South Carolina Utility Connection Costs (2026): Tap Fees by City

South Carolina’s water and sewer connection fees vary more by utility than by city. For a new single-family home, published one-time charges run from about $4,710 in the Myrtle Beach area (Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority, a subdivision lot where the service stubs already reach the property) to $12,060 at Charleston Water System in 2026, rising to $14,045 on January 1, 2027, for a 3/4-inch meter with the utility providing both water and sewer. In between, the Town of Fort Mill’s capacity and activation fees for a 3/4-inch tap total $5,470, before the meter itself is billed separately at cost plus 10%, and Greenville’s in-city total for a 5/8-inch meter is $9,153 through September 30, 2026, stepping up to $10,543 once ReWa’s sewer new account fee rises on October 1, 2026. Our database covers Charleston, Fort Mill, Greenville and the Myrtle Beach/Horry County area (GSWSA) so far. Other South Carolina utilities are not yet collected, and we say so rather than guess.

Official fees in South Carolina

The table below lists every verified South Carolina fee row in our database, with utility, meter or tap size, effective date and a link to the source document. Terminology differs by utility more than in most states we cover. Charleston Water System and GSWSA both call their capacity charge an impact fee. The Town of Fort Mill and Greenville Water call theirs a capacity fee. ReWa, which treats Greenville’s wastewater, calls its capacity charge a new account fee, set by the size of the water meter Greenville Water installs. Layered on top are smaller flat charges for the physical work: Charleston’s and Fort Mill’s tap fees, GSWSA’s meter base and sewer connection inspection fees, and Greenville’s connection and contribution fees. Several of these schedules step up on a fixed date each year, so check the effective date column before you budget.

City comparison

One-time water + sewer charges for one new single-family home under each utility’s own worked example (sources: Charleston Water System Tap & Impact Fees; Town of Fort Mill Fee Schedule FY 2025-26; Greenville Water 2026 Development Fees and ReWa New Account Fees; GSWSA Rates).

How the rows are built. Charleston: $4,620 water impact fee + $6,670 sewer impact fee (1 ERU) + $500 water tap fee + $200 sewer tap fee + $70 water and sewer account origination = $12,060 in 2026; swap in the January 1, 2027 impact fees ($5,115 and $8,160) for $14,045. Fort Mill: $2,420 water capacity/connection fee + $3,000 sewer capacity/connection fee + $50 account activation fee = $5,470; the meter set and meter purchase are each billed on top at cost plus 10%. Greenville: a $2,780 Greenville Water capacity fee (Type E) + $900 connection fee + $1,000 contribution fee = $4,680 for water, plus the City’s $363 residential sewer tap fee and ReWa’s new account fee, $4,110 through September 30, 2026 or $5,500 from October 1, 2026, for $9,153 or $10,543. GSWSA: $1,225 water impact fee + $2,735 sewer impact fee + $630 meter base fee + $80 sewer connection inspection fee + $40 new service installation fee = $4,710 on a subdivision lot where the developer already ran the service lines to the property line; if GSWSA has to make the taps itself, a $790 water tap and $1,020 sewer tap fee replace the meter base and inspection lines, for $5,810.

Timing, not just location, drives a lot of this. Three of the four schedules were mid-increase when we checked: Charleston’s impact fees step up every January 1, ReWa’s new account fee is scheduled to rise again on October 1, 2027 (to $6,947), and GSWSA raised its impact fees about 80% in 2026 without publishing an effective date. Fort Mill’s schedule was not mid-change, but its fiscal year ended September 30, 2026 and no FY2026-27 schedule was posted when we checked on September 25, 2026.

City pages with the full fee rows, payment timing and local caveats: Charleston Water System tap and impact fees, Fort Mill water and sewer capacity fees, Greenville Water and ReWa tap and capacity fees and GSWSA tap and impact fees, Myrtle Beach area.

What decides your number

• Which utility actually serves the lot. Fort Mill names four subdivisions (Springview Meadows, Carolina Orchards, Anniston Chase and Springfield) served by York County Utilities instead of the Town. Greenville’s sewer comes from the City inside city limits or from MetroConnects in parts of the county. GSWSA covers most of unincorporated Horry County, but the City of Myrtle Beach runs its own utility east of the Intracoastal Waterway. Confirm the provider before pricing anything.
• Whether the service stubs are already in. On a GSWSA subdivision lot the developer’s contractor usually runs the water line and sewer lateral to the property line first, so the homeowner’s bill skips the tap fees and pays only the $630 meter base and $80 inspection fees. A lot with no stubs pays GSWSA’s $790 water tap and $1,020 sewer tap fees instead, $1,100 more. Prepaid impact fees on a GSWSA lot can cut the homeowner’s bill to about $750.
• Meter or tap size. Fort Mill counts a 1-inch tap as 2.5 ERUs, so its capacity fees rise from $5,420 to $13,550. Charleston’s 1-inch water impact fee is $7,370 in 2026 against $4,620 for 3/4 inch. Greenville’s capacity fee jumps from $2,780 at 5/8 inch to a $9,267 minimum at 1 inch, and ReWa’s 1-inch residential fee is $11,000 from October 1, 2026.
• The date you pay. Charleston resets impact fees every January 1. ReWa steps its new account fee on October 1, 2026 and again on October 1, 2027. GSWSA’s roughly 80% 2026 increase carries no published effective date. Ask each utility which schedule applies on your closing or permit date, not the date you got a quote.

Costs beyond the utility’s fees

For a full budget, add the private work between the utility’s connection and the house. These are national estimates, not South Carolina figures (methodology):

• Water service line, meter to house: $30 to $150 per foot, $50 typical.
• Sewer lateral and connection: $50 to $250 per foot, $100 typical.
• Trenching in normal soil: $4 to $15 per foot, $8 typical.
• Street cut or bore, if the main is across the street: $1,000 to $10,000 per crossing, about $4,000 typical.
• Plumbing permit: $100 to $1,300, $300 typical.

Worked example: a Myrtle Beach-area subdivision lot with 50 feet of water line and 50 feet of sewer lateral. GSWSA’s published fees are $4,710. Typical private work adds 50 × $50 = $2,500 (water line) + 50 × $100 = $5,000 (lateral), for a planning total near $12,210 before the plumbing permit and trenching. Run your own lot through the calculator:

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

Other state hubs: North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Nearby cities: Charlotte, NC and Nashville, TN. Guides: tap fee vs. impact fee, cost to bring utilities to land, utility costs for new construction and tap fees by city.

Sources

• Tap & Impact Fees (2026 schedule, with January 1, 2027 step), Charleston Water System. Checked Sep 24, 2026.
• Fee Schedule FY 2025-26 (Appendix A), Chapter 36 Utilities, Town of Fort Mill. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• 2026 Development Fees, effective January 1, 2026, Greenville Water. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• New Account Fees, Renewable Water Resources (ReWa). Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• Rates (New Service Fees), Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority. Checked Sep 25, 2026.
• City pages with full fee rows and caveats: Charleston, Fort Mill, Greenville and Myrtle Beach area (GSWSA).
• National cost estimates: Utility Cost Guide benchmark methodology.