Washington County water restrictions affect both new homes and the landscaping you can keep, including in St. George. This is Utah’s most arid metro, with about 8.25 inches of average annual precipitation, and it relies on the Virgin River basin. A green listing photo is not a water budget.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District’s facilities plan priced supply facilities at about $17,266 per equivalent residential connection. That is a supply-facility figure, not the full fee on a building permit. City impact fees are separate, so a builder’s allowance and the district’s figure are not the same line.
What the supply figure covers, and what it does not
| Figure | What it is | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| About $17,266 per equivalent residential connection | Supply facilities in the district facilities plan | The full fee on a building permit |
| City impact fees | Charged by the city, separate from the district supply figure | The same line as the $17,266 figure |
| About 0.39 acre-feet a year | The planning figure for homes built to the district water-efficiency standard | A promise of your future water bill |
| About $18 million | Impact-fee revenue the district’s 2026 budget anticipated | A per-home charge |
Homes built to the district’s water-efficiency standard are planned around 0.39 acre-feet a year. That figure is how the district sizes supply for those homes. It is not a quote for your future water bill, and it is not permission to ignore the rules in force when you design the yard.
Kem C. Gardner figures cited by the district put Washington County at about 214,000 people in 2025 and more than 246,000 by 2030. More homes on the same Virgin River basin are why the supply plan shows up in new-construction talks. The district’s 2026 budget anticipated about $18 million in impact-fee revenue, which is a budget line, not a per-home charge.
What to ask before you buy the lot or design the yard
- Which city issues the building permit, and what impact fees that city charges. City impact fees are separate from the district supply figure.
- Whether the home was built to the district’s water-efficiency standard, planned around 0.39 acre-feet a year.
- How the outdoor rules read on the day you design the yard. This article does not lock in a watering calendar.
- Where the supply-facility figure of about $17,266 stops, and where the fee on the building permit starts.
A lot price often leaves these charges out. Read what is missing from buying a lot in St. George before you treat the dirt price as the project price. The same gap shows up when people want one number for what it costs to build per square foot in southern Utah, even though finish level, hillside work, and impact fees move that bid more than the shell.
If you are still choosing a city, start with the St. George homes overview. A water plan also does not replace a soils report, so see this guide to expansive soil in southern Utah before you landscape a raw pad. When you want those lines checked against a specific home, contact the office.
If you want help pricing water rules into a St. George new-home search, call Whetzel Homes Collective at (435) 334-1544 or email hello@whetzelhomes.com. Bring the city fee sheet and the district line as two separate items. A single water fee on a flyer is not enough.
Frequently asked questions
How dry is Washington County?
Washington County is Utah’s most arid metro, with about 8.25 inches of average annual precipitation. It relies on the Virgin River basin. That is the setting for new-home water rules in St. George and the rest of the county.
Is about $17,266 the fee on my building permit?
No. The district facilities plan priced supply facilities at about $17,266 per equivalent residential connection, and that is not the full fee on a building permit. City impact fees are separate.
How much water is a new home planned around?
Homes built to the district’s water-efficiency standard are planned around 0.39 acre-feet a year. That is a planning figure for supply, not your water bill. Homes that were not built to that standard are a separate question for the builder and the city.
Is the district’s impact-fee revenue a per-home charge?
No. The district’s 2026 budget anticipated about $18 million in impact-fee revenue, which is a countywide budget expectation rather than the fee on one permit. Your permit still has to be priced from the current city and district schedules.
How fast is Washington County adding people?
Kem C. Gardner figures cited by the district put Washington County at about 214,000 people in 2025 and more than 246,000 by 2030. Growth on the Virgin River basin is why supply facilities and efficiency standards belong in a new-home file. Those population figures do not, by themselves, set the fee on a single lot.
