Abilene, Texas - City Development Fees
Abilene | City | Taylor County / West Texas (Big Country; I-20 corridor) | Abilene, TX MSA | County seat of Taylor County | FIPS 4801000
Abilene is the commercial center of West Texas's Big Country region along the Interstate 20 corridor, the seat of Taylor County (the city also extends into Jones County) and the core of the Abilene, TX MSA. The City of Abilene Planning and Development Services and Water Utilities departments publish a single comprehensive consolidated city-wide Fee Schedule covering zoning, subdivision, building permit, and water and sewer connection fees. Abilene operates its own municipal water and wastewater utility; its Fee Schedule lists no Chapter 395 impact fee, and the published development-side water and sewer charges are tap fees and frontage-foot pro rata charges. Verify current amounts with the City of Abilene before relying on them.
Updated 2026-11-04: zoning, subdivision and building amounts
Updated 2026-11-04: amounts on this page were re-checked against the City's current consolidated Fee Schedule and 15 lines were replaced, including the zone change request, site plan and minor site plan, Board of Adjustment, easement release, thoroughfare abandonment, grading permit, and new single-family residential construction (now a $1,000 flat fee). Earlier figures came from the 2026-06-13 capture of the same schedule. The impact fee entry now says only what the schedule shows: it lists no impact fee.
The Fee Schedule page prints no adoption or effective date. Confirm amounts with the City of Abilene Fee Schedule before relying on them, and see corrections to report other errors.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Application Fees | Confirmed | Zone change $1,600; Comprehensive Plan Amendment $1,600; Planned Development District $2,000 (amendment $1,100); Site plan $550 / Minor $300; Board of Adjustment $500; Annexation $600 | Current |
| Subdivision / Plat Fees | Confirmed | Plats $350 for the first 4 lots + $15 per lot thereafter (maximum review fee $2,500); easement release $450; thoroughfare abandonment $2,000 minimum | Current |
| Building Permit Fees | Confirmed | By valuation, $75 minimum tiered to $4,008.50 + $2.50 per $1,000 over $1,000,000; new single-family residential $1,000 flat fee; plan review 25% (commercial / multi-family) | Current |
| Water / Sewer Tap and Frontage Fees | Confirmed | Water taps 3/4 inch $500; 1 inch $550; 1.5 inch $775; 2 inch and larger actual cost; frontage-foot pro rata $3.25 to $5 (water) and $2.25 to $4 (sewer) | Current |
| Impact Fees | Unavailable via official sources | The consolidated Fee Schedule lists no impact fee (checked 2026-11-04); no official statement found on whether a Chapter 395 program exists | - |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers | - |
| Special District Fees (PID / TIRZ) | Not administered by this city | The city's TIRZ finances through tax-increment on the tax roll; no City special-district developer fee | - |
Zoning, Subdivision, and Building Permit Fees
Source: City of Abilene consolidated city-wide Fee Schedule (Planning, Zoning, and Building Inspections sections; SHA-256 8a6554e5...), re-verified 2026-11-04. The schedule is the current published version on the official site and carries no page-wide adoption or effective date. Projects within the designated infill area receive a 50 percent Infill Development Incentive fee reduction.
Zoning and Subdivision Application Fees
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Zone change request | $1,600 |
| Comprehensive Plan Amendment | $1,600 |
| Planned Development District | $2,000 (amendment $1,100) |
| Historic Overlay request | $75 |
| Site plan / Minor site plan | $550 / $300 |
| Zoning determination / verification letter | $100 |
| Voluntary annexation | $600 |
| Appeal to City Council | $250 |
| Board of Adjustment filing / application | $500 |
| Plat (preliminary / final / minor / replat) | $350 first 4 lots + $15 per lot thereafter (maximum review fee $2,500) |
| Preliminary development plan | No charge |
| Easement release | $450 |
| Thoroughfare abandonment | $2,000 minimum (10% of calculated land value of the right-of-way) |
| Street name change | $850 |
| Proportionality appeal | $550 |
| Sidewalk waiver | $300 |
| Miscellaneous zoning-related application | $150 |
Building Permit Fees by Valuation
| Total Valuation | Permit Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $500 | $75 (minimum) |
| $501 to $2,000 | $75 + $1.50 per $100 over $500 |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $97.50 + $7 per $1,000 over $2,000 |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $258.50 + $6 per $1,000 over $25,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $408.50 + $5 per $1,000 over $50,000 |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $658.50 + $4 per $1,000 over $100,000 |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $2,258.50 + $3.50 per $1,000 over $500,000 |
| $1,000,001 and up | $4,008.50 + $2.50 per $1,000 over $1,000,000 |
| New single-family residential construction (includes building, electrical, plumbing, roofing and mechanical) | $1,000 flat fee |
| New-construction plan review - residential (non-refundable) | $45 |
| Plan review - commercial / multi-family (non-refundable) | 25% of permit fee |
| Commercial demolition (single-story / multi-story) | $200 / $500 |
| Certificate of Occupancy (Temporary) | $100 ($300) |
| Grading permit | $350 |
Water and Sewer Tap and Frontage Fees (Water Utilities)
Source: City of Abilene consolidated city-wide Fee Schedule (Water Utilities section; SHA-256 8a6554e5..., re-verified 2026-11-04), with the frontage-foot pro rata basis described in Chapter 32 of the Municipal Code. Abilene operates its own municipal water and wastewater utility, so these are the City's development-side water and sewer connection charges. A plumbing permit must be issued by Building Inspections before the tap fee is paid.
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water tap - 3/4 inch | $500 |
| Water tap - 1 inch | $550 |
| Water tap - 1 1/2 inch | $775 |
| Water tap - 2 inch and larger | Actual cost of installation |
| Replacement tap credit (3/4 inch / 1 inch / 1.5 inch) | $20 / $40 / $100 |
| Water frontage-foot pro rata (installed before / after June 20, 1981) | $3.25 / $5 per frontage foot |
| Sewer frontage-foot pro rata (installed before June 30, 1981 / after June 20, 1981, dates as printed) | $2.25 / $4 per frontage foot |
| New or replacement water/sewer service building permit | $75 |
| New service / transfer / temporary service | $50 |
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed via confirmed fee amounts on this page. They are disclosed here rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Impact Fees
The City of Abilene consolidated Fee Schedule lists no impact fee: a full-text check on 2026-11-04 found no impact-fee, capital-recovery, or Chapter 395 line, and neither the Planning Services page nor the Land Use Regulations and Development Standards page publishes an impact fee program. ZoneFee has not found an official statement confirming whether Abilene has a Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 impact fee program, and the city code was not checked. The published development-side water and wastewater charges are the tap fees and frontage-foot pro rata charges captured above. Closed-search outcome: unavailable via official sources.
Special District Fees (PID / TIRZ)
Abilene has a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) - the Planning Services page publishes TIRZ boundary, zoning, and project-plan maps - but the TIRZ finances through tax-increment on the tax roll rather than a City-administered developer special-district fee. No City special-district developer application or assessment fee appears in the comprehensive consolidated Fee Schedule. Closed-search outcome: not administered.
Proffers
Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers (Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303 has no Texas counterpart). Developer-side contributions in Abilene occur through the zoning, subdivision, building permit, and water and sewer connection fees captured above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Abilene - Planning and Development Services (Planning + Building Inspections) | Zoning application fees, subdivision and plat fees, and building permit fees | abilenetx.gov |
| City of Abilene - Water Utilities | Water and sewer tap fees and frontage-foot pro rata charges | abilenetx.gov |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| City of Abilene Fee Schedule - consolidated city-wide schedule (Planning / Zoning / Building Inspections / Water Utilities) (SHA-256 8a6554e5...) | City of Abilene, TX - Planning and Development Services / Water Utilities | 2026-11-04 |
| Planning Services (applications, plat and zoning schedules, TIRZ maps) | City of Abilene, TX - Planning Services | 2026-06-13 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-11-04. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Abilene Planning and Development Services Department before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of Abilene consolidated city-wide Fee Schedule (SHA-256 8a6554e5..., re-verified 2026-11-04). ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. The consolidated schedule carries no page-wide effective date and is presented as the City's current published schedule. Fee schedules change. The City of Abilene Fee Schedule lists no Chapter 395 impact fee, and ZoneFee has not found an official statement on whether a program exists; the published developer-side water and wastewater charges are the City's water and sewer tap fees and frontage-foot pro rata charges. Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers, and Abilene administers no special-district developer fee schedule (the city's TIRZ finances through tax-increment on the tax roll). Verify all current rates directly with the City of Abilene before relying on this data for land acquisition, project budgeting, or any financial decision. This page is for research and due-diligence reference only - it is not legal or financial advice.