Sewer Allocation Fee by City (2026): What It Is and What Homes Pay
A sewer allocation fee is a one-time charge that reserves treatment and collection capacity for a new connection. Utilities also call it a capacity charge, a reservation charge, a capacity fee or, in some cities, an impact fee. In the seven cities in our table, the sewer side for a typical single-family home runs from $1,237 in Tampa to $6,144 in Queen Creek, and the water side, where the table shows one, from $1,375 to $5,705. Each amount links to the official schedule it came from.
Sewer (and water) allocation fees by city (2026)
These utilities do not all use the word “allocation”. The fee names below are the ones each utility prints in its own schedule. All figures are for one single-family home, one-time, and exclude meters, taps, deposits and plumbing. Sorted by sewer fee, low to high. Click an amount to open its source; click a city for the full fee breakdown.
Sewer and water capacity-type fees for one new single-family home, from official schedules in our database (status verified, checked Sep 24 to 25, 2026). Port St. Lucie charges separate plant and line components, shown added together. Tampa’s water capacity fee is left out of the water column because its water schedule is dated March 2021; see the Tampa page.
| City | Utility and fee name | Sewer | Water | Basis | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa, FL | City of Tampa Wastewater Department: Wastewater Capacity Fee | $1,237 | See Tampa page | Per ERU (one equivalent residential unit; a home is 1) | Not stated |
| Houston, TX | Houston Public Works: Wastewater Impact Fee and Water Impact Fee | $1,830.24 | $2,553.11 | Per service unit (1 unit = one typical single-family home) | 7/1/2026 |
| Nashville, TN | Metro Water Services: Sewer Capacity Charge and Water System Capacity Charge | $2,300 | $1,375 | Per unit of flow (1 unit = 350 gallons per day); shown for 1 unit | Not stated in the code |
| Fort Worth, TX | Fort Worth Water: Wastewater Impact Fee and Water Impact Fee | $2,838 | $2,990 | Per meter size (5/8″ x 3/4″ meter) | Permits issued on or after 10/1/2026 |
| Fort Myers, FL | Lee County Utilities: Wastewater and Water Connection (Capacity) Fee | $3,325 | $3,050 | Per ERU (single-family home = 1.00 ERU) | 5/5/2026 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie Utility Systems: plant and line capacity (Reservation Charge) | $3,250 + $1,972 = $5,222 | $4,925 + $780 = $5,705 | Per ERC (one house = 1 ERC) | Fee schedule rev. 4/16/2026 |
| Queen Creek, AZ | Town of Queen Creek: Residential Sewer Capacity Fee and Water Capacity Fee | $6,144 | $2,382 | Per unit (sewer); per meter size (water, 3/4″ meter) | 1/5/2026 |
Nashville’s fee is a price per unit. The number of units assigned to a single-family home is set by Metro Water Services and was not published where we could read it, so the row shows one unit. Inside Fort Myers city limits the city’s own sewer impact fee is $3,514.01; the row above is the Lee County Utilities capacity fee, which applies in other parts of Lee County.
Worked example: Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie Utility Systems names its charge a reservation of plant and line capacity, which shows what the fee covers more plainly than most. For a new house with the standard 5/8″ x 3/4″ meter on a gravity sewer lot outside the city’s special assessment areas, one ERC (equivalent residential connection) is charged these amounts:
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water plant capacity | $4,925 |
| Water line capacity | $780 |
| Wastewater plant capacity | $3,250 |
| Wastewater line capacity | $1,972 |
| Capacity charges, water and sewer | $10,927 |
| Meter installation (not a capacity fee) | $1,320 |
| Water and wastewater deposits (refundable) | $70 + $110 |
| City total | $12,427 |
The sewer allocation share alone is $3,250 + $1,972 = $5,222. The rest of the $12,427 is the water capacity charges, the meter and the deposits. See the Port St. Lucie page for the lots that pay less or more.
How allocation fees differ from tap fees and impact fees
A tap fee pays for cutting into the main and running the service line to your property. An allocation, capacity or impact fee pays for your share of the plants and trunk mains that the connection will use. Most new houses pay both. In Nashville the two are separate lines in the Metro Code: flat tap fees of $500 for water and $360 for sewer, and capacity charges of $1,375 and $2,300 per unit. Houston’s wastewater impact fee is linked to a Wastewater Capacity Reservation letter.
The names overlap. Fort Worth and Houston call their capacity charges impact fees; Queen Creek calls its charges capacity fees and keeps them separate from its development impact fees for parks, trails, police, streets and fire. For the full comparison, see tap fee vs. impact fee and water and sewer impact fees by city.
What allocation fees don’t include
An allocation fee stops at the utility’s system. It does not cover the pipe on your lot or the work inside the house:
- Sewer lateral from the house to the main: $50 to $250 per foot, about $100 typical, installed including the trench (national estimate). See sewer lateral cost.
- Water service line from the meter to the house: $30 to $150 per foot, about $50 typical (national estimate).
- Meter installation, which the utility charges separately: $1,320 in Port St. Lucie, $500 in Queen Creek (3/4″ meter). See water meter installation cost.
- Tap fees, where the city makes the tap, and the plumbing permit ($100 to $1,300, about $300 typical, national estimate).
The national ranges come from our benchmark set, not from the seven cities. Add them to an allocation fee here:
Estimate utility connection costs
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Confirm fees and trench rules with your utility.
Allocation fee questions
What is a sewer allocation fee?
A sewer allocation fee is a one-time charge that reserves treatment and collection capacity for a new connection. Utilities may call it a capacity fee, a reservation charge or an impact fee. It is a one-time charge for a new connection, not part of the monthly bill.
How much is a sewer allocation fee for a new house?
In the seven cities in our table, the sewer fee for a single-family home runs from $1,237 in Tampa to $6,144 in Queen Creek. Houston is $1,830.24, Nashville $2,300 per unit, Fort Worth $2,838, Fort Myers (Lee County Utilities) $3,325 and Port St. Lucie $5,222.
Is a water allocation fee charged too?
Six of the seven rows show a water figure alongside the sewer fee, from $1,375 in Nashville to $5,705 in Port St. Lucie. Tampa also has a water capacity fee, but we left it out because its water schedule is dated March 2021.
Is an allocation fee the same as a tap fee?
No. A tap fee pays for the physical connection to the main. An allocation or capacity fee pays for the plant and pipe capacity the house will use. Nashville charges both: $500 and $360 in tap fees, plus capacity charges per unit.
Is an allocation fee the same as an impact fee?
Sometimes, depending on the city. Fort Worth and Houston print their capacity charges as impact fees, while Tampa, Nashville, Lee County and Queen Creek call them capacity fees and Port St. Lucie calls them reservation charges. Check the schedule’s fee name and what it pays for.
Can the fee change before I pay it?
Yes. Fort Worth charges the rate in force on the building permit date, which steps up on October 1, 2026. Houston re-indexes its impact fees every July 1. Lee County Utilities raises its capacity fees each May 5 through 2028, to $3,355 (water) and $3,657.50 (wastewater) in 2027.
Sources
- Capacity Fees, City of Tampa Wastewater Department. Checked 2026-09-24.
- City of Houston City-Wide Fee Schedule (Houston Public Works), City of Houston. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Metro Code Chapter 15.36, Sewer Capacity Charge, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Metro Code Chapter 15.20, Water System Capacity Charge, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Current Impact Fees (Ordinance 27745-06-2025), City of Fort Worth. Checked 2026-09-24.
- New Construction/Development Fees (capacity fees as of May 5, 2026), Lee County Utilities. Checked 2026-09-25.
- Impact Fee Schedule, rates valid May 4, 2026 to May 3, 2027, City of Fort Myers. Checked 2026-09-25.
- PSLUSD Fee Schedule (Rev. 04/16/2026), Port St. Lucie Utility Systems Department. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Capacity Fee Schedule, effective January 5, 2026, Town of Queen Creek. Checked 2026-09-25.
- National cost estimates: Utility Cost Guide benchmark methodology.