Utility Estimating Services
Utility estimating services price every water, sewer, electrical, gas, and stormwater line tied to your site. These lines connect a project to the municipal grid, and they carry their own permits, tap fees, and design rules. 24/7 estimation applies current RSMeans rates to each CSI Division 33 item on your plans.
- Pipe and conduit quantities are calculated to 99.99% accuracy.
- Water, sewer, electrical, gas, and stormwater lines are all covered.
- Reports are delivered in 2 to 4 working days, faster on request.
- Half off your first utility takeoff
What Is a Utility Estimate?
A utility estimate is a cost report covering every pipe, conduit, and connection that links your site to the public water, sewer, gas, and power grid. It comes from civil plans and utility drawings, not a flat per-foot guess that ignores soil, depth, or local utility rules.
What Makes Utility Estimating Different From Other Trades
Most trades sit inside one CSI division. Utility work doesn’t. A single utility estimating service has to price water lines, sewer lines, gas mains, electrical conduit, and stormwater systems in the same report. Each one follows different code, different depth rules, and often a different utility company standard. Pricing them together, without missing a tie-in point, is what separates a usable utility estimating service from a rough guess.
Site Utilities vs. Interior Utilities
Site Utilities
Site utilities run from the street, main, or transformer to the edge of your building. This is the scope our utility estimating services cover: water, sewer, gas, electrical, and stormwater lines outside the building footprint.
Interior Utilities
Interior utilities are the plumbing and wiring inside the walls, priced under our separate plumbing and electrical trade pages. When a project needs both scopes together, our interior site utilities estimating services combine them into one report, covering the line from the main all the way to the first fixture inside the building.
Utility Types We Estimate
Water Lines
We measure pipe length, fittings, valves, and tie-ins for every water line on your plans. Pricing is driven mainly by trench depth and pipe material.
Sewer Lines
We count pipe runs, manholes, and cleanouts for sanitary sewer lines. Slope requirements and soil conditions are the biggest factors in sewer pricing.
Electrical Utilities
We price conduit runs, transformers, and vaults for site electrical work. Voltage class and duct bank length drive most of the cost here.
Gas Utilities
We estimate gas main lengths, regulators, and meter sets for new and upgraded service. Pressure class and meter sizing set the final price.
Stormwater Systems
We quantify catch basins, detention structures, and outfall pipes for stormwater management. Drainage area and pipe sizing carry the most weight in this estimate.
Telecom and Data
We measure conduit, vaults, and pull boxes for telecom and data infrastructure. Conduit count and vault spacing determine most of the cost.
Permits, Tap Fees, and Utility Company Coordination
Utility pricing rarely stops at materials and labor. Most jurisdictions charge tap fees to connect to a water or sewer main, and utility companies often set their own conduit, vault, and clearance standards. Our estimators flag these costs separately in the report, based on over three decades of estimating experience across local code requirements, so they don’t surprise you after the bid is already submitted.
What We Quantify in Utility Takeoffs
- Water main and service line lengths, by pipe size and material
- Sewer pipe runs, manholes, and cleanout locations
- Gas main lengths, regulators, and meter sets
- Electrical conduit runs, transformers, and pull boxes
- Stormwater catch basins, detention structures, and outfall pipes
- Trench excavation and backfill tied to each utility run
- Tie-in points, tap fees, and utility company connection costs
- Erosion control measures required along open trench lines
How Much Do Utility Estimating Services Cost?
Clients who submit five or more utility projects a month qualify for a discounted monthly package. Contact our team with your project volume for a custom rate.
Residential projects:
- Single utility (e.g., water or sewer only): $50 – $125
- Two utilities combined: $100 – $200
- Complete utility package, multiple lines: $250 – $400
Commercial projects
- Single utility: $200 – $400
- Two utilities combined: $300 – $450
- Complete utility package, multiple lines: $300 – $500
Who Needs a Utility Estimate
General Contractors
General contractors use a utility estimate to price the site-utility portion of a larger bid, without slowing down the rest of the submission.
Civil Engineers and Developers
Engineers and developers use the same report earlier in the process, to confirm a site is buildable before land changes hands.
Utility Contractors
Contractors bidding on water, sewer, gas, or electrical work directly use our numbers to confirm their own pricing before signing a contract.
Property Managers
Property managers planning a utility upgrade on an existing site use our estimate to budget the work before calling a contractor.
Architects
Architects use our reports to check that utility routing in their design stays realistic and doesn’t push the project over budget.
Municipalities and Local Authorities
Local agencies reviewing private development plans use our estimates to confirm proposed utility work matches the cost of public infrastructure standards.
Our Utility Estimating Process
Why Choose 24/7 Estimation
Multi-Trade Cost Reports
We combine water, sewer, gas, electrical, and stormwater pricing into one report, so you don’t have to chase five separate estimates yourself.
Local Tap-Fee Knowledge
Our estimators track tap fees and utility company standards by jurisdiction, so your bid accounts for charges that most takeoffs miss entirely.
Quick Turnaround Times
Most utility estimates are delivered within 2 to 4 business days, and rush requests move straight to the front of the queue.
Private Bid Information
Every plan, price, and scope stays private to your company. We never share your numbers with a competing bidder in your market.
Utility Estimating Services Across the USA
Tap fees, utility company standards, and soil type shift by location, so one flat rate never works nationwide. We currently serve projects near Los Angeles, CA, Houston, TX, Miami, FL, Atlanta, GA, Phoenix, AZ, Newark, NJ, New York City, NY, Columbus, OH, Chicago, IL, Las Vegas, NV, and Memphis, TN. Check our service areas page if your city isn’t listed, or send your plans directly, and we’ll confirm coverage.
pload Your Utility Plans and Get 100% Accurate Cost Estimation
Skip the manual math on tap fees and pipe runs. Upload your civil plans and get a combined utility cost report within days. See more of our construction estimating services, or check sample reports on our estimation examples page.