City of San Diego Water and Sewer Capacity Charges and Connection Fees (2026)

Inside the City of San Diego, the city’s Public Utilities Department supplies water and sewer service, and the San Diego County Water Authority (CWA), the regional wholesaler, adds its own capacity charges on new meters. A new single-family home with a 1-inch by 3/4-inch meter and a new service tap pays about $15,274 in water and sewer connection charges: $6,683 to the CWA under its 2026 schedule, plus $8,591 in city capacity charges, meter, tap and inspection fees. The key caveat is the city’s part: its fee schedule is dated December 2021, and the city’s August 2026 permit fee bulletin still points to it as the current one. Confirm the city amounts with Public Utilities before you budget.

San Diego connection fees at a glance

The table below lists the city’s capacity, meter, wet tap and lateral inspection fees from the Public Utilities Schedule for Water and Sewer Fees, which Information Bulletin 501 (August 2026) links as the list of water and sewer fees; the CWA’s System Capacity Charge and Water Treatment Capacity Charge, set by meter size in its Ordinance No. 2025-02 for calendar 2026; and the Development Services Department’s water and sewer plan check fee from IB-501. A home with a meter under 1 inch pays the two under-1-inch CWA rows.

Worked example for a single-family home in San Diego

Assumptions: one detached house on a lot inside the City of San Diego, one equivalent dwelling unit (EDU), potable water, no reimbursement agreement on the lot. City amounts are from the Public Utilities Schedule for Water and Sewer Fees (December 2021 edition); CWA amounts are its 2026 charges. We apply the CWA’s under-1-inch rate to the 1-inch by 3/4-inch meter; the CWA ordinance leaves meter sizing to the city, so confirm the size class with Development Services. Three cases:

Estimated connection charges for one new single-family home, City of San Diego (city amounts from the December 2021 schedule; CWA amounts effective Jan 1, 2026)

The meter size drives case C. The city counts a 1-inch meter as 2 EDU for its water capacity charge ($3,047 × 2 = $6,094), and the CWA applies a factor of 1.6 to a 1-inch meter, so case C costs $7,076 more than case B. The Water Meter Data Card (form DS-16) sets the meter size. If the larger meter is needed only for required fire sprinklers, both agencies may charge on the meter needed for household use; the CWA wants the fire official’s written confirmation.

Development Services adds a plan check fee of $353.13 per EDU and a one-time $17.11 collection fee (IB-501), $370.24 for a one-EDU house, which puts case B at $15,644.24.

How San Diego compares with Sacramento

In Sacramento, the city Department of Utilities charges $20,465.87 for a similar home outside the combined sewer area, excluding Regional San. San Diego’s case B is $15,274 including the regional wholesaler.

Comparison built from each city’s official rows (Sacramento schedule 07/01/26 to 01/21/27; San Diego as in case B above)

San Diego’s small installation line does not make the connection cheaper. Sacramento’s charge covers city-built tap and meter work; in San Diego a licensed contractor builds the water service and sewer lateral at your cost (next section). San Diego’s sewer charge is almost twice Sacramento’s separated-area fee but below its combined-area fee of $5,936.84.

Costs outside the San Diego fee schedule

The city’s schedule says water services, sewer laterals and all other work in the public right-of-way must be installed by a Class A licensed contractor, under a separate Public Right-of-Way Permit (the permit process is in Information Bulletin 166). Only the wet tap and the meter are city work, so the service line, the sewer lateral, pavement restoration, the private lines to the house and the plumbing permit are extra. National estimates (methodology), which already include trenching:

• Water service line: $30–$150 per foot, typical $50. At 40 feet, about $2,000.
• Sewer lateral: $50–$250 per foot, typical $100. At 50 feet, about $5,000.
• Street cut and pavement restoration: $1,000–$10,000 per crossing, typical $4,000.
• Plumbing permit for the connection work: $100–$1,300, typical $300.

School fees, city development impact fees and SDG&E electric service are also separate; we could not retrieve SDG&E’s line-extension tariff. For a national overview, see our guide on how much to connect to city water.

When you pay San Diego connection fees

Capacity, wet tap and meter charges for new construction are set during plan review. The schedule says all water and sewer costs are collected when the construction permit is issued or when the water meter is requested, whichever comes first. When the building plans require a new meter, the schedule says the CWA’s charges are collected at building permit issuance, and IB-501 says they are collected through the Development Services Department. IB-501 also says the city’s water capacity fee may be deferred; ask Public Utilities whether your project qualifies.

Paying the invoice does not book the work: call (619) 527-7424 to schedule the meter and wet tap, and (858) 654-4152 (west of I-805) or (858) 654-4153 (east) for sewer inspection. A building whose permit depends on this work cannot get its final inspection until it is done. Some lots also owe reimbursement fees to a developer who built public lines; Development Services, (619) 533-5106, can tell you.

An accessory dwelling unit goes through the same review. The city’s ADU bulletin (IB-400) requires a Water Meter Data Card with the permit application and refers to IB-501 for fees, and the utility schedule counts a guest house with a partial kitchen as half an EDU. California law limits what cities and water agencies can charge many ADUs; see our ADU utility connection fees guide before you pay a full EDU for one.

Upcoming changes in San Diego

• The CWA’s charges drop on January 1, 2027. Its capacity charge page lists $5,373 (system) plus $244 (treatment) for a meter under 1 inch, or $5,617 in total, $1,066 less than in 2026. A 1-inch meter falls to $8,597 plus $390. A permit issued in 2027 would bring case B down to $14,208.
• The city schedule’s water capacity charge dates to July 1, 2007 and its sewer charge to January 1, 2022. If Public Utilities adopts a new schedule, these amounts will change. Check before you pull a permit.
• IB-501 is revised from time to time. The August 2026 edition raised the single-family plan check fee from $329.26 to $353.13 per EDU.

San Diego tap fee FAQ

Related guides for San Diego

tap fees by city · Sacramento tap fees · ADU utility connection fees · sewer connection cost · new construction utility costs · utility connection cost calculator

Sources for San Diego figures

• Schedule for Water and Sewer Fees (Information Bulletin, December 2021), City of San Diego Public Utilities Department. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• Information Bulletin 501: Fee Schedule for Construction Permits-Structures (August 2026), City of San Diego Development Services Department. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• Ordinance No. 2025-02: System Capacity and Water Treatment Capacity Charges (calendar 2026), San Diego County Water Authority. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• Capacity Charges (CY2026 and CY2027 tables), San Diego County Water Authority. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• Information Bulletin 400: Accessory Dwelling Units (January 2026), City of San Diego Development Services Department. Checked Sep 25, 2026.