Brighton, CO vs Greeley, CO: Development Impact Fees Compared (2026)
A single-family home pays about $40,634 in Brighton vs $46,126 in Greeley — Greeley is $5,492 (14%) higher. Every figure below is normalized per dwelling unit by category, with links to each jurisdiction’s official sources.
City
Brighton, CO
$40,634
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$15,036
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$25,598
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
—
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Parks & recreation Community Park Impact Fee — Additive with Neighborhood Park fee. 'Residential Housing' = building with one or more dwelling units each with its own meter (includes single-family detached). Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per dwelling unit | $2,063 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Parks & recreation Neighborhood Park Impact Fee — Additive with Community Park fee (separate line item). Combined park impact fees = $4,126/unit. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per dwelling unit | $2,063 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Transportation / roads Transportation and Multimodal Impact Fee — Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per dwelling unit | $3,638 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
General government / capital General Services Impact Fee — General government/capital facilities impact fee (folds in police/library/etc. impacts). Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per dwelling unit | $1,096 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Drainage / stormwater Storm Drainage Impact Fee — Applies outside the South Beebe Draw Metropolitan District; properties inside that district pay the district's own drainage fee instead. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per dwelling unit | $5,488 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Fire / EMS Greater Brighton Fire Protection District Emergency Services Impact Fee - Single Family — SEPARATE DISTRICT: Greater Brighton Fire Protection District impact fee, assessed/collected by the City via intergovernmental agreement and remitted to the District. Schedule effective Jan 1, 2018 (per Sept 2017 nexus study); a builder in Brighton pays this. Listed on the City's Adopted Fee Regulations page. Verified verbatim in IGA Attachment 1. | per dwelling unit | $688 | Greater Brighton Fire Protection District / City of Brighton Jan 1, 2018Highdated 2018 |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Impact Fee (0.75" tap, water rights dedicated to City) — Plant-investment-style water tap/impact fee for standard 0.75" residential meter, base scenario where developer DEDICATES water rights to the City. Source states 'Water dedication will be required for all development unless a previous agreement is on file' — dedication is the standard/default. Larger meter sizes priced higher (1"=$30,671, 2"=$98,148). Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per meter | $18,403 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Impact Fee (0.75" tap, fee-in-lieu of water rights dedication) — Alternative pathway (lower tap fee) used only when an exception/agreement allows cash fee-in-lieu of dedicating water rights. Mutually exclusive with the $18,403 dedicated-rights tap fee; if used, a large per-unit 'Fee-in-Lieu of Water Dedication' ($41,189/unit at 0-3 units/acre) ALSO applies on top. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. alternative · not added to total | per meter | $15,227 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Fee-in-Lieu of Water Dedication (detached residential, 0-3 units/acre) — Charged IN ADDITION to the fee-in-lieu tap fee, but ONLY when developer does not dedicate physical water rights and an agreement allows cash. Tiered by density (>3-4: $39,901; >4-5: $33,466; ... >11/acre: $25,743). Excluded because the standard/base scenario is water-rights dedication. Per-acre-foot basis is $64,357. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $41,189 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Metro Water Recovery (MWR) Wastewater Impact Fee - Single-family — SEPARATE DISTRICT: Metro Water Recovery regional wastewater treatment connection fee, collected by City of Brighton on behalf of MWR. Applies to developments served by MWR (the primary/default Brighton wastewater service). Mutually exclusive with the Town of Lochbuie wastewater fee for parcels served by Lochbuie instead. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per dwelling unit | $6,070 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Town of Lochbuie Wastewater Impact Fee (0.75" tap) — SEPARATE DISTRICT alternative: applies only to Brighton parcels whose wastewater is served by the Town of Lochbuie instead of MWR. Mutually exclusive with the MWR fee; excluded since MWR is the default. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. alternative · not added to total | per meter | $4,975 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) City of Brighton Wastewater Connection Fee (0.75" tap) — City's own local wastewater (collection system) connection fee, additive to and separate from the regional MWR/Lochbuie treatment fee. Standard 0.75" residential tap. Verified verbatim in Attachment 14. | per meter | $837 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Meter Fee (0.75") — Physical water meter purchase fee for standard residential 0.75" meter, in addition to the water impact/tap fee. Borderline (a meter-purchase charge rather than a pure impact fee) but a mandatory per-unit capital connection cost listed in Attachment 14; retained. Verified verbatim. | per meter | $288 | City of Brighton, Colorado Jan 1, 2026High |
City
Greeley, CO
$46,126
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$19,726
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$26,400
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
—
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Transportation / roads Transportation Development Impact Fee — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 0; row reads 'Residential 1,801 square feet or more of heated living space ... 2025 Fee $8,609'. City impact fee is tiered by heated living space, not by land-use type. Representative single-family row uses the largest tier (1,801+ sq ft), typical for a 2,000-2,500 sq ft home. Effective March 1, 2025 - Feb 29, 2026. | per dwelling unit | $8,609 | City of Greeley, Colorado - Finance Department Mar 1, 2025High |
Parks & recreation Park Development Impact Fee — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 0 (Park Development Fee, 1,801+ tier = $6,449). 1,801+ sq ft tier (representative SFD). Tiered by heated living space. | per dwelling unit | $6,449 | City of Greeley, Colorado - Finance Department Mar 1, 2025High |
Open space Trails Development Impact Fee — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 0 (Trails Development Fee, 1,801+ tier = $967). Greeley levies a separate Trails impact fee (trail/open-space network). 1,801+ sq ft tier. | per dwelling unit | $967 | City of Greeley, Colorado - Finance Department Mar 1, 2025High |
Fire / EMS Fire Development Impact Fee — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 0 (Fire Development Fee, 1,801+ tier = $869). 1,801+ sq ft tier (representative SFD). | per dwelling unit | $869 | City of Greeley, Colorado - Finance Department Mar 1, 2025High |
Police Police Development Impact Fee — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 0 (Police Development Fee, 1,801+ tier = $334). 1,801+ sq ft tier (representative SFD). | per dwelling unit | $334 | City of Greeley, Colorado - Finance Department Mar 1, 2025High |
Drainage / stormwater Storm Drainage Development Impact Fee — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 0 (Storm Drainage Development Fee, Impervious Area, Per Impervious Square Foot, 2024 $0.292 +7.88% = 2025 $0.315). Charged per impervious square foot of the site, NOT a flat per-dwelling-unit amount; excluded from the per-unit total. The 2026 Water/Sewer Rate Manual narrative still cited $0.29/sq ft; the 2025 official impact-fee schedule computed $0.315 for 2025. excludeFromTotal flag confirmed correct. alternative · not added to total | per sq ft | $0.32 | City of Greeley, Colorado - Finance Department Mar 1, 2025High |
Schools School Land Dedication Fee-in-Lieu (Greeley-Evans School District 6) — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 4 (Figure 6, Scenario #8, A5 Cost Per Unit by Level - SFD = $2,498.02) AND independently against source 5 (NoCo Optimist: single-family detached $2,498). Fee-in-lieu of land dedication for Weld County School District 6, adopted via City Council intergovernmental agreement approved June 2025 (5-2 vote confirmed in source 5). Developer may dedicate 0.0159 acres/unit instead of paying. This is NOT a school impact fee (CO does not authorize one) but a developer school-land obligation a Greeley residential builder must satisfy. Underlying study internally dated 1/12/2020; effectiveDate reflects June 2025 IGA adoption; medium confidence retained. | per dwelling unit | $2,498 | Greeley-Evans School District 6 / Western Demographics, Inc. Jun 1, 2025Medium |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Plant Investment Fee (PIF) - 3/4-inch tap — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 1 (2026 Rate Manual PIF table: 3/4" -> Water PIF $16,900.00). Base residential 3/4-inch tap; representative for single-family. For SF lots the PIF is a proportion of the tap-size value by lot size/irrigation - a Standard Lot (6,000-13,000 s.f.) at potable irrigation = 100% = full $16,900 (confirmed in residential proportion table). Table header in PDF printed 'March 1, 2025 - Feb 28 2026' but values are the updated 2026-manual figures (2025 manual source 2 showed $15,000). | per meter | $16,900 | City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Sewer/Wastewater Plant Investment Fee (PIF) - 3/4-inch tap — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 1 (2026 Rate Manual PIF table: 3/4" -> Sewer PIF $9,500.00). Base residential 3/4-inch tap (2025 manual source 2 showed $8,650). | per meter | $9,500 | City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Raw Water Dedication - Cash-in-Lieu — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 1 (2026 Rate Manual, Cash-In-Lieu section: 'The cash-in-lieu of raw water fee is $57,000 per acre-foot of water'). PER ACRE-FOOT, not per dwelling unit. New residential development must dedicate 3 acre-feet of native water per ACRE of land (or pay cash-in-lieu). On a per-acre basis this is ~3 x $57,000 = ~$171,000/acre of residential land - a very large but land-area-driven cost. Excluded from per-unit total because it is not a flat per-DU amount. excludeFromTotal flag confirmed correct. alternative · not added to total | per acre | $57,000 | City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Plant Investment Fee (PIF) - 1-inch tap — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 1 (2026 Rate Manual PIF table: 1" -> Water PIF $28,200.00). Larger-meter variant of water PIF; 3/4-inch is the base residential primary. Mutually exclusive by meter size. excludeFromTotal correct. alternative · not added to total | per meter | $28,200 | City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Sewer Plant Investment Fee (PIF) - 1-inch tap — VERIFIED 2026-06-17 against source 1 (2026 Rate Manual PIF table: 1" -> Sewer PIF $15,100.00). Larger-meter variant; 3/4-inch is the base residential primary. Mutually exclusive by meter size. excludeFromTotal correct. alternative · not added to total | per meter | $15,100 | City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department Jan 1, 2026High |
What drives the difference
Greeley’s $46,126 per single-family home is $5,492 (14%) above Brighton’s $40,634. The largest single difference is in drainage / stormwater: Brighton charges about $5,488 there versus nothing in Greeley — a $5,488 swing that accounts for much of the overall gap. The two also differ in how much falls on water and sewer connection charges: $25,598 in Brighton versus $26,400 in Greeley.
Keep comparing
Brighton vs Greeley impact fees — FAQ
- Which has higher impact fees, Brighton or Greeley?
- Greeley, CO is higher. A single-family home pays about $46,126 per unit in Greeley versus $40,634 in Brighton, CO — $5,492 (14%) more, as of 2026.
- How much more does it cost to build a home in Greeley than in Brighton?
- About $5,492 more per single-family home — $46,126 in Greeley, CO versus $40,634 in Brighton, CO, a difference of 14% in total development impact and connection fees.
- What's the difference between impact fees in Brighton and Greeley for a single-family home?
- Brighton, CO charges about $40,634 per single-family home ($15,036 impact + $25,598 water/sewer connection), while Greeley, CO charges about $46,126 ($19,726 impact + $26,400 connection). Figures are normalized from official sources for 2026.