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Pay to Play: Residential Development Fees in California Cities and Counties, 1999

Study Finds Residential Development Fees Proliferate

Residential development fees are being assessed by California cities and counties for a long and growing list of uses. Local governments typically assess more than two-dozen different types of residential development fees. These include planning fees, building permit and related fees, and capital facilities fees.

The report, “Pay to Play, Residential Development Fees in California, 1999,” is the first to analyze California’s residential development fees statewide. State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) commissioned the report from the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning (IURD) of the University of California, Berkeley. The report includes the findings of a 1999 survey of 89 California cities and counties prepared by HCD and IURD to identify typical fee amounts for homes in a 25-unit subdivision, for individual “infill” houses, and for a 45-unit apartment building.

The “Pay to Play” report provides examples of how local governments could improve administration of permit fees. The report also sets forth policy issues and options’ relating to broader local development of long-term capital improvement plans and programs and improving financing mechanisms.

For questions about the “Pay to Play” report, or for more information about housing needs in California, contact HCD’s Housing Policy Development Division at (916) 445-4728.

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