Impact Fee Study

Background

Impact fees are a type of one-time charge developers pay to help finance their proportionate share of the cost of the roads, parks, schools and other facilities necessary to serve their new developments. Impact fees are usually due at the time a building permit is issued. The funds collected cannot be used for operation, maintenance, repair, alteration, or replacement of existing capital facilities and cannot just be added to general revenue. The amount of the fee must be clearly linked to the added service cost, not some arbitrary amount.

Impact Fees and the Growth Management Act

The Revised Code of Washington 82.02.050 (2) authorizes counties required to plan under the Growth Management Act to "impose impact fees on development activity as part of the financing for public facilities..."  GMA impact fees are only authorized for: public streets and roads; publicly owned parks, open space, and recreation facilities; school facilities; and fire protection facilities in jurisdictions that are not part of a fire district. Setting fee schedules for impact fees is a complex process typically involving rate studies.

Impact Fee Study in Thurston County

Thurston County is in the process of selecting a consultant to develop a possible impact fee system that accomplishes the following goals:

1.  equitably recovers the cost of county transportation, recreation, schools and fire protection improvements as a result of new development;

2.  is less of an administrative burden to Thurston County, school districts, fire protection and the development community than the current SEPA mitigation process; and

3.  provides the timely and equitable financing of public services and improvements to mitigate and prevent impacts from new development.

The deadline for submitting a proposal was 5:00 p.m. on May 28, 2010.

Contact Us

Interested Parties: If you would like to be added to our Web Mail list, please click here. Staff contact: Scott Clark, Long Range Planning Director. Phone: (360) 754-3355, x3055. E-mail: clarks@co.thurston.wa.us.