TVWD collects fees at different stages of development. Collection of fees are needed to recuperate staff costs for plan review and construction inspection, as well as pay for service and meter installations our District crews perform. System Development Charges (SDCs) are charges that are assessed when purchasing new water meters (or upsizing of existing meters) which help to cover the cost of future system expansion and maintenance. SDCs help fund capital improvement projects which benefit both existing and future customers.
On this page
- Plan Review and Construction Inspection Fees
- Service Installation Charges
- Meter Installation Charges
- System Development Charges
Plan Review and Construction Inspection Fees
Fees effective November 1, 2025
Plan review fees cover engineering staff labor for plan intake, review, approval, and related office tasks. Construction inspection fees cover inspector staff labor for inspecting development-related water system improvements.
Table 1. Plan Review and Construction Inspection Fees
| Type of Development | ||
| Residential | Plan Review1 | Construction Inspection1,2 |
| 1 – 10 Lots | $835 | $3,605 |
| 11 – 50 Lots | $1,205 | $6,700 |
| 51 – 100 Lots | $1,600 | $9,540 |
| 100+ Lots | $1,970 | $12,485 |
| Multifamily and Commercial | ||
| No Vault3 | $1,155 | $2,435 |
| Vault(s)3 on project | $1,905 | $10,255 |
1 Fee(s) may be paid at time plan review or inspection services are requested. Both fees are not required to be paid at the same time.
2 When development is constructed in phases, construction inspection fee will be assessed for each phase of development.
3 Includes, but is not limited to, domestic meter vaults, domestic backflow vaults, and fire backflow vaults.
Table 2. Miscellaneous Fees
| Plan Resubmittal Fee4 | Bond Admin Fee5 |
| $180 | $490 |
4 Fee is assessed when 12 months elapse between engineering plan approval and the pre-construction meeting or when an engineering plan review requires more than 3 resubmittals (a total of 4 reviews).
5 Fee is assessed when a Performance Bond (or Cash in Lieu of Bond) is provided and processed by the Engineering Division.
Service Installation Charges
Charges effective November 1, 2025
Important – Recent Change!
As of July 1, 2024, Developers are required to install service lines and meters boxes for meters 2-inches or smaller. This applies only to newly constructed sections of water main and does not include connections to the active water system.
Service installation charges recuperate labor, equipment, and material costs associated with service lines installed by District crews. Expenses include the installation of copper service lines from the mainline to meter boxes, furnishing and installing meter boxes, and surface restoration.
Table 3. Service Installation Charges (Meters 2-inches or Smaller)1
| Service Installation Charge | |||
| Meter Size2 | Dig-in | Banked | Traffic-Rated Box3 |
| 5/8" to 1" | $2,765 | $1,110 | $155 |
| 1-1/2" and 2" | $3,450 | -- | $180 |
1 For meters 3-inch or larger, service line installation is the responsibility of the developer.
2 For meter sizes 1-inch or smaller, a 1-inch service line size is required. For 1½- and 2-inch meters, a 2-inch service line size is required.
3 For meter boxes located within driveways or other traveled ways, a traffic-rated box may be required, and subject to an additional fee.
Meter Installation Charges
Charges effective November 1, 2025
Meter installation charges cover the costs of labor, equipment, and materials required for meter installation.
Table 4. Meter Installation Charges
| Meter Size | Installation Charge | Return Visit1 |
| 5/8" | $360 | $170 |
| 3/4" | $385 | $170 |
| 1" | $450 | $170 |
| 1-1/2" | $675 | $170 |
| 2" | $825 | $170 |
| 3" | $5,750 | -- |
| 4" | $7,475 | -- |
| 6" | $11,505 | -- |
| 8" | $13,805 | -- |
| 10" | $23,005 | -- |
1Additional fees apply if more than one trip is required to install a meter. Examples that could require an additional trip include, but is not limited to, the meter box covered with debris, a broken or damaged box, or the meter box being inaccessable due to parked equipment.
System Development Charge (SDC)
Charges effective March 1, 2025
Recent System Development Charge Increase
System Development Charges increased by 4.49% on March 1, 2025. The SDC rates shown below reflect these recent increases.
For meters 1½" or smaller, the System Development Charge (SDC) is calculated based on Equivalent Residential Units1 (ERUs) and the assigned Weighting Factor for each meter. SDCs for meters 1½" or smaller are flat rate and do not vary based on anticipated water demands. The base meter size is 5/8" and equates to 1 ERU.
Table 5. System Development Charges (Meters 1-1/2" or Smaller)
| Meter Size | System Development Charge |
| 5/8" | $10,192 |
| 3/4" | $15,288 |
| 1" | $25,480 |
| 1-1/2" | $50,960 |
1 An Equivalent Residential Unit is the base element, or unit, of the formula by which SDC rates are determined, for various buildings or developments.
2 Weighting factors are based on American Water Works Association (AWWA) safe operating capacities for displacement type meters (AWWA C700, Table 1).
For meters 2" or larger, the System Development Charge (SDC) is calculated based on how much water the developer estimates will be used. We look at two types of usage:
- Peak-Day Usage: This is the highest amount of water the developer expects to be used on a single day.
- Average Daily Usage: This is the typical amount of water the developer expects to be used on an average day, averaged over a 12-month period.
The developer provides these estimates, and we use them to calculate the Peak-Day and Storage ERUs:
- Peak-Day ERUs: To find this, we take the developer's estimated peak daily water usage and divide it by 844 gallons. This number (844 gallons) is what our water district uses as the standard peak-day water flow for one typical residential connection (1 Peak-Day ERU).
- Storage ERUs: To find this, we take the developer's estimated average daily water usage and divide it by 358 gallons. This number (358 gallons) is what our water district uses as the standard average-day water flow for one typical residential connection (1 Storage ERU).
Once we have the Peak-Day ERUs and Storage ERUs, we multiply each of these numbers by specific SDC rates found in Table 6 below.
Table 6. System Development Charges (Meters 2"or Larger)
| Peak-Day SDC Cost | Storage SDC Cost |
| $8,381 per Peak-Day ERU | $1,811 per Storage ERU |
For more detailed information regarding how SDCs are calculated and applied, including circumstances for upgrading your meter size due to fire sprinkler system requirements, refer to Resolution 02-24.
The District assesses and collects fees at different stages of development including plan review, construction inspection, and service and meter installation. Collection of these fees and charges are required to recuperate labor and material costs as well as help fund future system expansion and maintenance. See below for summaries of different fees and charges.