Texas Development Fees
Texas operates under one of the most structured development-fee regimes in the United States. Impact fees are governed statewide by Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395; cities collect roadway, water, and wastewater impact fees on a per-service-unit basis using formulas from city-adopted studies. Application, platting, site plan, and utility tap fees are layered on top from each city's adopted fee schedule.
Coverage last updated: 2026-05-09. 16 Texas jurisdictions live on ZoneFee.
Live Texas Jurisdictions
How Development Fees Work in Texas
Texas is a Dillon Rule state, but the legislature has granted broad fee authority to municipalities and certain counties through specific enabling statutes. The most important is Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 (Impact Fees), which authorizes municipalities and certain counties to charge impact fees on new development to fund roadway, water, and wastewater capital improvements. Chapter 395 establishes a uniform procedural framework: cities must adopt land use assumptions, a capital improvements plan, and a maximum fee per service unit (LUE - Land Use Equivalent) by ordinance after public hearings, with an Impact Fee Advisory Committee reviewing the program semi-annually.
A Texas impact fee is calculated by multiplying the city-adopted maximum fee per service unit by the project's service unit count, then by the city's adopted collection rate (which may be at or below the maximum). The fee is charged at plat approval or building permit issuance, depending on the city's ordinance. Service areas are geographically defined; the same project may face different per-LUE amounts depending on which roadway service area or utility service area it sits in. Cities are required to update their Roadway Impact Fee Study and Water/Wastewater Impact Fee Study at least every five years.
Beyond impact fees, Texas cities charge zoning and development application fees from a city-adopted fee schedule: rezoning, special use permits, variances, planned unit development amendments, platting (preliminary, final, replat), site plan review, civil engineering review, traffic impact analysis review, and zoning verification fees. These are set by each city's adopted Master Fee Schedule or Development Services Fee Schedule and are subject to periodic council update. They cover the cost of staff review rather than infrastructure capacity.
Cities also charge utility tap fees and meter fees for new water and wastewater connections. These differ from impact fees: tap fees recover the cost of physically connecting a service line and installing a meter, while impact fees recover the cost of off-site capacity. Some Texas cities additionally charge a capital recovery fee or buy-in fee, especially in fast-growth suburbs where existing infrastructure has been expanded primarily for new growth. Special-purpose districts (Municipal Utility Districts, Water Control and Improvement Districts) may layer additional fees on top of city fees within their boundaries.
Texas Statutory Anchors
- TLGC Chapter 395 - Impact Fees. Authorizes municipal and county impact fees for roadway, water, and wastewater. Establishes procedural requirements (public hearings, advisory committee, semi-annual reports, five-year study refresh). (statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.395.htm)
- TLGC Chapter 211 - Municipal Zoning Authority. Authorizes municipal zoning ordinances and the application/permit fees adopted under them. (statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.211.htm)
- TLGC Chapter 212 - Municipal Subdivision Regulation. Authorizes platting, subdivision review, and associated fees. (statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.212.htm)
- TLGC Chapter 214 - Municipal Regulation of Housing and Other Structures. Authorizes building permit, inspection, and related fees. (statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.214.htm)
- Texas Water Code Chapter 49 - Provisions Applicable to Districts. Authorizes Municipal Utility Districts and Water Control and Improvement Districts to levy fees within their boundaries. (statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/WA/htm/WA.49.htm)
Coverage Detail by Jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Type | County / Region | Fee Types Covered | Last Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | City | Williamson County (Central Texas, I-35 corridor) | UDC zoning application fees, water tap fees, wastewater tap fees, electric tap fees, water impact fees, wastewater impact fees | 2026-03-27 |
| Round Rock | City | Williamson County (Central Texas, I-35 corridor) | Roadway impact fees, zoning application fees | 2026-04-16 |
| Leander | City | Williamson County (Central Texas, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Roadway impact fees, water/wastewater impact fees, zoning application fees | 2026-04-28 |
| Frisco | City | Collin County (DFW Metroplex, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA) | Roadway impact fees, water/wastewater impact fees, zoning application fees | 2026-05-01 |
| Denton | City | Denton County (DFW Metroplex, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA) | Roadway impact fees (Ord. 2024-1125), water/wastewater impact fees (2025 study), zoning application fees (Ord. 25-708) | 2026-05-02 |
| Pflugerville | City | Travis & Williamson counties (Central Texas, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Roadway impact fees (Ord. 1470-20-11-24), water/wastewater impact fees (Ord. 1577-23-01-10), zoning application fees (FY26 Master Fee Schedule) | 2026-05-03 |
| McKinney | City | Collin County (DFW Metroplex, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA) | Roadway impact fees (Chapter 130 Art. III; 13 service areas), water/wastewater impact fees, zoning/plat/SUP fees (2026 Dev Guide), water and sewer tap fees (eff. Oct. 1, 2025) | 2026-05-04 |
| Hutto | City | Williamson County (Central Texas, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Water, wastewater, and roadway/transportation impact fees (Section A5.004; Ords. O-18-07-19-9A through O-2024-068), zoning/plat/site plan fees (Sections A1.001-A1.005), utility connection fees (Section A5.002) | 2026-05-05 |
| Buda | City | Hays County (Central Texas, I-35 corridor, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Water and wastewater impact fees (Article A4(aaa); Ord. 2017-12), zoning/plat/site plan fees (Article A4), utility connection fees (Article A11; Ord. 2017-10), TIA review fees | 2026-05-05 |
| San Marcos | City (Hays County seat) | Hays County (Central Texas, I-35 corridor, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Water and wastewater impact fees (Ord. 2018-09; codified Chapter 86 Art. 5 Div. 4), zoning/plat/site/watershed fees (Resolution 2025-185R, eff. Oct. 1, 2025), fees-in-lieu (sidewalk, trees, water quality, parking, parkland) | 2026-05-05 |
| Kyle | City | Hays County (Central Texas, I-35 corridor, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Water and wastewater impact fees per LUE (Code Sec. 50-259; new tier eff. Aug. 27, 2025), zoning/plat/site development/TIA/tree fees (FY 2025-26 Council Approved Fee Schedule, Sep. 17, 2025), water and sewer tap fees (Code Sec. 50-20(a)) | 2026-05-05 |
| New Braunfels | City | Comal & Guadalupe counties (Central Texas, I-35 corridor, San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA) | Roadway impact fees by 6 service areas and 4 plat-tier date thresholds (Chapter 100; Ord. 2022-87, eff. March 1, 2023). Zoning/plat/site plan fees codified in Code of Ordinances Appendix D (Municode); not yet verified verbatim. NBU water/wastewater connections administered separately | 2026-05-06 |
| Cedar Park | City | Williamson County (Central Texas, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Building permit fees (Code Article 2.000 Sec. 2.200; observed amend. ordinances CO08-03-03-27-13A through CO15-13-01-10-C5). Roadway impact (Ch. 11 Art. 11.04), water/wastewater impact (Article 8.000), utility tap (Article 8.000), and zoning/subdivision/site plan fees codified inside eCode360 collection CE6271 (anti-bot blocked); 4 substitute paths probed and failed under Substitute Official Source Policy | 2026-05-06 |
| Austin | City (Travis County seat) | Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties (Central Texas, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA) | Austin Water Capital Recovery Fees (impact fees) by 5 plat-date tiers and zone-variant rates (City Code Ch. 25-9; TLGC Ch. 395; current top tier eff. Oct. 1, 2023). DSD zoning, subdivision, and site plan application fees disclosed unavailable via official sources after 2026 site IA reorganization (6 substitute paths probed). Austin Water tap fees administered separately | 2026-05-06 |
| Fort Worth | City (Tarrant County seat) | Tarrant County (DFW Metroplex, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA) | Plat, annexation, appeals, and agreement application fees per Ord. 27191-09-2024 EXHIBIT A (eff. Oct. 1, 2024). Roadway and Water/Wastewater Impact Fee landing URLs captured; per-service-area rates pending future verification pass. Water Department tap fees set by separate Council action per Ord. 27191-09-2024 Section 2 | 2026-05-06 |
| San Antonio | City (Bexar County seat) | Bexar County (South Central Texas, San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA) | FY2026 Development Fee Schedule (Rev. October 2025) effective Oct. 1, 2025: zoning case fees by acreage tier ($795-$11,500 max), expedited zoning ($1,560-$23,000), Specific Use Authorization $500, Conditional Use $300, Subdivision Plat (Major SF Base $625+$80/lot, Major Non-SF Base $625+$550/acre), BoA Non-Homestead $600 / Homestead $400, TIA Levels 1-3 ($400-$1,800), MDP $700, verification letters. All Land Development fees subject to additional 3% Tech + 3% Dev Services. Water/wastewater impact and tap fees administered by SAWS (separate utility); no City roadway impact fee adopted | 2026-05-09 |
What This Coverage Includes
ZoneFee currently has 16 Texas jurisdictions live across the Central Texas / I-35 corridor, the DFW Metroplex, the South Texas / I-35 corridor, and the Tarrant County region. The Central Texas group covers the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA (Austin, Georgetown, Leander, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Hutto, Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, New Braunfels). The DFW group covers Collin and Denton counties (Frisco, Denton, McKinney) and Tarrant County (Fort Worth). The South Texas group adds the City of San Antonio (Bexar County). Each jurisdiction page is published under ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard with at least one development-fee family confirmed verbatim from an official primary source (city ordinance, codified municipal code, adopted fee schedule, or fee-study PDF) with SHA-256 source hashes recorded. One jurisdiction (Cedar Park) is currently held under noindex while official-source extraction completes; it is listed in the full coverage table. Authority pages for separate water and wastewater utilities (Austin Water, SAWS, NTMWD, Travis County WCID 17, and others) are queued for separate authority records.
Researching Texas Fees: What to Expect
Looking up Texas development fees typically requires consulting four document types per jurisdiction: (1) the city's adopted Master Fee Schedule or Development Services Fee Schedule (for application, platting, site plan, and permit fees); (2) the city's Roadway Impact Fee Study and Water/Wastewater Impact Fee Study (for impact fee maximums and adopted collection rates); (3) the codified impact fee ordinance chapter (typically Chapter 395-equivalent in the city code, often at eCode360 or Municode); and (4) the city's utility department or Public Works tap fee schedule (for water, wastewater, and where applicable electric connection costs). For projects in Municipal Utility Districts or Water Control and Improvement Districts, the district's own rate order adds a fifth document. ZoneFee jurisdiction pages bring these together into one record per covered city, with verbatim source quotes and direct .gov links.
Texas Development Fees - Frequently Asked Questions
Does Texas use impact fees?
Yes. Texas municipalities and certain counties may impose impact fees under Texas Local Government Code (TLGC) Chapter 395. Impact fees fund roadway, water, and wastewater capital improvements needed to serve new development. To impose an impact fee, a Texas city must adopt land use assumptions, a capital improvements plan, and a maximum fee per service unit by ordinance after public hearings. The fee is charged at plat approval or building permit issuance and is calculated on a per-service-unit (LUE) basis.
What is TLGC Chapter 395?
Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 is the Texas state statute authorizing municipal and county impact fees. It defines what fees may be charged, sets procedural requirements (public hearings, advisory committees, semi-annual reports), specifies how maximum fees are calculated, and limits what infrastructure categories the fees may fund. Chapter 395 establishes a uniform framework so impact fees in Texas are consistent in structure across cities, even when amounts vary by service area.
Are there state caps on Texas municipal fees?
Texas does not cap total municipal fees at the state level, but TLGC Chapter 395 caps each impact fee at the maximum supported by the city's adopted Roadway Impact Fee Study or Water/Wastewater Impact Fee Study. Cities may collect at the maximum or at a lower collection rate established by ordinance. Other fees - zoning, platting, site plan, building permits - are set by each city's adopted fee schedule and are not subject to a statewide cap.
What development fees do Texas cities typically charge?
Texas cities typically charge: (1) impact fees under TLGC Chapter 395 for roadway, water, and wastewater - charged per service unit at plat or permit; (2) zoning application fees for rezoning, special use permits, variances, and PUD amendments; (3) platting fees for preliminary, final, and replat applications; (4) site plan and engineering review fees; (5) building permit fees, plan review fees, and inspection fees; (6) utility tap and meter fees for new connections; and (7) capital recovery or buy-in fees in some cities. Special districts (MUDs, WCIDs) may add their own fees on top.
How are Texas impact fees different from Virginia proffers?
Texas impact fees are statutory, schedule-based, and apply uniformly to all qualifying development in a service area; the amount is calculated by formula from the city's adopted maximum fee and collection rate. Virginia proffers are voluntary, case-by-case, and negotiated during the rezoning approval process; their amounts are set by individual rezoning ordinances rather than by a posted schedule. A developer can predict Texas impact fee exposure from the city's published schedule; Virginia proffer exposure requires examining recent rezoning cases for the specific jurisdiction.
Where does ZoneFee source Texas fee data?
ZoneFee sources Texas fee data from official city websites (georgetowntexas.gov, roundrocktexas.gov, and equivalent), city-published fee schedules retrieved as PDFs, codified municipal ordinances via eCode360 or Municode, city Legistar records for ordinance adoption history, and the Texas Local Government Code via statutes.capitol.texas.gov. We do not source fee data from third-party aggregators, news articles, or AI summaries. See the methodology page for the full source hierarchy.
What Texas Coverage Is Not Yet on ZoneFee
Texas coverage is expanding. The 16 jurisdictions named above are currently live; additional Central Texas, DFW, South Texas, and Houston-area jurisdictions are queued in our expansion plan but have not yet reached ZoneFee's verification standard. We do not list pending jurisdiction names on this page; transparency on what is and is not yet covered lives on the ZoneFee coverage page. If your project is in a Texas jurisdiction we have not yet covered, the city's own Development Services or Planning and Zoning department remains the binding source for current fees, with the impact fee study published on the city's Engineering or Public Works section.
Texas Sources Used on This Page
- Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 - Impact Fees. Accessed 2026-04-27.
- TLGC Chapter 211 - Municipal Zoning Authority. Accessed 2026-04-27.
- TLGC Chapter 212 - Municipal Subdivision Regulation. Accessed 2026-04-27.
- TLGC Chapter 214 - Municipal Regulation of Housing and Other Structures. Accessed 2026-04-27.
- Texas Water Code Chapter 49 - Provisions Applicable to Districts. Accessed 2026-04-27.
State-level framework last reviewed: 2026-04-27. Live jurisdiction record verification dates range from 2026-03-27 (Georgetown) through 2026-05-09 (San Antonio); per-jurisdiction last-verified dates are shown on each page. For the full ZoneFee coverage list, see the ZoneFee coverage page.