Highlands County impact fees by project type
Where in Highlands County are you building?
Each jurisdiction applies its own fee schedule. Pick yours. = one or more fees are unconfirmed or have no published amount; the figure shown may not be the complete cost.
Unincorporated Highlands County: Single-Family Impact Fees
Unincorporated Highlands County has no published impact fee amounts for a new single-family home (rates sourced July 13, 2026). The schedule below documents the status of each fee.
County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) is set by the county and has no published standard rate. Contact the levying jurisdiction or utility to verify before budgeting; it is not included as a dollar figure here.
View the full Highlands County impact fee schedule
- Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)$0.00Highlands County does not own or operate a water utility, and the county's adopted schedule of fees, effective October 1, 2025, contains no water connection charge. Water service in the unincorporated county is provided by independent special districts, the Lake Placid Regional Utility, neighboring municipal systems, private utilities or private wells, and any connection charge is set by that provider.
- Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)$0.00Highlands County does not own or operate a wastewater utility, and the county's adopted schedule of fees, effective October 1, 2025, contains no sewer connection charge. Sewer service in the unincorporated county is provided by independent special districts, the Lake Placid Regional Utility, neighboring municipal systems, private utilities or on-site septic systems, and any connection charge is set by that provider.
- City Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated — N/A)$0.00Unincorporated Highlands County has no municipal government, so no city impact fees apply. County impact fees are tracked separately.
- County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationHighlands CountyHighlands County currently collects no impact fee. Code Ch. 13 fees have not been collected for years, and the County is still studying whether to adopt a new schedule (a study proposing roughly $20,000 per single-family home went to a Board workshop in May 2026, with nothing adopted as of July 2026). If reinstated, county fees apply countywide, including the unincorporated area.
Where in Highlands County are you building?
Each jurisdiction applies its own fee schedule. Pick yours. = one or more fees are unconfirmed or have no published amount; the figure shown may not be the complete cost.
Unincorporated Highlands County: Multifamily Impact Fees
Unincorporated Highlands County has no published impact fee amounts for a new multifamily unit (rates sourced July 13, 2026). The schedule below documents the status of each fee.
County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, MF) is set by the county and has no published standard rate. Contact the levying jurisdiction or utility to verify before budgeting; it is not included as a dollar figure here.
View the full Highlands County impact fee schedule
- Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, MF)$0.00Highlands County does not own or operate a water utility, and the county's adopted schedule of fees, effective October 1, 2025, contains no water connection charge. Water service in the unincorporated county is provided by independent special districts, the Lake Placid Regional Utility, neighboring municipal systems, private utilities or private wells, and any connection charge is set by that provider.
- Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, MF)$0.00Highlands County does not own or operate a wastewater utility, and the county's adopted schedule of fees, effective October 1, 2025, contains no sewer connection charge. Sewer service in the unincorporated county is provided by independent special districts, the Lake Placid Regional Utility, neighboring municipal systems, private utilities or on-site septic systems, and any connection charge is set by that provider.
- City Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated — N/A, MF)$0.00Unincorporated Highlands County has no municipal government, so no city impact fees apply. County impact fees are tracked separately.
- County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, MF)Requires confirmationHighlands CountyHighlands County currently collects no impact fee. Code Ch. 13 fees (which carry a separate multifamily rate) have not been collected for years, and the County is still studying whether to adopt a new schedule (workshop May 2026; nothing adopted as of July 2026). If reinstated, county fees apply countywide, including the unincorporated area.
Where in Highlands County are you building?
Each jurisdiction applies its own fee schedule. Pick yours. Totals shown are for a 50,000 sq ft building, including one-time water/sewer fees (assuming a 1-inch meter). * = one-time water/sewer connection charges only; no per-sq-ft impact fee schedule sourced for that jurisdiction. = one or more fees are unconfirmed or have no published amount; the figure shown may not be the complete cost.
Unincorporated Highlands County: Commercial Impact Fees
Commercial development in unincorporated Highlands County pays no per-square-foot impact fees (rates sourced July 13, 2026).
Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) and Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) are set by the utility and not published online. County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, Commercial) is set by the county and has no published standard rate. Contact the levying jurisdiction or utility to verify before budgeting; they are not included as dollar figures here.
View the full Highlands County impact fee schedule
- Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationVarious — no county water utility
- Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationVarious — no county sewer utility
- $0.00
- County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, Commercial)Requires confirmationHighlands County
Where in Highlands County are you building?
Each jurisdiction applies its own fee schedule. Pick yours. Totals shown are for a 50,000 sq ft building, including one-time water/sewer fees (assuming a 1-inch meter). * = one-time water/sewer connection charges only; no per-sq-ft impact fee schedule sourced for that jurisdiction. = one or more fees are unconfirmed or have no published amount; the figure shown may not be the complete cost.
Unincorporated Highlands County: Industrial Impact Fees
Industrial development in unincorporated Highlands County pays no per-square-foot impact fees (rates sourced July 13, 2026).
Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) and Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) are set by the utility and not published online. County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, Industrial) is set by the county and has no published standard rate. Contact the levying jurisdiction or utility to verify before budgeting; they are not included as dollar figures here.
View the full Highlands County impact fee schedule
- Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationVarious — no county water utility
- Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationVarious — no county sewer utility
- $0.00
- County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, Industrial)Requires confirmationHighlands County
Where in Highlands County are you building?
Each jurisdiction applies its own fee schedule. Pick yours. Totals shown are for a 25,000 sq ft building, including one-time water/sewer fees (assuming a 1-inch meter). * = one-time water/sewer connection charges only; no per-sq-ft impact fee schedule sourced for that jurisdiction. = one or more fees are unconfirmed or have no published amount; the figure shown may not be the complete cost.
Unincorporated Highlands County: Office Impact Fees
Office development in unincorporated Highlands County pays no per-square-foot impact fees (rates sourced July 13, 2026).
Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) and Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated) are set by the utility and not published online. County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, Office) is set by the county and has no published standard rate. Contact the levying jurisdiction or utility to verify before budgeting; they are not included as dollar figures here.
View the full Highlands County impact fee schedule
- Water Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationVarious — no county water utility
- Sewer Connection Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated)Requires confirmationVarious — no county sewer utility
- City Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated — N/A, Office)$0.00Highlands County
- County Impact Fee (Highlands County Unincorporated, Office)Requires confirmationHighlands County
Highlands County impact fee calculator
Estimate impact fees for your project. Set to single-family. Drop a pin or search an address for site-specific fees.
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Once you select an address or drop a pin, we'll identify the responsible city and county and generate a fee breakdown.
How impact fees work in Florida
Florida impact fees are one-time charges on new development, governed by Section 163.31801, Florida Statutes (the Florida Impact Fee Act). The statute requires fees to be based on the most recent and localized data, spent on the infrastructure category they were collected for, and adopted by ordinance.
Since 2021, the law also limits how fast fees can rise: increases up to 25% phase in over two years, increases of 25–50% phase in over four years, and increases above 50% are allowed only with a demonstrated extraordinary-circumstances study and at least a two-thirds vote of the governing body.
Counties and cities can both levy impact fees. Inside an incorporated city, a project typically pays the county's countywide fees plus any municipal fees the city has adopted, which is why totals differ between a city and the unincorporated county around it.
If you're still asking what are impact fees, start with our guide to the definition, common categories, and legal basis.
Highlands County impact fee FAQs
How much are commercial impact fees in Highlands County?
Unincorporated Highlands County does not currently levy impact fees on commercial development.
Do cities in Highlands County charge their own impact fees?
Yes. Every incorporated city applies its own fee schedule. 3 of 3 cities in Highlands County levy municipal impact or utility fees; each city page shows the full schedule that applies inside its limits.
Can Florida impact fees increase at any time?
No. Section 163.31801, Florida Statutes limits increases to 50% at most, phased in over two to four years, unless the local government makes extraordinary-circumstances findings and approves the increase by at least a two-thirds vote.
Fee amounts on this page are compiled from official published schedules and are provided for planning purposes only. Rates change, and project specifics (unit size, meter size, location within special districts) can alter what applies. Always verify current fees with the jurisdiction and utility before relying on them.