Water & Wastewater System Development Fees

System Development Fees are one-time fees applied to new development proposing to connect to the Town's public utility systems. To accommodate future growth and improve the Town's water and wastewater infrastructure, the System Development Fees will be increasing July 1, 2023. 

nw hydrant
6b pump station
nw manhole

The process to evaluate the current fee schedule included a Capital Improvement Plan of utility projects necessary for the long-term success of the Town's utility systems and a System Development Fee Analysis to ensure funding of implementing these projects could be achieved by defining a maximum fee schedule to accommodate the costs of all forecasted infrastructure projects.


On April 10, 2023, the Board of Commissioners evaluated both a "High Option" and "Low Option" for consideration, provided by Town Staff after thorough investigation. The two options prioritized forecasted projects and the costs associated for implementation. The analysis included consultation with the UNC School of Government and exploration of neighboring jurisdictions. 


Based on the data provided, the Board adopted the new fee schedule below. The new fees will provide funding to assist with prioritized infrastructure projects while better aligning with other jurisdictions than the maximum fees in the comparative analysis.


Meter Size Service Unit Equivalent Water SDF Wastewater SDF Combined SDF
1/2" 1.0 $5,170 $5,830 $11,000
3/4" 1.0 $5,170 $5,830 $11,000
1" 2.0 $8,620 $9,713 $18,333
1-1/2" 5.0 $17,233 $19,433 $36,666
2" 8.0 $27,573 $31,092 $58,665
3" 33.3 $86,164 $97,164 $183,328
4" 66.7 $172,329 $194,327 $366,656
6" 106.7 $275,726 $310,924 $586,650
8" 186.7 $482,519 $544,118 $1,026,637
10" 366.7 $947,807 $1,069,424 $2,017,231