Affordability is top-of-mind at Austin Water - just as it is for our customers.
Rates and Fees
COVID-19 Utility Bill Relief for Customer Assistance Program (CAP) customers
Austin City Council approved a recommendation from Austin Water to continue a 10 percent reduction in water and wastewater rates for our most vulnerable low-income customers enrolled in the City of Austin’s Customer Assistance Program (CAP).
This utility bill relief in response to COVID-19 took effect on April 9, 2020 and included a $5 million contribution to the Plus 1 program, as well as additional measures to halt disconnects for non-payment, waive late fees and place customers in need on payment plans.
For more information about the COVID-19 emergency relief, rate reductions, customer assistance program and more, please click here or call City of Austin Utilities Customer Care at 512-494-9400 for more information.
2024-2025 Rates (effective November 1, 2024)
- Residential Customers
- Commercial Customers
- Multi-Family Customers
- Large Volume Customers
- Wholesale Customers
- Reclaimed Water Customers
Additional Documents
In keeping with water utility industry best practices, Austin Water reviews our rates with a consultant every 5-7 years. When we last looked at rates, monthly water service bills actually decreased in 2018 and remained flat, with only one modest increase in 2024. This year’s evaluation looked at rising operating costs, infrastructure required to serve a growing population, and investments needed to address climate change impacts. This year's rate adjustment was set below the cost of service identified by Austin Water' third-party consultant NewGen.
View the informational documents below to learn more about how we set rates.
Austin Water has updated its Impact Fees due to be effective October 2023. 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. Impact fees help Austin Water keep water and wastewater service rates lower for ratepayers by letting growth pay for itself.
In 2023, the Austin City Council voted to pass an ordinance updating impact fees that can be assessed by Austin Water. The vote was the culmination of over a year of public outreach and stakeholder input on how best to structure the fees, coordinated through the Impact Fee Advisory Committee.
Texas State law requires that impact fees be updated every five years. The revision process required the Utility to update Land Use Assumptions (LUA) and the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that will serve new development over the next 10 years and determine the maximum allowable water and wastewater impact fees that can be collected.
The Texas Local Government Code (TLGC), Chapter 212, Municipal Regulation of Subdivisions and Property Development, prohibits connection of utility service to any parcel of land that is not legally platted or excepted from the platting requirements of the municipality. TLGC 212.004 provides for an exception to platting and Section 25-4-2 of the Land Development Code outlines the City’s exceptions from platting requirements. This exception is also referred to as Land Status Determination.
A plat is a survey of land which identifies the boundaries of the property and any easements, flood zones, roadway, and access rights of way. The date of the official plat is determined by the date it was recorded and filed with the applicable County Office, such as Travis County or Williamson County. If an exception is allowed, the land status determination is applied for through the City of Austin and once issued, that date is used as the determining date for the applicable fee schedule.
The City of Austin’s interactive Property Profile Web Map can be used to determine if a property is subject to Impact Fees by adding the “Impact Fee Boundary 2018” layer under the “Austin Water” group. Impact Fee zones for lots platted before January 1, 2014 can be seen by adding the “Impact Fee Zones Pre-2014” layer under the “Austin Water” group.
The current City of Austin Water and Wastewater Impact Fees per service unit are presented in the tables below. For properties platted before January 1, 2014, the fees also vary based on location. Please note other fees may apply including meter and inspection fees. For more information, please contact 512-972-0000 extension 4.
AW Impact Fee Schedule for Lots Platted
AFTER October 1, 2023
| Zone | Water Fee | Wastewater Fee | Water and Wastewater Fee |
| All Zones | $4,800 | $2,900 | $7,700 |
AW Impact Fee Schedule for Lots Platted
BETWEEN October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2023
| Zone | Water Fee | Wastewater Fee | Water and Wastewater Fee |
| All Zones | $4,700 | $2,500 |
$7,200
|
AW Impact Fee Schedule for Lots Platted
BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2014 and SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
| Zone | Water Fee | Wastewater Fee | Water and Wastewater Fee |
| All Zones | $5,400 | $2,200 | $7,600 |
AW Impact Fee Schedule for Lots Platted
BETWEEN OCTOBER 1, 2007 and DECEMBER 31, 2013
| Zone | Water Fee | Wastewater Fee | Water and Wastewater Fee |
| CURE | $700 | $400 | $1,100 |
| Urban Watersheds | $800 | $500 | $1,300 |
| DDZ - Inside | $1,000 | $600 | $1,600 |
| DDZ - ETJ | $1,800 | $1,000 | $2,800 |
| DWPZ - Inside | $2,200 | $1,200 | $3,400 |
| DWPZ - ETJ | $2,500 | $1,400 | $3,900 |
AW Impact Fee Schedule for Lots Platted
BEFORE OCTOBER 1, 2007
| Zone | Water Fee | Wastewater Fee | Water and Wastewater Fee |
| CURE | $500 | $300 | $800 |
| Urban Watersheds | $600 | $400 | $1,000 |
| DDZ - Inside | $700 | $400 | $1,100 |
| DDZ - ETJ | $1,300 | $800 | $2,100 |
| DWPZ - Inside | $1,500 | $1,200 | $2,700 |
| DWPZ - ETJ | $1,700 | $1,300 | $3,000 |
Impact Fee Reports