Conroe, TX vs Leander, TX: Development Impact Fees Compared (2026)

Tree mitigation payment in lieu of preservation/planting — VERIFIED verbatim against Exhibit I (Chapter 102 Vegetation): line '102-32 Mitigation payment in lieu of preservation. Cost per square foot. $5.00'. Charged per square foot of additional canopy, payable only if a variance from tree preservation/planting is granted — conditional/situational, not a flat per-dwelling charge. Correctly excluded from total. Confidence held at medium per the researcher's noted $5.00 (Exhibit/Appendix A) vs $3.50 (ordinance body text) discrepancy; the codified Appendix A Exhibit value of $5.00 is used.

Water tap fee (3/4" meter, standard residential) — VERIFIED verbatim against Exhibit D (Chapter 70 Proposed Tap Fees), City of Conroe Appendix A Fee Schedule adopted by Ord. No. 2759-25, eff. 11-13-2025. The 3/4" tap is the standard residential water service connection and is the representative single-family row. Included in per-DU total.

Sewer tap fee (4" tap, standard residential) — VERIFIED verbatim against Exhibit D (Chapter 70), Ord. No. 2759-25, eff. 11-13-2025. 4" is the standard residential sewer tap. One-time connection charge, effectively per dwelling unit for a typical single-family home. Included in per-DU total (water $1,875 + sewer $1,875 = $3,750, no double-counting).

Water tap fee — 1" meter — VERIFIED verbatim against Exhibit D. Alternative (larger) meter size; mutually exclusive with the primary 3/4" residential tap. Correctly excluded from total.

Roadway Impact Fee (collected, residential 50% of max; Service Area D representative) — REPRESENTATIVE value (Service Area D). VERIFIED: the study's sample calculation (Example 1) confirms SF detached = 4.04 veh-mi/DU x Service Area D $1,229 = $4,965.16 maximum assessable. Max fee per service unit by area VERIFIED from Table 8: A $2,179, B $842, C $929, D $1,229, E $287. The 50% residential collection rate (10% nonresidential) is NOT in the fee-study PDF; it is corroborated by a web search and the citizenportal council-workshop coverage (source 4 was HTTP 403 on direct fetch, confirmed via search-engine snippet). Shown amount = 50% of SA D max ($4,965.16 x 0.50 = $2,482.58). Collected by area at 50%: A $4,401.58, B $1,700.84, C $1,876.58, D $2,482.58, E $579.74. Confidence MEDIUM: collection rate from a secondary source and the city was actively considering raising it (to phase out the separate Roadway Adequacy Payment) as of mid-2025. Verify exact service area + current collection rate at building permit.

Roadway Impact Fee MAXIMUM assessable (Service Area D) — VERIFIED exactly against the study sample calculation (Example 1, Service Area D): 'Impact Fee = 1 * 4.04 * $1,229 ... Maximum Assessable Impact Fee = $4,965.16.' This is the MAXIMUM assessable (not what is collected); actual residential collection is 50% of this (see collected row). excludeFromTotal=true is correct to avoid double-counting with the collected roadway row.

Fee-in-Lieu of Parkland (Williamson County) — VERIFIED exactly against the downloaded Concept Plan Submittal Packet PDF (text extracted via pdftotext): 'Parkland is calculated as 7.5 acres per each 100 dwelling units. A payment of fee in lieu of parkland is an option at a rate of $1,676.60 for Williamson County or $2,355.13 for Travis County.' NOT a Chapter 395 impact fee - this is a parkland dedication / fee-in-lieu requirement under the city's subdivision/parks authority for residential developments (developer may dedicate 7.5 ac/100 DU OR pay this per-unit fee). Leander is primarily in Williamson County, so $1,676.60/DU is the applicable primary rate. Park improvements (up to 50%) may also be required separately.

Fee-in-Lieu of Parkland (Travis County portion) — VERIFIED exactly against the Concept Plan Submittal Packet PDF. Mutually exclusive county variant; applies only to the Travis County ETJ portion of Leander's jurisdiction. Williamson County rate ($1,676.60) used as primary since Leander is primarily in Williamson County. excludeFromTotal=true is correct.

Water Impact (Capital Recovery) Fee — VERIFIED directly against Municode Sec. 13.07.009 (browser-rendered): '(2) Water: $8,762.00.' Adopted by Ord. No. 23-044-00, sec. 4 (eff. 8/17/2023). Per LUE (living unit equivalent); one single-family detached residence of average size = 1.0 LUE, so $8,762 per home. The code expressly states the impact fee 'shall be charged in addition to all other fees... including... building permit fees and tap fees,' so this is additive to the water tap fee.

Wastewater Impact (Capital Recovery) Fee — VERIFIED directly against Municode Sec. 13.07.009 (browser-rendered): '(1) Wastewater: $2,301.00.' Per LUE; SF detached = 1.0 LUE = $2,301 per home. Combined code water+wastewater = $11,063 per LUE (note: a July 2023 Community Impact news article reported the combined figure as $11,064.73/LUE; the code itself lists exactly $8,762 + $2,301, so $11,063 is used). Adopted Ord. No. 23-044-00 (eff. 8/17/2023).

Water Tap Fee (full install, 3/4-inch meter) — VERIFIED directly against Municode Appendix A, Sec. A7.007 (browser-rendered): water tap where the city installs service lines and sets the meter (typical new construction) is 5/8 inch $840.00, 3/4 inch $940.00. Additive to the water impact fee. Excludes backflow device cost; street cut adds $1,000 for a two-lane roadway + $500 per additional lane. (Where lines already exist and the city only inspects + sets a meter, the lower 3/4-inch fee is $415 - a different scenario, not used here.)

Water Tap Fee (full install, 5/8-inch meter) — VERIFIED against Municode Sec. A7.007: 5/8 inch $840.00. Mutually exclusive meter-size variant of the water tap fee; the 3/4-inch ($940) row is used as the primary residential meter. excludeFromTotal=true is correct to avoid double-counting.

Wastewater Tap Fee (full install by city) — VERIFIED directly against Municode Appendix A, Sec. A7.007 wastewater tap schedule (browser-rendered): 'Where service lines must be installed set by the city, the tap fee shall be $750.00.' Flat fee. Street cut adds $850 for a two-lane roadway + $425 per additional lane. Additive to the wastewater impact fee. (Where lines already exist and the city only inspects, the fee is $100 - a different scenario.) Note: researcher's original quote prefixed 'Wastewater tap schedule ...'; corrected to the verbatim code sentence.