How much will it cost?

After it has been determined that facilities are available to your property, the next question to answer is whether or not assessments are due on the property.

Assessments are fees charged by the Utilities to assist in the payment for the pipes adjacent to your property. The rates are set by local ordinance and cannot be modified by staff. The assessment rates are multiplied by the property dimension that abuts, or lies next to, the water or sewer line. Staff has authority to apply certain adjustments to oddly shaped parcels that do not readily fit this rule. The assessment rate for water lines is $9.30 / abutting foot. The rate for sewer lines is $13.10 / abutting foot. Many newly created parcels belong to developments where the water and sewer lines have been built by private developers and not by the CCU. In these cases, there are no assessments charged the customer.

In addition to assessments you will also be expected to pay connection charges to the Columbus City Utilities. These fees reimburse CCU for the labor and materials spent in providing the service. For water services a normal residential service (5/8″ x 3/4″) will cost $1100. If a meter pit or vault has already been set then the charge will be $500. For larger services the actual costs are tabulated by the distribution crew and the customer is billed. For commercial connections requiring fire service lines or large meters, the builder provides all but the actual tap to the public main which is made by distribution crews and billed to the owner. For sewer services the fees are considerably less since they are only intended to reimburse the Utilities for the costs associated in inspecting the sewer connection to the public main. Fees for residential taps are $70. Industrial taps have fees of $70 associated with them. An important distinction is that while an application for service must be made by the eventual customer, it is the excavator who will be making the connection that must obtain the sewer tap permit.