Reno City Council votes to advance higher sewer rates and building permit fees

Reno’s latest fee vote is really two stories at once. One is about sewer pipes, treatment plants, and a utility system that the city says is getting more expensive to run. The other is about the cost of getting anything built in Reno at all. On May 6, the City Council moved both forward — adopting a sewer-fee increase ordinance and advancing a new city fee schedule that raises a bunch of permit and inspection charges. (reno.gov) ### What did council actually do? The cleanest way to think about it is this: the sewer increase is a policy change written into city code, while the fee schedule is the annual menu of what the city charges for services. Council adopted the sewer ordinance after earlier discussion on April 8 and a first reading on April 22. The broader 2026-27 fee schedule includes (reno.gov)reno.gov) ### How much more will sewer cost? For single-family homes, the city’s plan is $3 more per month each year for three years. A separate city explainer had framed the increase as two consecutive 8% jumps, with a single-family quarterly bill rising to $191.23 in the first step — about $4.66 more per month beginning October 1, 2025. The public-facing numbers are a littl(reno.gov) going to pay more, and the increases are phased rather than one big hit all at once. (reno.gov) ### Why is Reno raising sewer rates? Basically — the city says the system got a lot more expensive to operate and fix. Its sewer-rate materials point to sharp increases in chemicals, electricity, insurance, and construction. One city page says bleach costs are up 300% since 2020 and construction costs are up more than 41.4% since 2019. Another meeting preview tied t(reno.gov)5.4 million in fiscal 2027. (reno.gov) ### What happens to building permits? This is the quieter part of the story, but for contractors and homeowners it can be the more immediate one. The proposed 2026-27 fee schedule raises many building and fire fees by roughly 2% to 3%. Hourly plan review and inspection rates go from $131.25 to $135, and overtime inspection rates rise from $381.50 to $393. Valuation-based building permit fees also tick up across project-cost tiers. (thisisreno.com) ### Are there brand-new fees too? Yes — and that matters because new fees change behavior more than tiny annual increases do. The city preview listed a $45 permit reactivation fee, a $180 abatement fee, and a $90 gas-line permit fee. Some permit categories, including certain boiler and compressor permits, jump much more than the usual 2% to 3%. (thisisreno.com)ders upset? Because every added charge stacks. A small bump in plan review here, a permit fee there, a sewer increase on top — none of that kills a project by itself. But together they raise the cost of remodeling a house, pulling permits for an accessory unit, or penciling out a larger development. In a city already wrestling with housing afforda(thisisreno.com)rices. That concern sits alongside the city’s own need to keep utilities and permitting functions paid for. (thisisreno.com) ### Is this all final? The sewer piece is the firmer action — council meeting highlights say members moved to adopt the ordinance on May 6. The annual fee schedule is tied to the city budget process, which the finance page still describes as pending council adoption. So the broad shape is clear, but the exact timing for every fee line still runs through budget approval steps. (reno.gov) ### Bottom line Reno is making a familiar local-government tradeoff. The city wants more revenue for infrastructure and service delivery. Residents, landlords, and builders are the ones who will feel it — first on sewer bills, then at the permit counter. (reno.gov)