Kannapolis Opens 45-Day Comment Period on Proposed Water and Sewer Development Fees
Kannapolis has opened a 45-day public-comment period on proposed increases to the city’s one-time water and sewer system development fees for future residential and commercial construction.
Written comments are being accepted from July 28 through September 11, 2026. The proposed fees are not final. After the comment period, the city says it will hold a public hearing before the City Council considers possible adoption.
What the city is proposing
For a standard 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch meter, the Willdan Financial Services study recommends increasing the City of Kannapolis water system development fee from $1,350 to $3,300.
The proposed sewer fee for the same meter size would increase from $1,000 to $2,600.
Together, the city-controlled water and sewer charges listed for that meter size would rise from $2,350 under the current amounts to $5,900 if the proposal is adopted. The figures apply to the specified meter size and the study’s fee structure; projects with different requirements may not pay the same amount.
Why the fees matter
System development fees are one-time charges tied to new or expanded connections to utility systems. The proposal concerns future construction, not recurring monthly water or sewer bills.
Builders, developers and businesses would need to account for potentially higher upfront water and sewer costs when planning new homes, commercial buildings or other projects. That could affect project budgets and the cost of obtaining utility connections, but the city notice and study do not establish a specific effect on rents, home prices or consumer costs.
City fees are separate from WSACC charges
The Willdan study uses a combined-cost methodology and lists charges from the Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County, or WSACC, separately from the City of Kannapolis fees.
Those WSACC charges are outside the city’s control. Anyone estimating a project’s total utility costs should distinguish the proposed Kannapolis charges from the separate authority charges rather than treating them as one city fee.
How to comment
The city says comments may be submitted by email to Kannapolis City Clerk Pam Scaggs or by mail to the clerk at City Hall, 401 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, N.C. 28081.
North Carolina law requires a local government to post a system development fee analysis for at least 45 days, provide a way for the public to submit written comments and hold a public hearing before considering adoption. The Kannapolis notice identifies the same comment-and-hearing sequence.
What happens next
The written-comment period ends September 11, 2026. The city notice says a public hearing will follow, after which the City Council will consider whether to adopt the analysis.
No final fee schedule has been approved through the current notice. Residents, builders and development professionals can track the later hearing, council agendas and meeting minutes through the city’s City Council information page.
Sources
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