What to take into your next appraisal
- A service unit is not automatically one apartment.
- The applicable plat date or land-status determination matters.
- Keep impact fees separate from meter, inspection and physical works costs.
Use the named utility and schedule
Austin Water’s rates-and-fees page publishes water and wastewater impact fees by the relevant lot-plat or land-status schedule. For lots platted after 1 October 2023, it lists $4,800 for water and $2,900 for wastewater per service unit, a combined $7,700.
Earlier schedules differ. The page lists $7,200 combined for 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2023 and $7,600 for 1 January 2014 to 30 September 2018; older lots have zone distinctions. Confirm the applicable classification with the utility.
Sources: Austin Water: Rates and Fees
Obtain the service-unit determination
For a fictional Austin project, assume the utility confirms 50 service units under the post-October-2023 schedule. Water fees are $240,000 and wastewater fees are $145,000, producing a $385,000 impact-fee allowance.
The project might contain a different number of dwellings. Do not infer service units from apartment count, building area or meter size without the utility’s calculation. Record any recognised credit and its eligibility separately.
Test the inputs that actually move the fee
Holding 50 service units constant, the 2018-to-2023 schedule would produce $360,000, a $25,000 difference. This comparison is an error check, not an option to select a cheaper schedule.
| Input case | Calculation | Combined fee |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed 50 units, $7,700 schedule | 50 × $7,700 | $385,000 |
| 60 service-unit sensitivity | 60 × $7,700 | $462,000 |
| 50 units, older $7,200 schedule | 50 × $7,200 | $360,000 |
Add the charges outside this table
Keep meter, inspection, connection construction, extensions and any other authority charges separate. A utility impact fee does not prove that all infrastructure is physically available or paid for.
Obtain a written project quote and payment trigger. If the fictional $385,000 is payable three months earlier than the draft model assumed, financing it at 8% simple annual interest adds $7,700. That date is a scenario, not a published Austin payment rule.
Refresh the allowance at design changes
Recheck the utility determination after a change in density, uses, demand or service configuration. Retain the schedule, correspondence, credits and assumed quote validity date.
The investment paper should disclose the confirmed service units, unconfirmed costs and payment milestone. This gives the infrastructure allowance a traceable basis instead of hiding it inside a broad per-home contingency.
Sources and further reading
- Rates and Fees Austin Water
Published by Feasly. How we prepare our guides. Suggest a correction.
