Suffolk, Virginia - City Development Fees
City of Suffolk | Independent city | Hampton Roads (Western Tidewater) | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA | FIPS 51800
Suffolk is an independent city in the Western Tidewater portion of Hampton Roads, Virginia, bordered by the independent cities of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Franklin, plus Isle of Wight and Southampton counties and Gates County, North Carolina. Its development-side fees come from two city departments. The Department of Planning and Community Development publishes rezoning, conditional rezoning, conditional use permit, subdivision plat, site plan, engineering plan review, and certificate of occupancy fees in the comprehensive City of Suffolk Fee Schedule. The Department of Public Utilities administers the city's own municipal water and sewer systems and levies water and sewer connection and availability charges from the same fee schedule. All amounts on this page are from the City of Suffolk Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, effective July 1, 2025.
Current Schedule
City of Suffolk Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (Amended FY26), effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Planning fees are unchanged from FY2024-2025. The fee schedule is a single comprehensive citywide workbook; the Planning, Community Development, and Public Utilities sections are captured on this page. Verify current amounts with the City of Suffolk before relying on them, and re-check on or after July 1, 2026 for the FY2026-2027 schedule.
On this page
Fee Summary
| Fee Type | Status | Top-Line Figure | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning, Subdivision, Site Plan, and CO Fees | Confirmed | Rezoning $840 + $42/acre; Conditional Rezoning $1,050 + $42/acre; CUP $840 + $21/acre; Site Plan $630 + $63/acre | 2025-07-01 (FY2025-2026) |
| Water and Sewer Connection / Availability Fees | Confirmed | City-installed water connection $2,000 (5/8"-3/4") to $3,000 (2"); commercial water availability $5,520 to $269,500 | 2025-07-01 (FY2025-2026) |
| Proffers (Conditional Rezoning) | Confirmed | Voluntary; conditional rezoning $1,050 + $42/acre vs standard $840 + $42/acre; no mandatory per-unit schedule (VA Code 15.2-2303.4) | 2025-07-01 (FY2025-2026) |
| Impact Fees (Va. Code 15.2-2317) | Not administered by this jurisdiction | No land-development impact fee (only a Shared Mobility Device impact fee); developer contributions via voluntary proffers | - |
| Special District Fees | Not administered by this jurisdiction | The Stormwater Utility Fee ($7.50/month/ERU) is a recurring utility charge, not a one-time development fee | - |
Zoning and Land Development Fees (Effective July 1, 2025)
Source: City of Suffolk Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, Planning and Community Development sections. Administered by: City of Suffolk Department of Planning and Community Development. Fees below are for FY2025-2026 and are unchanged from FY2024-2025 for Planning applications.
Planning and Zoning Application Fees
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard/Conventional Rezoning Request | $840.00 + $42.00/acre |
| Conditional Rezoning Request | $1,050.00 + $42.00/acre |
| Amendment to Previously Approved Conditional Rezoning | $1,050.00 + $45.00/acre |
| Conditional Use Permit Request | $840.00 + $21.00/acre |
| Previously Approved Conditional Use Permit Time Extension | $450.00 |
| Preliminary Subdivision Plat | $100.00 per lot ($500.00 minimum) |
| Minor Subdivision Plat | $315.00 |
| Final Major Subdivision Plat | $75.00 per lot ($500.00 minimum) |
| Subdivision Variance Request | $840.00 |
| Engineering Plan Review | $75.00 per lot ($500.00 minimum) |
| Site Plan Review | $630.00 + $63.00/acre |
| Site Plan Waiver Request | $350.00 |
| Comprehensive Plan Amendment | $150.00 |
| Right-of-Way Street Abandonment and Vacation | $350.00 |
| Certificate of Occupancy - Residential New Construction and Alterations | $0.09/sq.ft. |
| Certificate of Occupancy - Commercial New Construction and Alterations | $0.10/sq.ft. |
Water and Sewer Connection Fees
Source: City of Suffolk Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, Public Utilities section, corroborated by the Suffolk Public Utilities Rates and Fees document. Administered by: City of Suffolk Department of Public Utilities. Suffolk operates its own municipal water and sewer system, so water and sewer connection and availability charges are city-administered rather than levied by a separate authority. Suffolk also participates in the Western Tidewater Water Authority (WTWA) for wholesale water supply, but WTWA charges are wholesale and are not developer connection fees.
Water and Sewer Connection Charges (eff. July 1, 2025)
| Connection | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water Connection Charge, 5/8 and 3/4 inch meter (installed by city) | $2,000.00 |
| Water Connection Charge, 1 inch meter (installed by city) | $2,300.00 |
| Water Connection Charge, 1.5 inch meter (installed by city) | $2,600.00 |
| Water Connection Charge, 2 inch meter (installed by city) | $3,000.00 |
| Water Connection Charge (installed by developer) | $50.00 |
| Sewer Connection Charge (installed by developer) | $50.00 |
Water Availability Charges - Commercial (eff. July 1, 2025)
| Meter Size | Amount |
|---|---|
| 5/8 and 3/4 inch meter | $5,520.00 |
| 1 inch meter | $13,520.00 |
| 1.5 inch meter | $26,950.00 |
| 2 inch meter | $43,120.00 |
| 6 inch meter | $269,500.00 |
Residential Water/Sewer Availability Charge rows are present in the fee schedule as section headers; only commercial availability amounts and the city and developer connection charges were enumerated in this build. Confirm the applicable availability charge for a specific meter size and service type with the City of Suffolk Department of Public Utilities.
Proffers (Conditional Rezoning)
The City of Suffolk operates a voluntary conditional-rezoning (proffer) system under Virginia conditional zoning statutes (Virginia Code Sections 15.2-2298 et seq. and 15.2-2303.4, the 2016 proffer reform act). Under conditional rezoning, an applicant may voluntarily offer proffered conditions - which can include cash contributions, dedications, or design commitments - to address the impacts of a rezoning. Proffers must be voluntary and satisfy the nexus and proportionality requirements of Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303.4, which restricts what a locality may accept or request for residential rezonings.
The active use of the proffer mechanism is confirmed by the fee schedule itself: a Conditional Rezoning Request is charged $1,050.00 + $42.00/acre, higher than the $840.00 + $42.00/acre for a standard/conventional rezoning, and an Amendment to a Previously Approved Conditional Rezoning is $1,050.00 + $45.00/acre. Suffolk does not publish a fixed per-unit cash-proffer schedule; proffer amounts are negotiated per rezoning case and offered voluntarily by the applicant.
Coverage Notes - What This Page Does Not Cover
Per ZoneFee's Partial-Verified Publication Standard, the items below were closed via documented searches rather than estimated or omitted silently.
Impact Fees (Va. Code 15.2-2317)
The City of Suffolk has not adopted a transportation or land-development impact fee program under Virginia Code Section 15.2-2317. The only line containing "Impact Fee" in the comprehensive FY2025-2026 Fee Schedule applies to the Shared Mobility Device (e-scooter) program and is unrelated to land development. As a Virginia locality, Suffolk uses the voluntary conditional-rezoning (proffer) mechanism for developer contributions. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction.
Special District Fees
No developer-facing special-district application or per-project assessment fee appears in the City of Suffolk FY2025-2026 Fee Schedule. The Stormwater Utility Fee ($7.50 per month per Equivalent Residential Unit) is a recurring monthly utility charge on developed property, not a one-time development assessment. Closed-search outcome: not administered by this jurisdiction as a development fee.
Fee Authorities
| Authority | Fee Types | Official Website |
|---|---|---|
| City of Suffolk Department of Planning and Community Development | Rezoning, conditional rezoning, conditional use permit, subdivision plat, site plan, engineering plan review, and certificate of occupancy fees | suffolkva.us/461/Planning-Community-Development |
| City of Suffolk Department of Public Utilities | Water and sewer connection, availability, and capacity charges (city-operated utility) | suffolkva.us/636/Public-Utilities |
Sources
| Document | Agency | Accessed |
|---|---|---|
| City of Suffolk Fee Schedule - Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (SHA-256 db821c4e...) | City of Suffolk, VA | 2026-06-27 |
| Public Utilities Rates and Fees (SHA-256 8ac2eb84...) | City of Suffolk, VA - Department of Public Utilities | 2026-06-27 |
| Planning and Community Development landing page | City of Suffolk, VA | 2026-06-27 |
Last verified by ZoneFee: 2026-06-27. Fee schedules are subject to change. Verify current rates directly with the City of Suffolk Department of Planning and Community Development and Department of Public Utilities before relying on this data for any financial decision.
This page reflects fee data sourced from the City of Suffolk Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (Amended FY26; SHA-256 db821c4e...) and the corroborating Suffolk Public Utilities Rates and Fees document (SHA-256 8ac2eb84...), effective July 1, 2025. ZoneFee does not guarantee that fee amounts are current at the time you read this page. Fee schedules change; the FY2025-2026 schedule is current through June 30, 2026. Suffolk has not adopted a Va. Code 15.2-2317 land-development impact fee, uses voluntary conditional-rezoning proffers under Va. Code 15.2-2303.4 with no mandatory per-unit cash-proffer schedule, and treats its Stormwater Utility Fee as a recurring utility charge rather than a one-time development fee. Suffolk operates its own municipal water and sewer system; the Western Tidewater Water Authority wholesale charges and recurring monthly retail utility rates are out of ZoneFee scope. Verify all current rates directly with the City of Suffolk 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.