Meridian, ID vs Post Falls, ID: Development Impact Fees Compared (2026)
A single-family home pays about $19,244 in Meridian vs $25,120 in Post Falls — Post Falls is $5,876 (31%) higher. Every figure below is normalized per dwelling unit by category, with links to each jurisdiction’s official sources.
City
Meridian, ID
$19,244
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$11,319
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$7,925
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
—
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Parks & recreation Parks & Recreation Impact Fee — Representative 1,701-2,500 sq ft climate-controlled tier (covers a typical ~2,000-2,500 sq ft single-family home). Confirmed in impact fee PDF and live City Fee app (code 22-2004). | per dwelling unit | $4,119 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Police Police Facilities Impact Fee — 1,701-2,500 sq ft tier. Confirmed in impact fee PDF. | per dwelling unit | $402 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Fire / EMS Fire Facilities Impact Fee — 1,701-2,500 sq ft tier. Confirmed in impact fee PDF. | per dwelling unit | $995 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Transportation / roads ACHD Transportation Impact Fee — Levied by the SEPARATE Ada County Highway District (ACHD), collected at the Meridian building permit. Current 3/1/2026 city handout figure (supersedes older FY23 $3,493 schedule also shown in same PDF). | per dwelling unit | $5,803 | City of Meridian / Ada County Highway District Mar 1, 2026High |
Parks & recreation Parks Impact Fee - 1,200 sf or less tier — Smallest size tier (<=1,200 sq ft). Alternate tier - excluded from single-family total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $1,946 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Parks & recreation Parks Impact Fee - 1,201 to 1,700 sf tier — Alternate size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $3,006 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Parks & recreation Parks Impact Fee - 2,501 to 3,200 sf tier — Alternate size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $4,935 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Parks & recreation Parks Impact Fee - 3,201 sf or more tier — Largest size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $5,544 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Police Police Impact Fee - 1,200 sf or less tier — Smallest size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $190 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Police Police Impact Fee - 3,201 sf or more tier — Largest size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $542 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee - 1,200 sf or less tier — Smallest size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $470 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee - 3,201 sf or more tier — Largest size tier - excluded from total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $1,339 | City of Meridian Feb 1, 2023High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Assessment (Connection) Fee — Confirmed by City of Meridian Resolution No. 26-2566 (eff. 6/1/2026, supersedes prior fees). Live City Fee app frames this as per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU); one ERU per single-family dwelling. | per meter | $1,696 | City of Meridian Jun 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Wastewater/Sewer Assessment (Connection) Fee — Confirmed by City of Meridian Resolution No. 26-2566 (eff. 6/1/2026, supersedes prior fees). Live City Fee app frames this as per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU); one ERU per single-family dwelling. | per meter | $5,807 | City of Meridian Jun 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Meter (3/4 inch domestic + single MXU) — Standard residential 3/4" meter set; additive to the water assessment. Confirmed in FY25 PW handout ($422.37 with MXU); Single Port MXU component $235.95 also listed, implying $186.42 base meter. | per meter | $422 | City of Meridian Public Works Mar 5, 2025High |
City
Post Falls, ID
$25,120
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$14,221
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$10,899
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
$10,228
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Parks & recreation Parks & Recreation Development Impact Fee — City of Post Falls Parks & Recreation development impact fee, charged per single-family housing unit. Confirmed VERBATIM in the official Fee Schedule PDF (Revised 10-1-2025), IMPACT FEES table, Single-Family row. NOTE (verification): the researcher cited the 2021 TischlerBise study (sourceIndex 2) but that study shows a DIFFERENT max-allowable figure of $3,721 SF; the $6,721 figure is the currently adopted/published amount and is confirmed in the official Fee Schedule PDF, so this row was re-attributed to sourceIndex 0. | per dwelling unit | $6,721 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Public safety Public Safety (Police) Development Impact Fee — City of Post Falls Public Safety (police) development impact fee per single-family housing unit. Confirmed VERBATIM in official Fee Schedule PDF IMPACT FEES table. Re-attributed from sourceIndex 2 to sourceIndex 0 (2021 study showed max-allowable $452 SF; adopted figure is $1,302). | per dwelling unit | $1,302 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Transportation / roads Streets Development Impact Fee — City of Post Falls Streets/roads development impact fee per single-family housing unit. Confirmed VERBATIM in official Fee Schedule PDF IMPACT FEES table. Re-attributed from sourceIndex 2 to sourceIndex 0 (2021 study showed max-allowable $1,510 SF). This is the CITY street impact fee; no separate per-unit Post Falls Highway District road impact fee was found published. | per dwelling unit | $3,311 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Transportation / roads Multimodal Paths Development Impact Fee — City of Post Falls Multimodal Paths development impact fee per single-family housing unit (additive to Streets fee; distinct transportation category). Confirmed VERBATIM in official Fee Schedule PDF IMPACT FEES table. Re-attributed from sourceIndex 2 to sourceIndex 0 (2021 study showed max-allowable $869 SF). | per dwelling unit | $1,447 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Fire / EMS Fire Development Impact Fee — Fire development impact fee per single-family housing unit, confirmed VERBATIM in the official Fee Schedule PDF IMPACT FEES table (Fire column). Confidence raised from medium to high on verification: it is a line item in the City's adopted Fee Schedule (not merely inferred from fund accounting). The 2021 City TischlerBise study did NOT include Fire/EMS (it covered only parks/public safety/streets/multimodal); Fire/EMS reflect a Kootenai County Fire & Rescue district component collected by the City at permit issuance. | per dwelling unit | $1,298 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Public safety EMS Development Impact Fee — EMS development impact fee per single-family housing unit, confirmed VERBATIM in the official Fee Schedule PDF IMPACT FEES table (EMS column). Confidence raised from medium to high on verification. Same $142 applies to multifamily. Categorized under public_safety (EMS). Not part of the 2021 TischlerBise study. | per dwelling unit | $142 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Sewer Capitalization Fee (1 Service Unit / Single Family) — City of Post Falls sewer (wastewater) capitalization/connection fee = 1 Service Unit = $7,621.00 for a single-family dwelling. Confirmed VERBATIM in the official Fee Schedule PDF (Revised 10-1-2025), SEWER CAPITALIZATION section. Commercial/Industrial is a minimum of $7,621 plus $7,621 per each additional 5,000 gallons of reclaimed water flow above the first 5,000 gal/month. | per dwelling unit | $7,621 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Capitalization Fee (3/4"-1" Residential meter) — City of Post Falls water capitalization/connection fee for a standard residential 3/4"-1" service. Confirmed VERBATIM in official Fee Schedule PDF (Revised 10-1-2025), WATER CAPITALIZATION section. Base residential meter (primary, representative). Does NOT include the cost of the meter itself ('Water Meter = Cost of Meter') or the separate 'Typical Dig In' service installation charge. | per meter | $3,278 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Sewer Connection / Hookup Fee — Flat sewer connection/hookup administrative fee, additive to the sewer capitalization fee. Confirmed VERBATIM in official Fee Schedule PDF (Revised 10-1-2025). | $5 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High | |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water Service Installation 'Typical Dig In' (1") — Physical water service-line installation ('dig in') cost, separate from the capitalization fee and only charged when the City installs the service tap. Confirmed VERBATIM in official Fee Schedule PDF. Correctly excluded from the impact-fee total as it is a construction/installation charge, not a capacity/impact fee. 1.5" Service = $3,960.00; 2" Service = $4,702.50. alternative · not added to total | $2,351 | City of Post Falls, ID Oct 1, 2025High |
What drives the difference
Post Falls’s $25,120 per single-family home is $5,876 (31%) above Meridian’s $19,244. The largest single difference is in parks & recreation: Post Falls charges about $6,721 there versus $4,119 in Meridian — a $2,602 swing that accounts for much of the overall gap. The two also differ in how much falls on water and sewer connection charges: $7,925 in Meridian versus $10,899 in Post Falls.
Keep comparing
Meridian vs Post Falls impact fees — FAQ
- Which has higher impact fees, Meridian or Post Falls?
- Post Falls, ID is higher. A single-family home pays about $25,120 per unit in Post Falls versus $19,244 in Meridian, ID — $5,876 (31%) more, as of 2026.
- How much more does it cost to build a home in Post Falls than in Meridian?
- About $5,876 more per single-family home — $25,120 in Post Falls, ID versus $19,244 in Meridian, ID, a difference of 31% in total development impact and connection fees.
- What's the difference between impact fees in Meridian and Post Falls for a single-family home?
- Meridian, ID charges about $19,244 per single-family home ($11,319 impact + $7,925 water/sewer connection), while Post Falls, ID charges about $25,120 ($14,221 impact + $10,899 connection). Figures are normalized from official sources for 2026.