Cost To Get Utilities On Land-Finding your dream property in the USA is no layman’s job with the availability of this resource depleting at a rapid rate. If you have got your desired lot in the US, pat yourself on the back for crossing the first hurdle! Whoa, surprised?

Although land investment always remains a distant goal for many, those who succeed in completing the first step, they always have many herculean tasks ahead. The landowners are responsible for ensuring they have the basic utilities – water, power lines, and electricity on the lot to make their stay comfortable.

Read through this blog to know how much it does it take to set up the necessary utilities on your lot in the US

What is the Cost of Running Utilities to a Vacant Land?

Cost To Get Utilities On Land

Depending on where you have purchased the land, the cost to set up utilities can differ drastically. Before you have bought the parcel, you would automatically come to know about the utilities available on the lot from the real estate professional or land supplier.

However, an important point to note here is, if you are buying vacant land in a rural area, then the chances of having public utilities are not that high as compared to the vacant land in a residential area. According to the data available in July 2022, a new vacant land means starting from scratch for utilities can add substantial monetary pressure on the buyer.

In such cases, the landowners are usually expected to bear anything from $6,225 to $34,550 to set all basic utilities. As per the estimation, the average cost to set up the utilities on vacant land can be around $20,387 and it usually depends on various factors like soil type, land location, and topography.

Here are 4 vital things that can cause a hefty expenditure in setting up new utilities on a vacant land – 

1.  Lack of sewer access: This requires septic installation 
2. Distance from utility sources: Usually contractors charge for piping or wiring on a linear foot basis 
3. Closeness or proximity to other apartments in the vicinity: As some utilities require distance between two apartments, clearing vegetation or digging can incur additional costs to the owner 
4. Underground utilities: If you want to set up underground utilities at your place, this may require trenching depending on the surface 

What is the Cost of Running Power Lines to A New Residence?

Once you have purchased the vacant lot, the next essential step is to know which electric company provides power supply in your area.

When the landowner has a basic idea about which electric company is providing electricity in the vicinity, he can have a rough estimate of the cost of running power lines at his new residential place.

The most important point to note here is the cost of running power lines to a new accommodation usually depends on a variety of factors – the core being the policies set by the electric company.

The other key factors to keep in mind about the cost of running power lines to your new residence are – 

1. Distance of your land’s location to the nearest power pole: Greater distance implies more trenching, and more wire which increases the cost 
2. Installation of transformer: If the land you have purchased is far away from the power pole, you might need to install a new transformer to convert high voltage to 240 volts to give power supply to your place. This can add up to your setup cost
3. Choose how you want to transmit the power to your house – overhead or underground 
4. Decide on the number of poles required for your land, how much wire would be needed, and the length of the trench that would be required 
5. Decide the vegetation area that needs to be cleared for setting up the power lines 

How Much Cost to put Water on Land in USA?

Some of the utilities that you want to set up on your vacant land might require coordination between utility companies and contractors. If the level of water on your land is very deep or shallow then it might become a bit tedious for the local septic companies to install septic systems.

Hence, the installation of water and septic on your land can cost anything between $5000 to $30,000. 

As per the available information, some of the cost ranges that you would require to set up water on your newly acquired land are – 

1. Cost of sewer line: $1,300 to $1,500
2. Cost of a New Septic Tank System: $3,000 to $9,800 
3. Cost to Drill a Well: $5,500 to $12,000
4. Cost to install Water Main: $600 to $2600

Always remember to check the quality of water available in the area where you have purchased the land lot to avoid water supply issues and health problems. 

How Much Does it Take to Bring Electricity to the Property?

If the power lines already exist on your land or near your property, getting an electricity hookup is usually very simple and would cost around $1000.

According to available data, if you want to hire an electrician in the US, then the hourly rate is $50 – $100.

The factors that can up this cost include – the amount of trenching required, distance to your land from the nearest pole, the area of vegetation that needs to be cleared, and how you want to set up the wires – overhead or underground.

The cost of a new transformer is between $3000 to $7000 whereas the cost of trenching is $400 to $1200 per 100 linear feet 

How Much Cost to Set up Electricity?

If the power lines already exist at the place where you have bought a piece of land, then the power company would just need to run a splice from existing electric lines to your land and switch on the electric meter. Based on local requirements, the electrician might ask you to get some inspections done or take permits for a safe connection to your land from the concerned authority.

Once this approval is done, the electric service at your land gets connected in 1 to 3 weeks. The cost of electricity supply from a nearby hookup can go up to $1000. However, if no power line can reach your land site, then you would require to take a few additional steps like right-of-way agreements with neighboring property owners, underground cabling by the work crew, etc.

As per the information, long-distance installations for electricity take a longer time and can happen anytime between six weeks to a year, costing in the range of $10,000 to $30,000 or even higher in extreme cases where there is no proper nearest power source, excessive distance and the type of property – public or private. Trenching can cost you from $400 to $1,200 per 100 linear feet

What Other Utilities Can Add Up to Your Expenditure?

Apart from the common utilities mentioned above for your land, you can have an expenditure for the following utilities at your space – 

1. Natural Gas

If you decide to set up the natural gas connection for your land from the local gas plumbers available in your area, you should be ready to pay between $15 to $25 per linear foot for the underground installation. The average price for a new natural gas setup is around $540 but for the first time, the owner might be required to pay anything between $120 to $1,350 across the US

2. Telephone/ Cable TV 

Setting up a telephone line and cable connection at your land can make you shell out money that is between $100 to $200. If the cable line gets extended because of the accommodations near your land site, then you would be needed to pay a high amount. For landline installation, you are required to make a payment that is between $50 to $80 on per hour rate for the installation of wiring and phone-jack services

3. Permits

Setting up the required utilities at your land site could be a tiresome job if you have no idea about them for your area or are completely new in the US with just purchased land, you can contact a local civil engineer or local architect who can assist you with the correct checklist for all the utility connections. These professionals are pro at initiating the permit process and have good hookups with the required permits. As per HomeAdvisor, the common permit costs for connecting new utilities to a new land are – 

1. New well: $5 – $500 
2. Septic systems: $400 – $2000
3. New Plumbing/ Sewer: $5 – $500
4. Electricity: $10 – $500

Invest in Land Right Now to set up Utilities at your Dream Space! 

Landsale4U is the website you need for discovering and purchasing the property you need in the US. Our myriad types of quality vacant land give customers excellent options to choose from with flexible payment choices. 

All the costs are from different references. It is always recommended to check with the appropriate Utility department to find the exact cost for your property. The prices and regulations vary a lot!! 

Buy your preferred land at a discounted price from us.