Utility Deposits for a New Home: How Much and How to Get Them Waived
A new homeowner who can’t pass the utility’s credit screen typically pays a refundable deposit of $30 to $265 per service in city fee schedules, and electric companies regulated by a state commission can ask for up to about two months of estimated bills. In Concord, North Carolina, a buyer without satisfactory credit owes $350 for water, sewer and electric ($75 + $75 + $200); in Mesa, Arizona, taking all five city services can mean $600. Most of these deposits can be avoided with a credit check, a good-payment letter from your previous utility, or, in some states, simply by owning the house.
For the connection and impact fees the builder pays and how they show up at closing, see utility fees on a new-construction closing, which also lists deposits for San Antonio, Dallas, El Paso, Atlanta and Hillsborough County. This article goes further on waivers, state limits and refunds.
Deposit amounts at 12 utilities
Residential single-family accounts. Amounts from each utility’s current fee schedule, rate book or code; “only if” conditions paraphrased. Checked September 24–25, 2026.
| Utility | Water | Sewer | Electric | Gas / other | When charged, how waived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Concord, NC (FY2027) | $75 | $75 | $200 | – | Only if you lack a satisfactory credit rating; a credit letter is accepted |
| City of Mesa, AZ (eff. Feb. 1, 2025) | $100 | $50 | $265 | Gas $125; solid waste $60 | $3 credit check when you ask for a waiver |
| City of Lakeland, FL | $30 minimum | $35 minimum (Polk County sewer $210) | $150 minimum | – | Waived with good payment history or credit check, or by choosing prepaid Pay As You Go |
| Ocala Electric Utility, FL (eff. Mar. 1, 2024) | – | – | $250 | – | Refundable deposit |
| Cape Coral Utilities, FL (eff. Mar. 16, 2023) | $225 account | – | $20 application fee pays for the credit check | Waived with 12 months of good city history, a letter of credit from a prior utility, or an Experian utility score of 600 or more | |
| Port St. Lucie Utility Systems, FL (eff. Oct. 1, 2025) | $70 | $110 | – | – | Collected at application; refunded after 18 months of satisfactory payment |
| City of Buckeye, AZ (eff. June 4, 2026) | $85 | $60 | – | – | Account deposit |
| Town of Queen Creek, AZ | $125 | – | – | – | Refunded after 12 consecutive on-time payments |
| City of Leander, TX | $100 per LUE | – | – | – | Paid per meter before connection; refunded when service ends |
| Town of Fort Mill, SC (FY2025-26) | $100 new account | – | – | Refunded at closing of the account if all bills are paid | |
| City of Nampa, ID | $150 utility deposit | – | – | Only after an unpaid city account in the past four years, a shutoff for nonpayment or late payment; may be paid in two installments | |
| Tampa Electric, FL (sheet 5.130, eff. Jan. 1, 2025) | – | – | Up to 2 months’ average billing | – | New premises estimated from load information; waived by credit check, guarantor, bank letter of credit or surety bond |
City-owned utilities such as Concord, Mesa, Lakeland and Ocala set flat deposits in their own fee schedules. Investor-owned electric and gas companies such as Tampa Electric, FPL, Georgia Power and Duke Energy instead compute a deposit from your expected or past bills, under their tariffs and, where one exists, the state utility commission’s deposit rule.
State rules that cap deposits
Rules for commission-regulated utilities, from the state statute or administrative code. They generally do not bind city-owned utilities.
| State (rule) | Maximum deposit | No deposit if… | Refund | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida electric (s. 366.05(1)(c), F.S.; Rule 25-6.097) | 2 months of projected charges for a new service; recalculated after 12 months | You provide a guarantor who is a customer in good standing, an irrevocable bank letter of credit or a surety bond | After 23 months of continuous service with no more than one late payment in the prior 12 months; within 15 days after service ends | At least 2% simple, after 6 months |
| North Carolina electric and gas (NCUC Rules R12-2 to R12-5) | 2/12 of the estimated charge for the next 12 months | You own the home or other real estate in the county (unless an unsatisfactory credit risk), have checkable references, or had similar service from the utility in the past 24 bills | Checked once a year; returned after 12 consecutive bills with no more than two late | 8% a year on deposits held over 90 days |
| Arizona electric (A.A.C. R14-2-203) | 2 times the estimated average monthly bill | You had comparable service with the utility in the past two years, or bring a letter from your last electric utility showing timely payment; a government or nonprofit letter of guarantee or surety bond can replace the deposit | After 12 months with no more than two delinquencies | Required; rate set in each utility’s tariff |
| Texas retail electric providers (16 TAC §25.478) | The greater of 1/5 of estimated annual billing or the next two months’ estimated bills | Any provider: age 65 or older and not delinquent, or certified family-violence victim. At an affiliated provider or provider of last resort, also: electric service in the past two years with no more than one late payment in the last 12 months, or a satisfactory credit rating | After 12 consecutive on-time residential bills | Commission-set rate; none owed if refunded within 30 days |
| Colorado electric (4 CCR 723-3, Rule 3403) | An estimated 90 days’ bill | You provide written proof of 12 consecutive months of good payment from your previous utility, ending within 60 days of applying; or you received LEAP or Energy Outreach Colorado help in the past 12 months | Returned once you have no more than two late payments in 12 consecutive months | Simple interest at a rate calculated by commission staff |
Texas works differently in most of the state. In competitive areas the wires company, such as Oncor, doesn’t bill you; the retail electric provider you choose does, and the deposit limits in §25.478 apply to that provider. City-owned utilities like Austin Energy and CPS Energy are outside that rule.
Five ways to get a deposit waived
- Ask for a letter from your old utility. Arizona’s rule requires a waiver when you show a timely payment history from your last electric utility; Colorado’s requires one for 12 months of good payment that ended within 60 days of your application. Cape Coral accepts a letter of credit from a prior utility, and Concord takes a credit letter. Request it before you close the old account.
- Let them run your credit. Tampa Electric will check credit through an outside service at your option and says the check won’t affect your score. Cape Coral charges $20 for the check and waives the deposit at an Experian utility score of 600 or more; Mesa charges $3.
- Use a guarantor or a bond. Florida’s rule accepts a guarantor who is already a customer with a good payment record, an irrevocable bank letter of credit or a surety bond. Arizona accepts a guarantee letter from a government or nonprofit entity.
- Qualify by status. In Texas, customers 65 and older who aren’t delinquent on an electric account can establish credit with any retail provider. In Colorado, recent LEAP participants can’t be charged a deposit. In North Carolina, homeownership counts.
- Choose prepaid. Lakeland waives its deposits for customers on its prepaid Pay As You Go plan.
Not every utility waives. Georgia Power’s deposit page says a deposit, if required, cannot be waived. It is based on your credit score and can be up to two times the home’s average monthly bill (Georgia Power, Understanding Deposits).
When you get it back
Queen Creek, Nampa, Arizona’s rule, Texas’s rule and North Carolina’s rule all key on roughly 12 months of good payment. Port St. Lucie waits 18 months, and Florida’s commission-regulated electric utilities 23 months. Leander and Fort Mill return the deposit when the account closes. Georgia Power’s page says a refund with 3% simple interest follows 12 consecutive on-time months, but the same page also says deposits are kept for the life of the account, so ask which applies to you. When you move out, Florida’s rule requires any balance back within 15 days; Georgia Power says 30 to 45 days by mail.
Worked examples
Concord, NC, all city services, no credit rating on file: $75 water + $75 sewer + $200 electric = $350. With a satisfactory credit report or a credit letter, $0.
Mesa, AZ, all five city services: $100 water + $50 wastewater + $60 solid waste + $265 electric + $125 gas = $600. A $3 credit check can remove some or all of it.
Florida investor-owned electric utility: the cap is two months of projected charges. If the utility projects an average of $150 a month, the most it can ask is $300. At the rule’s minimum 2% simple interest, that earns $6 a year, credited annually, and comes back after 23 months of good payment.
North Carolina, same $300 held by a regulated utility: interest at 8% a year after 90 days is $24 a year, and the deposit is reviewed for refund after 12 consecutive bills.
Timing on a new build
Apply for accounts in your name a week or two before closing so the meter doesn’t go dark when the builder closes its temporary or builder account. Some utilities let the sewer deposit wait: Hillsborough County allows the wastewater deposit on a new house to be deferred until the certificate of occupancy. The builder’s construction-phase charges are covered in temporary construction power costs; the rest of the hookup budget is in new construction utility costs and the utility connection cost calculator.
Local fee pages: Concord, Mesa, Lakeland, Ocala, Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Buckeye, Queen Creek, Leander, Fort Mill and Nampa, plus the Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas and Colorado hubs.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a utility deposit for a new house?
In city fee schedules it is usually $30 to $265 per service: Lakeland charges at least $30 for water, Concord $200 for electric and Mesa $265 for electric. Commission-regulated power companies compute it from expected bills, up to two months in Florida, North Carolina and Arizona and up to 90 days in Colorado.
Can a utility deposit be waived?
Usually. Common routes are a good-payment letter from your previous utility (required to be honored in Arizona and Colorado), a credit check (Cape Coral waives at an Experian utility score of 600), a guarantor or surety bond, or a prepaid plan in Lakeland. Georgia Power says a required deposit cannot be waived.
Do I have to pay a deposit if I own the house?
In North Carolina, owning the premises or other real estate in the county establishes credit under NCUC Rule R12-2 unless you are an unsatisfactory credit risk. Elsewhere, ownership alone rarely matters; the decision rests on credit or payment history.
When do I get my utility deposit back?
Usually after 12 months of on-time payments, as in Texas, Arizona, North Carolina and Queen Creek. Port St. Lucie waits 18 months and Florida’s investor-owned electric utilities 23 months. On move-out, Florida requires the balance within 15 days.
Do utility deposits earn interest?
Regulated ones do. North Carolina requires 8% a year on deposits held over 90 days, Florida at least 2% after six months, and Georgia Power pays 3% simple. City-owned utilities often pay none; check the fee schedule.
Is the deposit the same as the connection fee?
No. A deposit is refundable security on your bills; connection, tap and impact fees are one-time charges usually paid by the builder. Port St. Lucie’s published new-construction totals bundle both, which is why its $70 water deposit appears inside the $7,095 water-only figure.