ABSTRACT

This chapter summarizes the results of a detailed survey of impact fees that individual jurisdictions across the country are charging. The results of the survey reveal where impact fees are most common, how much jurisdictions in various states are charging, and the types of facilities for which fees are being charged. Water and wastewater connection fees that are used to fund growth-related capital improvements should be classified as impact fees. Fees charged in lieu of land dedication for parks and schools are conceptually very similar to impact fees, and should also be counted in an impact fee survey. Impact fees and similar development charges are not universal; they are found primarily in the South and West, and are relatively rare in the Northeast and Midwest. The chapter presents average fees for a variety of capital facilities. These averages exclude communities that are represented in the survey but do not charge impact fees for the particular facility type.