Authority
Austin Water
The City of Austin's municipally owned water and wastewater utility. Developer-side water and wastewater impact fees (capital recovery fees), assessed per service unit, current schedule effective for lots platted after October 1, 2023.
Jurisdictions served
Austin Water is the City of Austin's own utility. Impact fees apply to development within the Austin Water service area (the city plus portions of its extraterritorial jurisdiction). The corresponding ZoneFee jurisdiction master is Austin.
Fee types administered
- Water impact fees (capital recovery fees), per service unit
- Wastewater impact fees (capital recovery fees), per service unit
- Capital recovery fees assessed per service unit (a standard 5/8-inch meter equivalent; larger meters carry multiplier factors set in the adopting ordinance)
Fee schedule
Austin Water impact fees (also known as capital recovery fees) are an infrastructure-financing mechanism for water, wastewater, and reclaimed-water system investments necessitated by and attributable to growth. Fees are assessed per service unit (a standard 5/8-inch meter equivalent), and the applicable schedule is determined by the date the lot was platted - or the Land Status Determination date for parcels excepted from platting under Texas LGC 212.004. Source: Austin Water Rates and Fees page, effective October 1, 2023; all values verbatim - see the Source block below for primary-source provenance and SHA-256 hash. The page notes other fees may apply, including meter and inspection fees, which are a separate surface not enumerated here.
Current schedule - lots platted after October 1, 2023 (all zones, per service unit)
| Fee type | Amount | Unit | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water impact (capital recovery) fee | $4,800 | per service unit | 2023-10-01 |
| Wastewater impact (capital recovery) fee | $2,900 | per service unit | 2023-10-01 |
| Water and wastewater combined | $7,700 | per service unit | 2023-10-01 |
Historical schedules by plat date - all-zones tiers (context)
The schedule that applies to a given lot depends on its plat date (or Land Status Determination date), not the application date. The tiers below are retained for context; confirm which applies for a specific parcel.
| Plat-date tier (all zones) | Water | Wastewater | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platted October 1, 2018 - September 30, 2023 | $4,700 | $2,500 | $7,200 |
| Platted January 1, 2014 - September 30, 2018 | $5,400 | $2,200 | $7,600 |
Historical schedules by plat date - zone-based tiers (context)
Lots platted on or before December 31, 2013 carry zone-based rates by watershed and development zone (CURE, Urban Watersheds, Desired Development Zone (DDZ), and Drinking Water Protection Zone (DWPZ), each split Inside-city or in the ETJ). Amounts are Water / Wastewater / Combined per service unit.
| Zone (platted Oct 1, 2007 - Dec 31, 2013) | Water | Wastewater | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| CURE (Central Urban Redevelopment) | $700 | $400 | $1,100 |
| Urban Watersheds | $800 | $500 | $1,300 |
| Desired Development Zone - Inside city | $1,000 | $600 | $1,600 |
| Desired Development Zone - ETJ | $1,800 | $1,000 | $2,800 |
| Drinking Water Protection Zone - Inside city | $2,200 | $1,200 | $3,400 |
| Drinking Water Protection Zone - ETJ | $2,500 | $1,400 | $3,900 |
| Zone (platted before Oct 1, 2007) | Water | Wastewater | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| CURE (Central Urban Redevelopment) | $500 | $300 | $800 |
| Urban Watersheds | $600 | $400 | $1,000 |
| Desired Development Zone - Inside city | $700 | $400 | $1,100 |
| Desired Development Zone - ETJ | $1,300 | $800 | $2,100 |
| Drinking Water Protection Zone - Inside city | $1,500 | $1,200 | $2,700 |
| Drinking Water Protection Zone - ETJ | $1,700 | $1,300 | $3,000 |
Which schedule applies
The applicable impact fee schedule is determined by the date the lot was platted and recorded with the county (Travis County or Williamson County), or the Land Status Determination date for parcels excepted from platting under Texas LGC 212.004 and Land Development Code 25-4-2. Texas law (TLGC Chapter 395) requires impact fees be updated every five years; the current schedule reflects the 2023 update adopted by Austin City Council, with the next update cycle expected around 2028. Amounts above are per service unit (5/8-inch meter equivalent); larger meters carry multiplier factors set in the adopting ordinance and are not enumerated on the source page. Meter and inspection fees may also apply additionally as a separate surface.
Source
Austin Water (City of Austin) - Rates and Fees page, Impact Fees / Capital Recovery Fees schedule effective October 1, 2023 - https://www.austintexas.gov/water/rates-and-fees - accessed 2026-06-08 · Stage 3 Playwright DOM render
Source content hash (SHA-256): b2f8f7f155ebf2df4799b0b705163bd668c4220c7b0a09f1b56aa1f1f732e9f4
Statutory basis: Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 (impact fees; five-year update requirement). Texas LGC Chapter 212 and Land Development Code 25-4-2 govern platting and the Land Status Determination that fixes which plat-date schedule applies.
Last verified
Verified Last reviewed 2026-06-08 against the canonical Austin Water rates-and-fees page (captured via Stage 3 Playwright DOM render of the JS-rendered page). The impact fee schedule has an explicit effective date of October 1, 2023.
Fee schedules administered by Austin Water change over time. ZoneFee captured the impact fee (capital recovery fee) schedule from the source named above on the last-verified date. The amounts shown are per service unit (5/8-inch meter equivalent); a project's total impact fee depends on the number and size of its meters, and meter and inspection fees may apply additionally. The applicable schedule is keyed to a lot's plat date or Land Status Determination date. For binding fee amounts on a specific project, contact Austin Water directly via the official website above. Travis County and Williamson County, where the Austin Water service area extends, do not themselves levy water or wastewater impact fees.