Front Foot Benefit Charges in Maryland: What Bethesda Buyers Need to Know

There's a line item on the property tax bill of many Montgomery County homes that catches buyers off guard every year. It's not the county property tax rate. It's not an HOA fee. It's called a front foot benefit charge — and if your agent doesn't flag it before you go under contract, you might not find out about it until you're looking at your first tax bill after closing.

This charge is common in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, North Bethesda, and North Potomac, particularly in established neighborhoods where water and sewer lines were extended to the community decades ago. Here's what it is, how it works, and exactly what you need to do before you settle.

What Is a Front Foot Benefit Charge in Maryland?

A front foot benefit charge (FFBC) is an annual fee charged to property owners to repay the cost of constructing the water and/or sewer lines that connect the property to the public utility system. When those lines were built — whether by a developer, the county, or the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) — someone had to finance the construction. The FFBC is how that cost gets recovered from the homeowners who benefit from the connection.

The charge is calculated by multiplying the property's front footage (the width of the lot along the street) by a set rate per foot. A typical residential lot in Bethesda or Chevy Chase runs 60 to 80 front feet. WSSC's current combined rates run approximately $4 per front foot for water and $6 per front foot for sewer — roughly $10 per front foot per year combined. That puts the annual FFBC on a typical Bethesda lot at $600 to $800 per year, sometimes more depending on the specific assessment.

The charge typically runs for 30 years from the date the assessment was levied. It can be paid off in full at any time, but if it isn't, it transfers automatically to every new owner. That's the part that catches people off guard: this is not a one-time obligation tied to the seller. It runs with the land — just like a recorded easement or covenant — and becomes the buyer's responsibility the moment closing is complete.

The FFBC is also separate from your WSSC water and sewer usage bills. It doesn't cover what you consume month to month. It covers the infrastructure cost of getting the pipes to your property in the first place.

Public vs. Private FFBCs: The Distinction That Matters

Not all front foot benefit charges work the same way, and the type determines what disclosure the seller is required to make.

Public FFBCs (WSSC): If the charge is administered by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, it will appear as a line item on your Montgomery County property tax bill. WSSC serves virtually all of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, North Bethesda, and North Potomac — so if you're buying in these neighborhoods, WSSC is almost certainly the administrator. Because the charge shows on the tax bill, Maryland's 2016 disclosure law technically doesn't require the seller to disclose it separately. But "technically doesn't require" is not the same as "you won't be surprised by it." Many buyers don't scrutinize the property tax bill carefully enough before closing, and the charge shows up later as an unexpected line item.

Private FFBCs: Some charges were set up by private development companies, not a public utility. Private FFBCs do NOT appear on the property tax bill. Instead, they're recorded in the land records as a declaration of charges or a covenant that runs with the property. Since October 1, 2016, Maryland law requires sellers to disclose these explicitly to buyers. If a seller fails to disclose a private FFBC, the buyer can cancel the contract at any time before settlement and recover their earnest money. If the undisclosed charge isn't discovered until after closing, the seller may be responsible for the full remaining unpaid balance — which can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars on a newer property.

In Montgomery County, most FFBCs buyers will encounter are WSSC charges rather than private ones. But the principle is the same either way: you want to know about this before you're committed, not after you own the home.

When you're evaluating the full cost of buying — alongside transfer taxes, title insurance, and prepaid expenses — the FFBC is one more number to understand. Your buyer's closing cost breakdown focuses on what you pay at settlement; the FFBC is what you'll pay every year after. Both matter.

How to Check for a Front Foot Benefit Charge on Your Maryland Property

Before you make an offer — or at least early in your inspection and due diligence window — check all three of these:

• The property tax bill. Ask your agent or the seller's agent to pull the most recent annual tax bill for the property. Look for a line item labeled "Front Foot Benefit" or "FFBC." If it's there, you'll see the annual amount and can calculate how many years remain.
• WSSC's online lookup tool. WSSC maintains a searchable database at my.wsscwater.com where you can retrieve FFBC information for any property by address. This is the fastest way to confirm whether a WSSC front foot benefit charge exists and what the annual amount is.
• Montgomery County land records. For private FFBCs, you'll need to search the land records through the Maryland Land Records database (mdlandrec.net) for declarations, covenants, or deeds of trust related to water and sewer construction. Your title company should also catch these during the title search — but ask explicitly, because not every settlement officer will volunteer the information.

This kind of due diligence is part of understanding what you're actually buying. Property taxes in Montgomery County are already significant — the combined county and state rate runs approximately $1.03 per $100 of assessed value in 2026 — and the FFBC adds to your annual cost of ownership. The number might seem modest in the context of a $1.2M or $1.5M purchase, but it compounds across the years remaining on the assessment, and it doesn't go away until either the term ends or someone pays it off.

What to Do Once You Find an FFBC

Once you've confirmed a front foot benefit charge exists on a property you're interested in, here's how to handle it:

• Calculate the total remaining obligation. Multiply the annual amount by the years remaining. A $700/year charge with 15 years remaining = $10,500 in future payments the buyer inherits. A $700/year charge with 4 years remaining is much less significant.
• Decide whether to ask the seller to pay it off at closing. This is negotiable, like any other contract term. If the remaining balance is meaningful, you can include a payoff requirement in your offer or raise it during the inspection period. Your title company will confirm the payoff amount directly with WSSC or the private FFBC company at closing.
• Make sure any payoff agreement is in writing. If the seller agrees to pay off the FFBC at closing, it needs to be specified in the contract addendum or captured in the settlement instructions — not left as a verbal understanding.
• Factor it into your ongoing cost of ownership. If you're not getting the FFBC paid off, treat it as a recurring annual expense like property taxes or HOA fees. Your lender won't escrow it — it's a separate charge on the tax bill — so you'll need to budget for it directly.

Understanding what you're walking into at closing is exactly what the due diligence period is for. If you want to understand the full sequence of what happens between offer acceptance and getting your keys, this breakdown of the Maryland closing process covers it step by step.

One more thing worth knowing: if you're buying a recently built home or a property that was recently connected to public water and sewer, the assessment may still be in its early years. On a property with a 30-year WSSC term levied 5 years ago, you'd be inheriting 25 more years of payments. On a lot with 70 front feet at $10/ft, that's $700/year for 25 years — $17,500 in remaining charges. That's not disqualifying on a $1.5M purchase, but it's something to know before you make the offer, not something to discover afterward.

If you're evaluating a specific property in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, or North Bethesda and want to pull the FFBC information before you move forward, reach out. Checking for this is part of the due diligence I run on every property I help buyers evaluate in this market.