Lockhart, Texas - City Development Fees
City of Lockhart | Caldwell County (county seat) | Central Texas | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown MSA (US-183 / SH-130 corridor, roughly 30 miles south of Austin)
Lockhart is a home-rule city and the seat of Caldwell County, on the southeastern edge of the Austin metro along US-183 and SH-130. It is a full-service city that operates its own electric, water, and wastewater utilities. In 2026 the City adopted its first consolidated Comprehensive Fee Schedule, which brings zoning, platting, engineering plan review, building, and utility tap fees into one document. The zoning, plat, engineering, water tap, and special-district consent fees below are captured verbatim from the City's FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Exhibit B to Ordinance 2026-36, effective September 16, 2026), and the Chapter 395 impact fees are captured from the City's adopted 2023 impact-fee studies. Verify current amounts with the City of Lockhart before relying on them.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective / Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning and Plat Application Fees (rezoning, SUP, platting, engineering review) | Confirmed | Zoning change $250 + $150/acre (max $10,000); SUP $250 + $150/acre (max $2,500); preliminary plat $1,500 + $100/acre; final plat $1,000 + $100/acre; engineering plan review $1,000 + $250/acre (max $20,000) | Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Ordinance 2026-36, effective 2026-09-16) |
| Utility Tap / Connection Fees (water) | Confirmed | Water tap 3/4" $750; 1" $1,000; 1.5" $1,500; 2" $2,000 (each plus cost of meter/MXU) | Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Ordinance 2026-36, effective 2026-09-16) |
| Impact Fees (TLGC Ch. 395, water / wastewater / roadway) | Confirmed (max-allowable) | Maximum assessable: water $4,562.36/LUE; wastewater $5,792.42/LUE; roadway $1,501/service unit (Area 1), $1,806/service unit (Area 2) | Adopted 2023 impact-fee studies (adopted collection rate per impact-fee ordinance) |
| Special District Fees (PID / MUD consent agreement) | Confirmed | PID/MUD/SUD/WCID consent agreement $10,000 minimum escrow + professional fees | Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Ordinance 2026-36, effective 2026-09-16) |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Texas has no cash proffer regime; exactions run through TLGC Ch. 212 and Ch. 395 | - |
Zoning and Plat Application Fees
Source: City of Lockhart FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Exhibit B to Ordinance 2026-36, effective September 16, 2026), Planning and Development section, page 7 of the 27-page adopted PDF. Adoption and effective date confirmed on the City's Fee Schedule landing page.
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Zoning Change | $250.00 + $150/acre (max $10,000; +$1,000 for a Planned Development District) |
| Specific Use Permit | $250.00 + $150/acre (max $2,500) |
| Zoning Variance / Special Exception | $250.00 + $150/acre (max $2,500) |
| Zoning Verification Letter | $75.00 |
| Voluntary Annexation | $1,500.00 |
| Preliminary Plat / Development Plat | $1,500.00 + $100/acre |
| Final Plat / Major Replat / Resubdivision | $1,000.00 + $100/acre |
| Amending / Minor Plat / Minor Replat | $750.00 + $100/acre |
| Family Transfer Exception | $250.00 |
| Subdivision Variance | $750.00 + $100/acre |
| Engineering Plan Review (subdivisions and site plans) | $1,000.00 + $250/acre (max $20,000) |
| Plan Check Fee | 50% of building permit fee amount |
| Sign Permit | $100.00 + $1.00/sq ft |
| Traffic Impact Analysis | $1,000.00 + professional review fees |
| Public Improvement Inspections | $1,000.00/acre |
| Off-site Utility Extension Review | $1.00/foot of utility extension (each utility assessed separately) |
Authority: City of Lockhart Development Services (Planning and Zoning, Building Inspections). County plat filing fees are paid separately and set by Caldwell County.
Utility Tap Fees
Source: City of Lockhart FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Exhibit B to Ordinance 2026-36, effective September 16, 2026), Water Department section, page 19. Lockhart operates its own municipal water utility. Each water tap fee is charged in addition to the pass-through cost of the meter and MXU (radio-read device), which is not a fixed published figure.
| Tap / Connection Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Water Tap 3/4" | $750.00 + cost of meter/MXU |
| Water Tap 1" | $1,000.00 + cost of meter/MXU |
| Water Tap 1 1/2" | $1,500.00 + cost of meter/MXU |
| Water Tap 2" | $2,000.00 + cost of meter/MXU |
| Pretap 3/4" and 1" | At cost + $100.00 |
| Pretap 1 1/2" and 2" | At cost + $150.00 |
Impact Fees (Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395)
Lockhart administers water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395. The amounts below are the maximum assessable (max-allowable) fees from the City's adopted 2023 impact-fee studies. The council-adopted collection rate (which may be set at 100% or a lower percentage of the maximum) is established by the impact-fee adopting ordinance; the FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule does not restate an impact-fee line. Confirm the current adopted collection rate directly with the City before relying on these figures.
| Impact Fee | Maximum Assessable | Source Study |
|---|---|---|
| Water impact fee (with credits) | $4,562.36 per living unit equivalent (LUE) | Water and Wastewater Impact Fee Analysis (March 2023) |
| Wastewater impact fee (with credits) | $5,792.42 per living unit equivalent (LUE) | Water and Wastewater Impact Fee Analysis (March 2023) |
| Roadway impact fee, Service Area 1 (net of 50% credit) | $1,501.00 per service unit | Roadway Impact Fee Program Update (March 1, 2023) |
| Roadway impact fee, Service Area 2 (net of 50% credit) | $1,806.00 per service unit | Roadway Impact Fee Program Update (March 1, 2023) |
The roadway studies calculate the cost per service unit at $3,002.00 (Service Area 1) and $3,612.00 (Service Area 2) before the credited 50%. See the impact fees guide for how Chapter 395 impact fees and living unit equivalents work.
Special District Fees
Source: City of Lockhart FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Exhibit B to Ordinance 2026-36, effective September 16, 2026), Planning and Development section, page 7.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| PID / MUD / SUD / WCID Consent Agreement | $10,000.00 minimum escrow + professional fees |
This is a City-administered processing and escrow fee for a developer-initiated special-district consent agreement (public improvement district, municipal utility district, special utility district, or water control and improvement district). It is not a district assessment. See the coverage note below regarding a documented amount discrepancy between the City's adopted PDF exhibit and its HTML fee-schedule summary.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below are either subject to a documented caveat or are not administered by this jurisdiction. They are disclosed here rather than estimated, paraphrased from a non-official source, or omitted silently. These items remain under limited-coverage review until any remaining gaps are closed from official sources.
Currency caveat
The zoning, plat, engineering, water tap, and special-district consent fees on this page derive from the City of Lockhart FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule adopted by Ordinance 2026-36, effective September 16, 2026. Several utility-rate sections of that document carry a stale "Proposed Fee" column-header label, but the City's Fee Schedule landing page confirms the entire document is adopted and in effect. Fee schedules change. Confirm current amounts directly with the City of Lockhart before relying on them.
Impact-fee collection rate
The impact-fee amounts on this page are the maximum assessable (max-allowable) fees per living unit equivalent and per service unit from the City's adopted 2023 water/wastewater and roadway impact-fee studies. The council-adopted collection rate, which may be set at 100% or a lower percentage of the maximum, is established by the impact-fee adopting ordinance and was not separately captured on this pass. ZoneFee presents these as the study maximum-allowable amounts rather than asserting a definitive collected fee. Closed-search outcome: adopted collection rate to be confirmed with the City before relying on these figures.
Special-district consent fee discrepancy
The FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule PDF (Exhibit B, page 7) states the PID/MUD/SUD/WCID consent-agreement fee at $10,000 minimum escrow, while the City's HTML Fee Schedule summary page states $20,000 for the same line. ZoneFee treats the adopted-ordinance PDF exhibit as authoritative and shows $10,000, but flags the conflict for confirmation. Verify the current amount directly with the City of Lockhart.
Proffers
Cash proffers are a Virginia statutory instrument under Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303.4 with no Texas counterpart. Texas exactions run through Local Government Code Chapter 212 (subdivision and development) and Chapter 395 (impact fees). Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Lockhart Development Services (Planning and Zoning, Building Inspections) | Zoning, specific-use permit, platting, engineering plan review, and special-district consent fees | cityoflockhart.gov |
| City of Lockhart Water Department / Public Works | Water tap and connection fees; impact fees (water, wastewater, roadway) | cityoflockhart.gov |
See the impact fees guide for how Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 works, and the Texas hub for other jurisdictions covered by ZoneFee. Nearby covered Austin-metro jurisdictions include Austin, Kyle, Buda, and San Marcos.
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Exhibit B to Ordinance 2026-36, effective 2026-09-16; Planning and Development p.7, Water Department p.19) - SHA-256 94f08706… | City of Lockhart | 2026-09-19 |
| Fee Schedule landing page (adoption / effective-date confirmation: Ordinance 2026-36, effective 2026-09-16) - SHA-256 c56d3af3… | City of Lockhart | 2026-09-19 |
| Water and Wastewater Impact Fee Analysis (March 2023) - SHA-256 5d013c1f… | City of Lockhart (TRC Engineering) | 2026-09-19 |
| Roadway Impact Fee Program Update (March 1, 2023) - SHA-256 950be32a… | City of Lockhart | 2026-09-19 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-09-19. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Lockhart (Development Services / Water Department) before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of Lockhart FY 2026-2027 Comprehensive Fee Schedule (Ordinance 2026-36, effective September 16, 2026) and the City's adopted 2023 water/wastewater and roadway impact-fee studies. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. As noted above, the impact fees shown are the studies' maximum-allowable amounts with the adopted collection rate to be confirmed, the special-district consent fee carries a documented PDF-versus-HTML discrepancy resolved in favor of the adopted PDF exhibit, and Texas has no cash proffer regime. Verify all current rates directly with the City of Lockhart 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.