Redmond, WA Development Impact Fees (2026)
Normalized development impact fees, water & sewer connection (tap/SDC) fees, and mitigation fees for Redmond, Washington — per dwelling unit, by category, with links to every official source.
What a single-family home pays in Redmond
$42,061 total per unit across 6 fee categories.
- Water connection (tap / SDC)$14,498
- Transportation / roads$10,108
- Schools$7,342
- Parks & recreation$6,915
- Sewer connection (tap / SDC)$3,050
- Fire / EMS$149
Redmond’s $42,061 is about 3.2× the Washington tracked median of $13,063 — among the higher-cost places to build in the state.
Full fee schedule — single-family
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Schools School Impact Fee (Lake Washington School District) — Collected by the City of Redmond on behalf of Lake Washington School District (LWSD) per its 2025-30 Six-Year Capital Facilities Plan. A separate $65.00 school admin fee is added (see separate row). | per dwelling unit | $7,277 | City of Redmond Jan 1, 2026High |
Schools School Impact Fee admin charge — Flat administrative charge added on top of the LWSD school impact fee for every dwelling unit. | per dwelling unit | $65 | City of Redmond Jan 1, 2026High |
Fire / EMS Fire Impact Fee — 2026 fire impact fee is unchanged from 2025 ('same as 2025 rates'). | per dwelling unit | $149 | City of Redmond Jan 1, 2026High |
Parks & recreation Parks Impact Fee | per dwelling unit | $6,915 | City of Redmond Jan 1, 2026High |
Transportation / roads Transportation Impact Fee (Single Family Detached, base) — Base 'Impact Fee per Development Unit' rate (outside designated Centers) — used as the primary residential rate. A lower 'in Centers' rate of $7,668.97 applies in Overlake Metro Center, Downtown Redmond Urban Center, and Marymoor Village Center (see separate excluded row). | per dwelling unit | $10,108 | City of Redmond Jan 1, 2026High |
Transportation / roads Transportation Impact Fee (Single Family Detached, in Centers) — Mutually-exclusive variant: reduced rate applicable only within designated Centers (Overlake Metro Center, Downtown Redmond Urban Center, Marymoor Village Center). Base/outside-Centers rate is primary. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $7,669 | City of Redmond Jan 1, 2026High |
Water & sewer connection fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water System Connection Charge (Medium Home, Redmond Service Area) — City connection charge tiered by home size; representative ~2,000-2,500 SF medium home selected as primary. Assumes a 1" meter for domestic use. The $9,118 Regional Water Connection Charge (CWA) is an ADDITIVE charge (separate row). The -$1,590 'Water System Distribution Credit' is a MAXIMUM credit granted only if the developer constructs qualifying City-owned mains/hydrants/pumps; not netted into a typical infill builder's cost. | per dwelling unit | $5,380 | City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Regional Water Connection Charge (CWA, incl. 3% admin) — ADDITIVE regional connection charge imposed on every property connecting to the City water system, on top of the size-based connection charge. Not a mutually-exclusive variant. | per dwelling unit | $9,118 | City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water connection — Small Home (<1,500 SF) variant — Lower home-size tier; medium home is the primary representative tier. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $4,230 | City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division Jan 1, 2026High |
Water connection (tap / SDC) Water connection — Large Home (3,300+ SF) variant — Upper home-size tier; medium home is the primary representative tier. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $7,130 | City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Sewer System Connection Charge (Medium Home, Redmond Service Area) — City sewer connection charge tiered by home size; representative ~2,000-2,500 SF medium home selected as primary. The listed credit is a maximum distribution credit granted only if the developer builds qualifying City-owned sewer mains/manholes/pump stations. Separate from the King County capacity charge. | per dwelling unit | $3,050 | City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division Jan 1, 2026High |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) Side Sewer new-connection inspection fee — Inspection/permit fee (RMC 13.04.180), not a capacity charge; a 4% technology surcharge is added. Included for completeness; excluded from the impact/connection total. alternative · not added to total | per dwelling unit | $1,723 | City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division Jan 1, 2026Medium |
Sewer connection (tap / SDC) King County Wastewater Capacity Charge (separate district) — SEPARATE DISTRICT: levied by King County (not the City) on every newly-connecting parcel. $77.99 per RCE per MONTH for 2026, billed for 15 years (payable as a discounted lump sum). Unit basis is per-RCE-per-month, so it cannot be summed with one-time fees; included as informational. A Redmond builder/buyer does pay this. alternative · not added to total | $77.99 | King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Wastewater Treatment Division Jan 1, 2026High |
Coverage & caveats
All figures are from the City of Redmond's current official "Impact Fees Schedule – Effective January 1, 2026" (adopted per Ordinance 3240, established/revised per RMC 3.10) and the City's official Water/Sewer System Connection Fee schedules (both stamped EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2026). As of the verification date (2026-06-17) these are the current adopted schedules. WHAT EXISTS HERE (residential): (1) SCHOOL impact fee — Washington allows school impact fees and Redmond collects them on behalf of Lake Washington School District (LWSD), per its 2025-30 Six-Year Capital Facilities Plan. 2026 SFD = $7,277.00, multifamily = $170.00. A $65.00 school admin fee is added to the school impact fee (included as a separate row). (2) FIRE impact fee. (3) PARKS impact fee. (4) TRANSPORTATION impact fee — Redmond charges TWO rate columns: a base "per Development Unit" rate and a lower "per Development Unit in Centers" rate (Overlake Metro Center, Downtown Redmond Urban Center, Marymoor Village Center). The base (non-Centers) rate is used as primary; the Centers rate is included as excludeFromTotal=true. (5) WATER connection charge (City of Redmond Redmond Service Area). (6) SEWER connection charge (City of Redmond Redmond Service Area). WATER FEE STRUCTURE CAVEAT: Redmond's residential water connection is tiered by HOME SIZE (Small <1,500 SF = $4,230; Medium 1,500-2,999 SF = $5,380; Large 3,300+ SF = $7,130) and assumes a 1" meter for domestic use. ADDITIONALLY and additively, a Regional Water Connection Charge (CWA, includes 3% admin fee) of $9,118 is imposed on every property connecting to the City water system — this is NOT a mutually-exclusive variant, it is an additive charge. A "Water System Distribution Credit" (e.g., -$1,590 for a medium home) is a MAXIMUM credit only granted if the developer builds qualifying hydrants/mains/pumps that become City-owned; a typical infill builder who builds no such mains gets no credit, so it is NOT netted into the primary total (shown as an informational excluded row). Primary water row = Medium Home (representative ~2,000-2,500 SF) $5,380 + CWA $9,118. SEWER FEE STRUCTURE: Redmond residential sewer connection is also tiered by home size (Small <1,500 SF $2,470; Medium 1,500-2,999 SF $3,050; Large 3,000+ $3,540). Multifamily ">Larger than 4 Units" = $1,920/unit. A side-sewer inspection/new-connection fee ($1,722.55, +4% tech surcharge) also applies but is a permit/inspection fee rather than a capacity charge (included with excludeFromTotal note for completeness). SEPARATE-DISTRICT FEE: King County (not the City) levies the regional wastewater CAPACITY CHARGE on every newly-connecting parcel: $77.99 per residential customer equivalent (RCE) per MONTH for 2026, billed for 15 years (payable as a lump sum at a discount). Because this is a recurring monthly charge over 15 years rather than a one-time fee at building permit, it is included as an informational row (excludeFromTotal=true) and should not be summed with the one-time fees. A builder/buyer in Redmond DOES pay this. WHAT DOES NOT EXIST HERE: No standalone POLICE impact fee, no DRAINAGE/stormwater impact fee, no LIBRARY impact fee, no OPEN SPACE impact fee, no general/capital impact fee, and no separate AFFORDABLE HOUSING impact fee in the impact fee schedule (Redmond has a Neighborhood Residential Zone affordable-housing payment-in-lieu option tied to specific bonus programs, not a per-unit residential development impact fee, so it is omitted). Washington's RCW 82.02 impact-fee categories are limited to transportation, parks, fire (public facilities), and schools — Redmond levies all four. No water/sewer "GFC" terminology is used; Redmond calls them "connection charges." Highway-district fees: none (Redmond is not in a county road/highway district that charges separate residential fees). NOTE ON 2025 vs 2026: School and Transportation fees rose in 2026; Fire fees are unchanged ("same as 2025 rates"); Parks rose slightly. Multifamily school fee changed from $0.00 (2025) to $170.00 (2026).
One-time residential impact fees are paid at building permit issuance. The realistic one-time total for a representative ~2,000-2,500 SF single-family detached home in Redmond (outside Centers) = School $7,277 + School admin $65 + Fire $148.78 + Parks $6,914.63 + Transportation $10,107.51 + Water connection (Medium Home) $5,380 + Regional Water CWA $9,118 + Sewer connection (Medium Home) $3,050 ≈ $42,060.92 in one-time fees, BEFORE the King County wastewater capacity charge ($77.99/RCE/month × 15 years, billed separately by the County) and before side-sewer inspection/permit fees and the City's standard building permit/plan-review fees. The water distribution credit is only realized if the developer builds qualifying City-owned mains.
Sources
7 official sources · 17 high-confidence figures.
- 1City of Redmond Impact Fees Schedule — Effective January 1, 2026City of Redmond · fee schedule · effective Jan 1, 2026 · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
- 2City of Redmond Impact Fees Schedule — Effective January 1, 2025City of Redmond · fee schedule · effective Jan 1, 2025 · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
- 3Water System Connection Fees — Redmond Service Area (Effective January 1, 2026)City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division · fee schedule · effective Jan 1, 2026 · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
- 4Sewer System Connection Fees — Redmond Service Area (Effective January 1, 2026)City of Redmond, Development Engineering Division · fee schedule · effective Jan 1, 2026 · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
- 5Development Services FeesCity of Redmond · municipal webpage · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
- 6About the capacity chargeKing County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Wastewater Treatment Division · municipal webpage · effective Jan 1, 2026 · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
- 7Redmond Municipal Code Ch. 3.10 — Impact FeesCity of Redmond / Code Publishing · ordinance · retrieved Jun 16, 2026
Redmond impact fees — FAQ
- How much are development impact fees in Redmond, WA for a single-family home?
- As of 2026-06-16, total development fees for a single-family detached home in Redmond are about $42,061 per unit — roughly $24,513 in impact/development fees plus $17,548 in water/sewer connection fees. Figures are normalized from official sources; verify with the jurisdiction before relying on them.
- Are impact fees in Redmond the same as building permit fees?
- No. Impact fees (and water/sewer connection fees) fund off-site capital — roads, parks, schools, utilities — and are charged per new dwelling unit. Building permit and plan-review fees are separate and are not included here.
- How often do Redmond's impact fees change?
- Most jurisdictions adopt fees by ordinance and escalate them annually (often by a construction cost index), with occasional mid-year updates. Always confirm the current adopted schedule with the jurisdiction. ImpactFeeAtlas last verified Redmond on 2026-06-16.