Beginning October 1, 2025, DC Water is making changes to miscellaneous fees and charges to improve transparency, streamline operations, and ensure that fees more accurately reflect the cost of services provided to customers.

These fees help DC Water recover the cost of services that go beyond regular water and sewer usage – like reviewing construction plans, installing or disconnecting water taps, inspections, expedited service requests, meter inspections, and other fees.

The new fee structure includes adjustments to existing charges and introduces several new fees that support customer service, permitting, and operational activities. Many fees will also shift from a reimbursable cost model to a fixed fee structure for many services, making it easier to understand costs upfront and offering greater predictability for businesses, contractors, and homeowners. Fixed fees simplify billing and reduce administrative delays, particularly for development and construction projects.

Miscellaneous Fees include Permit and Operations and Customer Service Fees, including: 

• New fixed fees for construction inspections replacing variable reimbursable charges.
• Plan review fees expanded to reflect the range and complexity of electronic plan reviews for developers or property owners submitting construction or renovation plans in ProjectDox.
• New meter relocation fees to cover labor costs for detailed plan reviews and meter sizing for relocations of meters.
• Increased returned payment fee to reflect processing costs.
• Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) fees for food-serving establishments to help mitigate damage to the sewer system. 

The updated fees are based on an independent review of the actual service costs and how similar utilities across the country are pricing these services, so they’re fair, consistent, and in line with industry standards.

These adjustments help ensure DC Water can continue providing reliable, high-quality services and financial sustainability. A full list of fees, including comparisons to previous fees and explanations of new charges, is available in the  2025 Miscellaneous Fees Presentation.