and $4,469 when the service goes in with a main extension in a new subdivision. Bend’s meter charge doesn’t vary this way; it covers the meter itself, and the service line from the main to the meter and from the meter to the house is the owner’s responsibility either way.
Frequently asked questions
How much are water and sewer connection charges in Oregon?
It depends on the city. For fiscal 2026-27, a mid-size home pays $13,757 to the City of Bend (water and sewer SDCs plus meter installation, 1,601–2,200 sq ft home) and roughly $21,004 to Portland’s Water Bureau and BES (5/8-inch meter, new service, no SDC exemption).
Why is Portland more expensive than Bend?
Portland’s own service installation charge, $8,464 for a new 1-inch service, is by itself more than half of Bend’s whole total. Portland also layers a BES sanitary SDC (per drainage fixture unit) and a stormwater SDC (per square foot of impervious area) on top of a meter-size water SDC, while Bend’s water and sewer SDCs scale only with the size of the house.
Can new homes in Oregon get an SDC exemption?
In Portland, permits for new housing units issued between August 15, 2025 and September 30, 2028 may be exempt from SDCs under certain conditions; ask the permit center which charges it covers. Bend instead offers an SDC Deferral Program, in place since January 1, 2026, which moves payment to Certificate of Occupancy approval rather than reducing the amount owed.
Does house size or meter size decide Oregon connection fees?
It depends on the city. Bend prices its water and sewer SDCs by the home’s square-footage tier, from $6,940 under 600 sq ft to $22,383 over 3,001 sq ft with a 3/4-inch meter. Portland prices its water SDC by meter size ($5,483 at 5/8 inch, $13,707 at 1 inch) and its sewer and stormwater SDCs by plumbing fixture count and impervious area.
Related pages
Other state hubs: Washington, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Nearby cities: Seattle, WA and Boise, ID. Guides: tap fee vs. impact fee, cost to bring utilities to land, utility costs for new construction and tap fees by city.
Sources
- 2026-2027 System Development Charge (SDC) Fee Schedule, Exhibits A and B, City of Bend. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
- FY 2026-2027 Water System Rates, Charges, and Fees Ordinance, Exhibit A (Ord. 192183), City of Portland Water Bureau. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
- Full List of Environmental Services Rates and Charges (FY 2026-2027), Portland Environmental Services. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
- National cost estimates: Utility Cost Guide benchmark methodology.