Kent, WA vs Kirkland, WA: Development Impact Fees Compared (2026)
A single-family home pays about $8,570 in Kent vs $47,431 in Kirkland — Kirkland is $38,860 (453%) higher. Every figure below is normalized per dwelling unit by category, with links to each jurisdiction’s official sources.
City
Kent, WA
$8,570
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$8,570
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$0
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
$5,876
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Transportation / roads Transportation (Traffic) Impact Fee - Citywide — Primary single-family detached transportation impact fee, Citywide zone (ITE 210). Rate is 55% of maximum calculated rate per Ord. 4403. Verified against the City of Kent's own 2025 Traffic Impact Fees PDF (full-text extraction) and cross-confirmed via MRSC and web search. | per dwelling unit | $6,109 | City of Kent Public Works / Development Engineering Jan 1, 2025High |
Transportation / roads Transportation (Traffic) Impact Fee - Downtown zone — Mutually-exclusive geographic variant (Downtown service area). Excluded from total; the Citywide rate is the representative primary. Verified. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $5,009 | City of Kent Public Works / Development Engineering Jan 1, 2025High |
Transportation / roads Transportation (Traffic) Impact Fee - Midway zone — Mutually-exclusive geographic variant (Midway service area). Excluded from total; the Citywide rate is the representative primary. Verified. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $5,396 | City of Kent Public Works / Development Engineering Jan 1, 2025High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee - Single Family (representative 2,300 sf home) — Fire impact fee is assessed PER SQUARE FOOT ($1.07/sf single-family). This per-DU figure is derived for a representative 2,300 sf single-family detached home (2,300 x $1.07 = $2,461). Per RCW 82.02.100(2)/KCC 12.15.040(B), single-family homes with automatic fire sprinklers pay a reduced fee = 70% of this amount (30% discount). Ord. 4527 § 2 eff. 11-18-25. Code text verified verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $2,461 | City of Kent (Code Publishing) Nov 18, 2025High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee - Single Family (per square foot) — Source-of-truth per-square-foot fire impact fee rate for single-family (KCC 12.15.130). Excluded from total to avoid double-counting with the derived per-DU row above. Verified verbatim. alternative · not added to total | per sq ft | $1.07 | City of Kent (Code Publishing) Nov 18, 2025High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) King County Sewer Capacity Charge - Single Family Medium (regional, 15-yr monthly) — REGIONAL King County charge (not a City of Kent fee), but a Kent builder connecting to the King County-served sewer system must pay it. $77.99 PER MONTH per RCE, billed quarterly for 15 YEARS (recurring, not one-time). SF medium (1,500-2,999 sf) = 1.0 RCE = $77.99/mo; small (<1,500 sf)=$63.17/mo; large (3,000+ sf)=$90.47/mo. unitBasis is 'other' = per RCE per month. Verified against King County WTD page. | $77.99 | King County Wastewater Treatment Division Jan 1, 2026High |
City
Kirkland, WA
$47,431
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$28,182
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$19,249
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 Impact Fee — Kirkland charges the transportation impact fee at $4.39/sq ft (2025) for Residential Non-Stacked, raised 2.7% CPI-W to ~$4.51/sf for Jan-Jun 2026, capped at a per-dwelling-unit max of $8,115.35. The max is reached at ~1,800 sq ft, so essentially every detached single-family home pays the $8,115.35 cap. Figure is the Jan-Jun 2026 maximum from the official fee-change notice. KMC Ch. 27.04, Ord. O-4904. VERIFIED via Jina proxy of source 1 and an independent search snippet. | per dwelling unit | $8,115 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2026High |
Parks & recreation Park Impact Fee — Charged at $5.04/sq ft (2025) Residential Non-Stacked, +2.7% CPI-W for Jan-Jun 2026, capped at per-dwelling-unit max of $9,316.94. Max reached at ~1,800 sq ft, so a typical detached single-family home pays the $9,316.94 cap. KMC Ch. 27.06, Ord. O-4901. VERIFIED via Jina proxy of source 1 and an independent search snippet. | per dwelling unit | $9,317 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2026High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee — Fire impact fee is per sq ft of conditioned floor area: $0.73/sf (2025), +2.7% CPI-W = ~$0.7497/sf for Jan-Jun 2026. Unlike park/transportation, the fire cap ($2,399.07 in 2026) is NOT reached until ~3,200 sq ft, so a representative ~2,500 sq ft home pays ~$1,874 (2,500 x $0.7497 = $1,874.27). Amount shown is COMPUTED for a 2,500 sq ft home; actual fee scales with home size up to the $2,399.07 max. KMC Ch. 27.10, Ord. O-4901. Per-sf rate and max VERIFIED in source 0 (Jina proxy); confidence downgraded high->medium because the exact dollar is a derived computation at an assumed home size, not a published figure. | per dwelling unit | $1,874 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2026Medium |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee (maximum cap, large home) — Maximum per-dwelling-unit fire impact fee (Jan-Jun 2026), reached at ~3,200+ sq ft of conditioned floor area. Excluded from total as an alternative tier to the per-sqft primary row above. VERIFIED verbatim in source 1 (Jina proxy). alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $2,399 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2026High |
Schools School Impact Fee (Lake Washington SD No. 414) — Flat fee per detached single-family unit, set by Lake Washington School District No. 414 and collected by the City of Kirkland under RCW 82.02 / KMC Ch. 27.08 (Ord. O-4910 for 2026). 2025 was $5,972; Jan 2026 is $7,277. A separate $142 school impact fee administrative fee is also charged per the July-Dec 2025 schedule. VERIFIED verbatim in source 1 (Jina proxy) and corroborated by LWSD Impact Fees FAQ (SF $7,277 effective 1/1/2026). | per dwelling unit | $7,277 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2026High |
Schools School Impact Fee admin fee — Administrative fee charged in addition to the school impact fee. Value shown is from the 2025 schedule ($142); the 2026 admin amount may differ slightly with CPI but was not separately published in the Jan 2026 notice. Excluded from total to avoid double counting; add to school fee for an all-in figure. VERIFIED verbatim in source 0 (Jina proxy). alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $142 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2025Medium |
Drainage / stormwater Surface Water Capital Facility Charge (SWCFC), one new detached dwelling — Kirkland stormwater/surface water capital facility charge for one new detached dwelling on a single lot (Jan 2026). For other development types the charge = (impervious sq ft added / 2,600), rounded down, x $1,598. Alteration/expansion of an existing single dwelling on a single lot is exempt. VERIFIED verbatim by direct pdftotext of source 2. | per dwelling unit | $1,598 | City of Kirkland (hosted by MRSC) Jan 1, 2026High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Capital Facility Charge (WCFC), 5/8" x 3/4" meter — City of Kirkland Water Capital Facility Charge for a new connection at the base residential 5/8"x3/4" meter (Jan 2026). This is the city portion. The additive Cascade Water Alliance RCFC ($8,852) is a separate row; combined total for a 3/4" connection is $13,724. VERIFIED verbatim by direct pdftotext of source 2. | per meter | $4,872 | City of Kirkland (hosted by MRSC) Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Cascade Water Alliance Regional Capital Facility Charge (RCFC), 3/4" meter — Cascade Water Alliance regional wholesale capacity charge collected by Kirkland on all new water connections, ADDITIVE to the city WCFC (correctly NOT excluded; applies to the same connection alongside WCFC). 2026 = $8,852 for a 3/4" meter (Cascade Board Resolution 2024-13). No vesting; rate due is the rate in place at time of payment. Levied by a separate regional entity (Cascade Water Alliance) but mandatory for Kirkland builders. VERIFIED verbatim in source 1 (Jina proxy) and cross-checked against source 2 total ($13,724). | per meter | $8,852 | City of Kirkland Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water meter installation (drop-in), 5/8" x 3/4" — One-time water meter drop-in (installation) fee for the base residential meter (Jan 2026). Separate from and additive to the WCFC/RCFC capacity charges. VERIFIED verbatim by direct pdftotext of source 2. | per meter | $401 | City of Kirkland (hosted by MRSC) Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Sewer Capital Facility Charge (SCFC), single-family — City of Kirkland Sewer Capital Facility Charge for a single-family residential connection (Jan 2026). Multi-unit: 2-unit $8,301; 3-unit $12,451; 4-unit $16,602; 5+ units $3,228/unit. Does NOT include the separate King County sewer treatment capacity charge (see coverage notes). VERIFIED verbatim by direct pdftotext of source 2. | per dwelling unit | $5,124 | City of Kirkland (hosted by MRSC) Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) King County Sewer Treatment Capacity Charge (monthly, separate district) — SEPARATE regional charge by King County Wastewater Treatment Division, billed in addition to Kirkland's SCFC on all newly connected sewer customers. NOT a one-time lump sum: $77.99/RCE/MONTH, billed quarterly for 15 years. A medium single-family house (1,500-2,999 sq ft) = 1.0 RCE = $77.99/month (~$936/yr; ~$14,038 nominal over 15 years before any early-payoff/interest discount). Excluded from the one-time SDC total because it is a financed monthly charge, not a connection lump sum. A builder/buyer should budget for it separately. VERIFIED verbatim via WebFetch of source 5 (billed quarterly for 15 years). alternative · not added to total | $77.99 | King County Wastewater Treatment Division Jan 1, 2026High |
What drives the difference
Kirkland’s $47,431 per single-family home is $38,860 (453%) above Kent’s $8,570. The largest single difference is in water connection (tap / sdc): Kirkland charges about $14,125 there versus nothing in Kent — a $14,125 swing that accounts for much of the overall gap. The two also differ in how much falls on water and sewer connection charges: $0 in Kent versus $19,249 in Kirkland.
Keep comparing
Kent vs Kirkland impact fees — FAQ
- Which has higher impact fees, Kent or Kirkland?
- Kirkland, WA is higher. A single-family home pays about $47,431 per unit in Kirkland versus $8,570 in Kent, WA — $38,860 (453%) more, as of 2026.
- How much more does it cost to build a home in Kirkland than in Kent?
- About $38,860 more per single-family home — $47,431 in Kirkland, WA versus $8,570 in Kent, WA, a difference of 453% in total development impact and connection fees.
- What's the difference between impact fees in Kent and Kirkland for a single-family home?
- Kent, WA charges about $8,570 per single-family home ($8,570 impact + $0 water/sewer connection), while Kirkland, WA charges about $47,431 ($28,182 impact + $19,249 connection). Figures are normalized from official sources for 2026.