Little Elm, Texas - Town Development Fees
Little Elm | Town | Denton County | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA
Little Elm is a fast-growing town on the east shore of Lewisville Lake in Denton County, in the DFW-north growth corridor adjacent to Frisco, Prosper, and The Colony. The Town of Little Elm Development Services and Engineering departments administer water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees under the Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 framework (Ordinance No. 1431, effective December 19, 2017), along with zoning, subdivision, site development, and building permit application fees under the Development Services Comprehensive Fee Schedule. Little Elm operates its own municipal water and wastewater utility, and the developer-side water and sewer capacity charge is the impact fee. Verify current amounts with the Town of Little Elm before relying on them.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact Fees (Water / Wastewater / Roadway, TLGC Chapter 395) | Confirmed | Water $1,519 and wastewater $2,930 per 5/8-inch meter (scaling by meter size); roadway $583/service unit (Service Area 1) and $421/service unit (Service Area 2), single-family detached $3,498 (SA1) / $1,684 (SA2) per dwelling unit | 2017-12-19 |
| Zoning, Subdivision, and Building Permit Fees | Confirmed | Zoning map/text change $500; planned development $750; specific use permit $500; single-family plat $300 + $15/lot; site plan review $500; building permit residential $0.85/gross sq ft | 2019-06-18 |
| Utility Tap / Connection Fees | Not administered | The Town publishes no separate developer water or sewer tap capacity fee; the developer-side water and wastewater capacity charge is the impact fee above (only a $50 meter-release fee applies) | - |
| Special District Fees (PID / MUD) | Not administered | Denton County PID and MUD obligations are special assessments levied on the tax roll, not a Town-administered developer fee | - |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers | - |
Impact Fees (Water, Wastewater, and Roadway, TLGC Chapter 395)
Source: Town of Little Elm Adopted Impact Fee Ordinance (Ordinance No. 1431, passed and approved December 19, 2017, effective immediately on adoption and publication; SHA-256 3752a7da...), captured verbatim. Little Elm administers water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees under the Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 framework, adopting the 2017 Roadway, Water, and Wastewater Impact Fee Update prepared by Freese and Nichols, Inc. The figures below are the current adopted tier (Schedule 1 Table F and Schedule 2 Table F), applicable to final plats recorded on or after December 20, 2017. Earlier plat-date tiers (Tables A through E) apply to plats recorded in prior date windows and are not shown here.
Water and Wastewater Impact Fees (by meter size)
| Meter Size | Water | Wastewater |
|---|---|---|
| 5/8-inch | $1,519 | $2,930 |
| 1-inch | $3,798 | $7,325 |
| 1.5-inch | $7,595 | $14,650 |
| 2-inch | $12,152 | $23,440 |
| 3-inch | $26,583 | $51,275 |
| 4-inch | $45,570 | $87,900 |
| 6-inch | $102,533 | $197,775 |
| 8-inch | $121,520 | $234,400 |
Roadway Impact Fees (current tier, two service areas)
Roadway impact fees are collected at $583.00 per service unit in Service Area 1 (70 percent of the maximum allowable) and $421.00 per service unit in Service Area 2 (100 percent of the maximum allowable). Per-development-unit amounts vary by ITE land use category; a representative selection is shown.
| Land Use (ITE code) | Service Area 1 | Service Area 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-Family Detached (210, per dwelling unit) | $3,498 | $1,684 |
| General Office Building (710, per 1,000 SF GFA) | $4,746 | $2,509 |
| Per service unit (basis rate) | $583.00 | $421.00 |
Zoning, Subdivision, and Building Permit Fees
Source: Town of Little Elm Development Services Comprehensive Fee Schedule (updated June 18, 2019; SHA-256 407b3667...), captured verbatim. This is the current Town fee schedule referenced by the 2024 Development Handbook.
Zoning and Development Fees
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Zoning ordinance map change | $500 |
| Zoning ordinance text change | $500 |
| Planned development | $750 |
| Specific use permit (SUP) | $500 |
| Variance (Board of Adjustment) | $300 |
| Subdivision ordinance variance | $300 |
| Zoning notification sign | $300 each |
| Site plan review | $500 |
| Annexation request fee | $500 |
| Conditional use permit (permanent / temporary) | $300 / $200 |
| Tree removal plan review | $150 (0-5 acres) / $250 (over 5 acres) |
| Zoning verification letter | $100 |
Subdivision and Plat Fees
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Preliminary / final / minor / replat / conveyance plat - single-family | $300 + $15 per lot (including common-area lots) |
| Preliminary / final / minor / replat / conveyance plat - multi-family and non-residential | $300 + $20 per acre |
| Amending plat | $200 + $15 per lot |
| Plat vacation | $200 |
| Plat extension | $200 |
| Plat filing | $200 + county fees |
Building and Commercial Permit Fees
| Fee Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| One- and two-family dwellings - application fee | $50 |
| One- and two-family dwellings - plan review | $295 (expedited $500) |
| One- and two-family dwellings - building permit | $0.85 per gross sq ft |
| New commercial / site development / multi-family - application fee | $150 |
| New commercial / site development / multi-family - building permit | Current ICC Square Foot Construction Cost x sq ft x 0.9% |
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed via confirmed standalone fee amounts on this page. They are disclosed here rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Utility Tap / Connection Fees
Little Elm's developer-side water and wastewater capacity charge is administered as the impact fee captured above; the Development Services Comprehensive Fee Schedule explicitly routes "Water/Sewer Impact Fees - See Impact Fee Ordinance." No separate developer-side physical water or sewer tap, meter-set, or connection capacity fee schedule is published beyond a $50 meter-release fee. Monthly water and wastewater rates (Ordinance No. 1574) are recurring utility-customer charges by meter size, not a one-time development fee, and are out of ZoneFee's developer-fee scope. Four official surfaces were probed. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction as a standalone developer fee.
Special District Fees (PID / MUD)
Little Elm (Denton County) has Public Improvement Districts (PIDs) and municipal utility district (MUD) overlaps financing master-planned development. PID and MUD obligations are special assessments and taxes levied on the property tax roll, not developer-side application fees administered by the Town. No Town-administered developer special-district fee surfaced in the Development Services Comprehensive Fee Schedule or the littleelm.gov sitemap. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
Proffers
Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers (Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303 has no Texas counterpart). Developer-side contributions in Little Elm occur through the impact fees, zoning, subdivision, and building permit fees captured above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| Town of Little Elm - Development Services and Engineering | Water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees; zoning, subdivision, site development, and building permit application fees | littleelm.gov |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Adopted Impact Fee Ordinance (Ordinance No. 1431; water / wastewater / roadway impact fees; effective December 19, 2017) (SHA-256 3752a7da...) | Town of Little Elm, TX - Development Services / Engineering | 2026-06-18 |
| Development Services Comprehensive Fee Schedule (zoning, subdivision, building permit fees; updated June 18, 2019) (SHA-256 407b3667...) | Town of Little Elm, TX - Development Services | 2026-06-18 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-18. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the Town of Little Elm Development Services and Engineering departments before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the Town of Little Elm Adopted Impact Fee Ordinance (Ordinance No. 1431; SHA-256 3752a7da...) and the Development Services Comprehensive Fee Schedule (SHA-256 407b3667...). ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. Little Elm administers Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees; the current adopted tier (Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 Table F) applies to final plats recorded on or after December 20, 2017, and earlier plat-date tiers apply to plats recorded in prior windows. The developer-side water and sewer capacity charge is the impact fee; the Town publishes no separate new-development tap fee schedule beyond a $50 meter-release fee. Texas jurisdictions do not use Virginia-style cash proffers, and Denton County PID and MUD obligations are tax-roll assessments, not a Town development fee. Verify all current rates directly with the Town of Little Elm 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.