Renton, WA Development Impact Fees (2026)
Normalized development impact fees, water & sewer connection (tap/SDC) fees, and mitigation fees for Renton, Washington — per dwelling unit, by category, with links to every official source.
What a single-family home pays in Renton
$27,587 total per unit across 7 fee categories.
- Transportation / roads$11,486
- Water connection (tap / SDC)$5,025
- Sewer connection (tap / SDC)$4,025
- Parks & recreation$3,276
- Drainage / stormwater$2,350
- Schools$1,003
- Fire / EMS$422
Renton’s $27,587 is about 1.4× the Washington tracked median of $19,206 — 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Full fee schedule — multifamily
Impact / development fees
| Fee (local term) | Basis | Amount | Source · effective |
|---|---|---|---|
Transportation / roads Transportation Impact Fee — Multifamily housing, ITE LUC 220, per dwelling unit. VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $6,185 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Parks & recreation Park Impact Fee (Multifamily 5+ units) — Park impact fee for multifamily 5+ units, per dwelling. (2 units/duplex/ADU = $2,659.70; 3-4 units = $2,531.21; mobile home = $2,325.63.) VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $2,223 | 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, multifamily & ADU, per dwelling unit. Renton Regional Fire Authority. VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $579 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Schools School Impact Fee (Renton SD No. 403, Multifamily/Duplex/ADU) — Renton SD No. 403 multifamily/duplex/ADU fee per dwelling. VERIFIED verbatim. | per dwelling unit | $3,268 | City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) Jan 1, 2025High |
Coverage & caveats
WHAT EXISTS in Renton (RMC 4-1-190, authorized under RCW 82.02): transportation impact fees, park impact fees, fire impact fees (Renton Regional Fire Authority — a separate district; the city collects on its behalf), and school impact fees. SCHOOL IMPACT FEES: three school districts serve Renton's city limits — Renton SD No. 403 ($1,003 SFR / $3,268 MF & ADU per dwelling), Issaquah SD ($4,728 SFR / $0 MF), and Kent SD ($0 / $0). These are MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE by parcel location; the Renton School District SFR figure is the primary representative row and the other districts are included as excludeFromTotal variants. School districts set the fee via their Capital Facilities Plan; the city adopts/collects it. UTILITY SDCs: water ($5,025), wastewater/sewer ($4,025), and storm/surface water ($2,350 per new SFR/ADU) System Development Charges, priced by meter size for water/sewer (base 5/8x3/4" & 1" meter is primary). A separate Fire Sprinkler Service SDC ($671 at base meter) applies only if a separate fire sprinkler service is installed — included as an excludeFromTotal optional row. SEPARATE REGIONAL DISTRICT: Renton sewage flows to King County's regional wastewater treatment system, so new sewer connections also owe the KING COUNTY WASTEWATER CAPACITY CHARGE ($77.99 per residential customer equivalent per MONTH for 2026, billed quarterly for 15 years, with a discounted lump-sum prepayment option) — this is a recurring monthly charge, not a simple one-time tap fee, so it is recorded as an excludeFromTotal informational row and NOT folded into the connection-fee total. WHAT DOES NOT EXIST in Renton: no POLICE impact fee, no LIBRARY impact fee, no standalone OPEN SPACE impact fee (open space need is funded via the park impact fee — RMC 4-1-190 defines "Parks" to include open space and recreation facilities), no GENERAL/capital-facilities impact fee beyond the categories above, and no DRAINAGE impact fee separate from the storm water SDC. AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Renton has no mandatory affordable-housing impact fee; there is a voluntary 'Affordable Housing Cash Payment in Lieu' option tied to an inclusionary/incentive program and a Multifamily Tax Exemption application fee ($1,000) — these are program-specific/optional and excluded from the residential builder total. A $225/diameter-inch tree fee-in-lieu also exists (excluded). CAVEAT: the King County capacity charge 2025 monthly figure was not separately published on the official page (only the 2026 rate of $77.99/RCE/mo was stated); confidence on that single row is medium. VERIFY: confirmed 22 of 22 rows; dropped 0. All amounts and source quotes were verified verbatim against the official City of Renton Fee Schedule 2025-2026 PDF (MRSC-hosted, sourceIndex 0) and the King County Wastewater Capacity Charge page (sourceIndex 2, $77.99/RCE/mo 2026 confirmed). RMC 4-1-190 (sourceIndex 1) confirmed via curl: transportation/park/fire/school impact fees under RCW 82.02, Renton Regional Fire Authority referenced, no police/library impact fee, open space subsumed in parks. excludeFromTotal corrections: none — all flags already correct (transportation townhouse & ADU; Issaquah & Kent SD service-area variants; 1.5"/2" meter-size variants; fire sprinkler optional SDC; King County recurring capacity charge all properly excluded; representative SFR rows for transportation/parks/fire/school-Renton/water/sewer/storm correctly included, one per category, no double-counting; representative SFR connection+impact total ≈ $27,587). Confidence on the King County capacity-charge row left at medium per the published-data caveat.
All impact fees and utility SDCs are from the adopted City of Renton Fee Schedule 2025-2026 (SECTION XII. Development Fees), the city's official master fee document. Fees are unchanged between 2025 and 2026 columns. Transportation impact fees use ITE Land Use Codes; single family house (ITE LUC 210) = $11,485.67/unit is the primary SFR figure. Note two transportation caveats from the schedule: (1) commercial/retail/industrial uses are reduced to 88.97% of calculated (except uses with PCE factors which remain at 100%), and (2) all uses within the Center Downtown (CD) Zone are reduced to 20% of the assessed transportation impact fee — these do not change the standard residential figures. Water/sewer SDCs are priced by meter size; base residential 5/8x3/4" and 1" meter is the primary; larger meter sizes (1.5", 2", 3", 4", 6", 8") are included as excludeFromTotal variants. A 5% school impact fee administration charge applies on top of the school impact fee. A $100 per-unit impact fee deferral administration fee and a $560 independent fee calculation review fee also exist (excluded from primary totals as optional/administrative).
Sources
3 official sources · 20 high-confidence figures.
- 1City of Renton Fee Schedule 2025-2026City of Renton (hosted by Municipal Research and Services Center, MRSC) · fee schedule · effective Jan 1, 2025 · retrieved Jun 17, 2026
- 2Renton Municipal Code 4-1-190 Impact FeesCity of Renton (Code Publishing) · ordinance · retrieved Jun 17, 2026
- 3About the King County Wastewater Capacity ChargeKing County Wastewater Treatment Division · municipal webpage · effective Jan 1, 2026 · retrieved Jun 17, 2026
Renton impact fees — FAQ
- How much are development impact fees in Renton, WA for a single-family home?
- As of 2026-06-17, total development fees for a single-family detached home in Renton are about $27,587 per unit — roughly $18,537 in impact/development fees plus $9,050 in water/sewer connection fees. Figures are normalized from official sources; verify with the jurisdiction before relying on them.
- What are the impact fees per multifamily unit in Renton, WA?
- Total development fees for a multifamily unit in Renton are about $12,255 per unit as of 2026-06-17.
- Are impact fees in Renton 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 Renton'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 Renton on 2026-06-17.