Terrell, Texas - City Development Fees
Terrell | City | Kaufman County | East of Dallas / I-20 / US-80 corridor (DFW eastern edge) | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA
Terrell is a home-rule city in Kaufman County on the I-20 / US-80 corridor at the eastern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and the largest city in Kaufman County. The City administers development charges through two adopted instruments: water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 (Ordinance No. 3048), and the Appendix 1 Fee Schedule zoning, plat, annexation, and building-permit fees (Ordinance No. 3121). Terrell operates its own municipal water and wastewater utility, but its discoverable fee documents contain recurring service rates rather than a one-time tap fee, so water and sewer capital is recovered through the Chapter 395 impact fees. The figures below are drawn from the adopting ordinances and the City's official impact-fee calculator. Verify current amounts with the City of Terrell before relying on them.
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Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact Fees (TLGC Ch. 395 water, wastewater, and roadway; Ord. No. 3048) | Confirmed | Maximum assessed: water $5,557.00 per service unit, wastewater $4,890.00 per service unit, roadway $1,387.00 per vehicle-mile (West/North/South/Southwest; $0 East) | Ord. 3048, effective 2024-08-31 to 2028-08-30 |
| Zoning and Development Application Fees (zoning, plat, annexation, building permits) | Confirmed | Zone change residential $265.00 / commercial $800.00; SUP $1,050.00; single-family final plat $265.00/lot; developer annexation $750.00 (up to 10 ac) + $25.00/ac; CO $370.00 | Ord. 3121, adopted 2025-08-26 |
| Utility Tap / Connection Fees | Not verified via official sources | City runs its own water/sewer utility, but no one-time tap or connection fee schedule was located; Ord. 3125 sets recurring service rates only. Capital recovered through impact fees | - |
| Special District Fees | Not administered | The City levies no per-application special district, PID, or MUD fee | - |
| Proffers | Not applicable | Texas has no cash proffer regime; exactions run through TLGC Ch. 212 and Ch. 395 | - |
Chapter 395 Impact Fees
Source: City of Terrell Impact Fee Ordinance No. 3048 and the City's official Impact Fee Calculator (Collection Rates). Terrell administers water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395, adopted by Ordinance No. 3048 (effective August 31, 2024 through August 30, 2028; the ordinance repealed and replaced prior Ordinances 2217, 2263, 2400, 2597, and 2767). The amounts below are the maximum assessed figures published in the official calculator; the City may collect at or below the maximum, so confirm the applicable collection percentage before relying on these figures.
Water and Wastewater Impact Fees (per service unit; 5/8" x 3/4" meter = 1.0 SU)
| Meter Size (service units) | Water (max assessed) | Wastewater (max assessed) |
|---|---|---|
| 5/8" x 3/4" (1.0 SU) | $5,557.00 | $4,890.00 |
| 1" (1.6 SU) | $8,891.20 | $7,824.00 |
| 1.5" (4.6 SU) | $25,562.20 | $22,494.00 |
| 2" (5.7 SU) | $31,674.90 | $27,873.00 |
| 3" (14.3 SU) | $79,465.10 | $69,927.00 |
| 4" (28.6 SU) | $158,930.20 | $139,854.00 |
| 6" (57.1 SU) | $317,304.70 | $279,219.00 |
| 8" (100 SU) | $555,700.00 | $489,000.00 |
Roadway Impact Fee
| Basis | Fee (max assessed) |
|---|---|
| Roadway impact fee per vehicle-mile (West, North, South, Southwest service areas) | $1,387.00 per vehicle-mile |
| Roadway impact fee per vehicle-mile (East service area) | $0.00 |
| Single-Family (3.22 veh-mi/DU) | $4,466.14 per dwelling unit (max assessed) |
| Multi-Family (1.75 veh-mi/DU) | $2,427.25 per dwelling unit (max assessed) |
| Retail / Commercial (5.30 per 1,000 sq ft GFA) | $7,351.10 per 1,000 sq ft (max assessed) |
| Office (6.60 per 1,000 sq ft GFA) | $9,154.20 per 1,000 sq ft (max assessed) |
Authority: Ordinance No. 3048 (Collection Rates schedule; land-use vehicle-mile equivalency table). Infill lots pay only the wastewater impact fee under the Ordinance 3048 collection schedule. Additional land-use categories (industrial 3.11, hotel 1.56 per room, data center 0.50, institutional 0.85 per 1,000 sq ft) are computed from the same $1,387.00 per vehicle-mile rate.
Zoning and Development Application Fees
Source: City of Terrell Ordinance No. 3121 (Appendix 1 Fee Schedule, Section 6 - Building Permit and Development Fees and Charges, adopted August 26, 2025). The figures below are captured verbatim. Downtown and Central Business District zoned parcels receive a 50% discount on all permits.
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Zone Change (residential) | $265.00 |
| Zone Change (residential development / commercial) | $800.00 |
| Special Use Permit | $1,050.00 |
| Appeal to Zoning Board of Adjustments | $800.00 |
| Construction Plat | Residential $265.00/unit; Commercial $400.00/acre ($400.00 minimum) |
| Final Plat | Single-Family $265.00/lot; Multi-Family $50.00/unit ($400.00 min); Commercial $400.00/acre ($400.00 min); plus Kaufman County filing fees |
| Other Plats (replat, minor, amended) | $300.00 plus Kaufman County filing fees |
| Developer Annexation Request | $750.00 (up to 10 acres) + $25.00 each additional acre |
| Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) | Scoping $200.00; Review $1,200.00 |
| Drainage Study Review | $1,000.00 |
| Development Review Committee Application | First meeting free; subsequent meetings $265.00 (deductible from P&Z or ZBA application fee) |
| Certificate of Occupancy | $370.00 |
| Zoning Verification Letter | $25.00 |
| Grading Permit | $350.00 (up to 5 acres) + $25.00 each additional acre |
| New Residential Construction (building permit) | $2,900.00 up to 1,500 sq ft, then $0.90 per additional sq ft (Multi-Family $1,200.00/dwelling unit) |
| New Commercial Construction (building permit) | $800.00 base plan review + per-sq-ft (Industrial $0.65, Retail $0.80, Commercial $1.00, Restaurant $1.70, Medical $2.25) |
Authority: City of Terrell Community Development / Planning and Zoning (Ordinance No. 3121).
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were not closed on this page with a fixed fee amount traceable to a dated or byte-stable official source document. They are disclosed here rather than estimated, paraphrased from a non-official source, or omitted silently. These items remain under limited-coverage review until these gaps are closed from official sources.
Impact fees: maximum assessed versus collected
The water, wastewater, and roadway impact-fee amounts published above are the maximum assessed figures from the City's official Impact Fee Calculator per Ordinance No. 3048. A Texas city may adopt a collection rate at or below the maximum assessed amount. ZoneFee re-downloads Ordinance 3048 and the calculator at each review; before relying on a specific dollar figure, confirm the current collection percentage with the City of Terrell.
Utility tap and connection fees
Terrell operates its own municipal water and wastewater utility, but a one-time water or sewer tap, new-connection, or meter-installation fee schedule was not located in the City's discoverable official fee documents. The adopted water and sewer service ordinance (Ordinance No. 3125, effective October 1, 2025) sets recurring monthly service rates by meter size, volumetric tiers, and on-site sewage facility installation permits ($450.00 single-family, $775.00 commercial), but no one-time tap or connection fee. The development fee ordinance (Ordinance No. 3121) contains none either. The City's water and wastewater capital is recovered through the Chapter 395 impact fees above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is unavailable via official sources.
Special district fees
The discoverable Terrell fee documents contain no per-application special district, public improvement district, or municipal utility district fee. In Texas, PID formation costs under Local Government Code Chapter 372 and MUD formation costs under Water Code Chapter 54 are recovered through the district itself or a negotiated development agreement, not through a standardized per-application city fee. Closed-search outcome: this fee family is not administered by this jurisdiction.
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 and Chapter 395, both reflected above. Closed-search outcome: this fee family does not apply to this jurisdiction.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Terrell Community Development / Planning and Zoning | Zoning, plat, annexation, TIA, drainage study, building permit, and Certificate of Occupancy fees (Ordinance No. 3121) | cityofterrell.org |
| City of Terrell Engineering / Public Works (impact fee program, Ord. No. 3048) | Water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees adopted under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 | cityofterrell.org |
| City of Terrell Water Quality Department | Municipal water and wastewater service (recurring service rates per Ordinance No. 3125); on-site sewage facility permits | cityofterrell.org |
Other Dallas-Fort Worth jurisdictions covered by ZoneFee: Mesquite (adjacent, on the I-20 / US-80 corridor), McKinney, and Anna. See also the impact fees guide for how Texas Local Government Code Chapter 395 works.
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Fees Adopted Sept 2024, Ordinance No. 3048 (TLGC Ch. 395 water/wastewater/roadway) | City of Terrell | 2026-08-10 |
| Impact Fee Calculator (Per Ordinance 3048, Sept 2024) - Collection Rates and per-meter service-unit schedule | City of Terrell | 2026-08-10 |
| Ordinance No. 3121 - Appendix 1 Fee Schedule, Section 6 (Building Permit and Development Fees and Charges) | City of Terrell | 2026-08-10 |
| Ordinance No. 3125 - Water and Sewer Service Rates and Charges (recurring rates; no one-time tap fee) | City of Terrell | 2026-08-10 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-08-10. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Terrell (Community Development, Engineering, and Water Quality Department) before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of Terrell Impact Fee Ordinance No. 3048 and official Impact Fee Calculator, and Ordinance No. 3121 (Appendix 1 Fee Schedule, Section 6). ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change. The impact-fee amounts shown are the maximum assessed figures; the City may collect at or below the maximum, so confirm the current collection percentage before relying on them. A one-time water or sewer tap fee was not located in the City's discoverable official documents; capital is recovered through the Chapter 395 impact fees. Texas has no cash proffer regime, and the City levies no per-application special district fee. Verify all current rates directly with the City of Terrell 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.