Olympia, WA vs Renton, WA: Development Impact Fees Compared (2026)
A single-family home pays about $30,720 in Olympia vs $27,587 in Renton — Olympia is $3,133 (11%) higher. Every figure below is normalized per dwelling unit by category, with links to each jurisdiction’s official sources.
City
Olympia, WA
$30,720
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$12,716
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$18,004
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
$8,973
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Parks & recreation Park Impact Fee — OMC 15.16.010 Schedule A, Park Impact Fees (Ord. 7451 §1, 2025). VERIFIED verbatim against codepublishing.com (retrieved via curl; WebFetch was 403-blocked). Applies to all new residential development; reviewed/updated annually. Note: City must adopt a new compliant park impact fee methodology by June 30, 2026 (FCS Group study underway) — figure may change. | per dwelling unit | $6,995 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2025High |
Transportation / roads Transportation Impact Fee — OMC 15.16.040 Schedule D, Transportation Impact Fee Rate Schedule Effective January 1, 2026 (Ord. 7451 §3, 2025). VERIFIED verbatim. Cost per new person trip generated = $3,672. Downtown/High-Density-Corridor zones have reduced rates. | per dwelling unit | $5,721 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2026High |
Schools School Impact Fee (North Thurston Public Schools) — OMC 15.16.030 Schedule C(B), North Thurston School District service area. VERIFIED verbatim. Only the portion of the City within the North Thurston boundary pays this; the dominant Olympia School District area is $0. Single-family 2BR/less = $0; multifamily 2+BR = $566. Marked excludeFromTotal because the primary OSD-area school fee is $0 and the two districts are mutually-exclusive service areas. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $1,847 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2025High |
Drainage / stormwater Stormwater General Facility Charge (GFC) — OMC 4.24.010(D) / OMC 13.16.080. VERIFIED verbatim. Assessed at building/engineering permit issuance. One Impervious Unit = 2,882 sq ft of impervious surface; a typical single-family home (house + driveway) is roughly one impervious unit, so ~$2,051 for a representative SFD. unitBasis recorded as per_acre (schema lacks a per-impervious-unit option); actual basis is per 2,882-sq-ft impervious unit. 50% low-income discount. | per acre | $2,051 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2026High |
Drainage / stormwater Water Quality GFC (per daily vehicle trip) — OMC 4.24.010(D). VERIFIED verbatim. Additive water-quality GFC assessed at building/engineering permit, charged per ITE average daily vehicle trip. A single-family home generates roughly 9-10 ITE daily trips, so the per-home charge is roughly $130-$145, but the exact trip count is not fixed in the schedule. Excluded from per-unit total because amount shown is per-trip, not per-unit. 50% low-income discount. alternative · not added to total | per trip | $14.52 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2026High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water General Facility Charge (GFC) — OMC 4.24.010(A)(7) / OMC 13.04.375 (Ord. 7456 §1, 2025). VERIFIED: table shows 3/4-inch meter, AWWA capacity factor 1.00, GFC $5,551. One-time water system GFC for a standard 3/4-inch residential meter. 50% discount for qualifying low-income housing. Larger meters: 1-inch $9,270, 1.5-inch $18,484, 2-inch $29,586 (all verified). | per meter | $5,551 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Wastewater (Sewer) General Facility Charge - City of Olympia — OMC 4.24.010(B)(3) / OMC 13.08.205. VERIFIED verbatim ($4,646 per ERU). One-time City of Olympia sewer GFC (1 single-family home = 1 ERU). 50% low-income discount. Reduced rate of $1,963.58/ERU applies only to properties on public combined sewers in the Downtown Deferred GFC area (verified). | per meter | $4,646 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) LOTT Capacity Development Charge (regional wastewater treatment) — OMC 4.24.010(B)(1) / OMC 13.08.210. VERIFIED verbatim ($7,806.74 per ERU). Separate REGIONAL charge levied by the LOTT Clean Water Alliance (Lacey-Olympia-Tumwater-Thurston regional wastewater treatment authority) but collected by the City; additive to the City sewer GFC. Subject to rebate for qualifying low-income housing. | per meter | $7,807 | City of Olympia (Code Publishing) Jan 1, 2026High |
City
Renton, WA
$27,587
Total per single-family home
impact + connection fees
$18,537
Impact / development fees
roads, parks, schools…
$9,050
Water & sewer connection
tap / capacity / SDC
$12,255
Per multifamily unit
total fees / unit
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Transportation / roads Transportation Impact Fee — Renton Transportation Impact Fee, ITE LUC 210 single family house. Unchanged 2025-2026. CD Zone uses reduced to 20%. VERIFIED verbatim in Fee Schedule PDF. | per dwelling unit | $11,486 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Parks & recreation Park Impact Fee — Single family park impact fee, per dwelling. Unchanged 2025-2026. VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $3,276 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee (Renton Regional Fire Authority) — Fire impact fee levied for the Renton Regional Fire Authority (separate district), collected by the city. SFR detached & duplex. VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $422 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Schools School Impact Fee (Renton School District No. 403) — PRIMARY school district row. Renton SD No. 403 SFR fee. Set by the district's Capital Facilities Plan; collected by the city. A 5% administration fee is added on top. Renton's city limits are also served by Issaquah and Kent SDs (mutually exclusive by location). VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $1,003 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Schools School Impact Fee (Issaquah School District) — MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE variant: applies only to parcels in Renton served by Issaquah SD. Issaquah MF fee is $0. VERIFIED verbatim. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $4,728 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Drainage / stormwater Storm Water System Development Charge (SDC) — Storm/surface water SDC per new SFR/ADU. Other uses: $0.940 per sq ft of new impervious surface, min $2,350. VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $2,350 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Fire / EMS Fire Sprinkler Service SDC (5/8x3/4" & 1") — Optional/conditional: only charged when a SEPARATE fire sprinkler service is installed; otherwise SDC is based on the meter size and no separate sprinkler fee applies. Excluded from base SFR total. VERIFIED verbatim. alternative · not added to total | per meter | $671 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water System Development Charge (SDC) - 5/8x3/4" & 1" meter — Base residential water SDC for 5/8x3/4" and 1" meter. PRIMARY water connection figure. Credit available for existing connection. VERIFIED verbatim. | per meter | $5,025 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Wastewater (Sewer) System Development Charge (SDC) - 5/8x3/4" & 1" meter — Base residential sewer SDC for 5/8x3/4" and 1" meter. PRIMARY sewer connection figure. This is the CITY of Renton sewer SDC; separate King County regional capacity charge applies additionally (see informational row). VERIFIED verbatim. | per meter | $4,025 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) King County Regional Wastewater Capacity Charge (separate district) — SEPARATE DISTRICT charge, NOT a Renton city fee. New sewer connections (sewage flowing to King County treatment plants) owe this. It is $77.99 per RCE per MONTH billed quarterly for 15 years (with a discounted lump-sum prepayment option), so the figure here is a monthly amount, not a one-time tap fee — excluded from the connection total to avoid mixing units. 2025 monthly figure not separately published (only 2026 stated). VERIFIED $77.99/RCE/mo on King County page; medium confidence retained per data-availability caveat. alternative · not added to total | per meter | $77.99 | King County Wastewater Treatment Division Jan 1, 2026Medium |
What drives the difference
Olympia’s $30,720 per single-family home is $3,133 (11%) above Renton’s $27,587. The largest single difference is in sewer connection (tap / sdc): Olympia charges about $12,453 there versus $4,025 in Renton — a $8,428 swing that accounts for much of the overall gap. The two also differ in how much falls on water and sewer connection charges: $18,004 in Olympia versus $9,050 in Renton.
Keep comparing
Olympia vs Renton impact fees — FAQ
- Which has higher impact fees, Olympia or Renton?
- Olympia, WA is higher. A single-family home pays about $30,720 per unit in Olympia versus $27,587 in Renton, WA — $3,133 (11%) more, as of 2026.
- How much more does it cost to build a home in Olympia than in Renton?
- About $3,133 more per single-family home — $30,720 in Olympia, WA versus $27,587 in Renton, WA, a difference of 11% in total development impact and connection fees.
- What's the difference between impact fees in Olympia and Renton for a single-family home?
- Olympia, WA charges about $30,720 per single-family home ($12,716 impact + $18,004 water/sewer connection), while Renton, WA charges about $27,587 ($18,537 impact + $9,050 connection). Figures are normalized from official sources for 2026.