Development Impact Fees

2023 Impact Fee Changes – Learn More

The City imposes development impact fees on development projects in order to mitigate the impacts caused by new development on public services, infrastructure and facilities. For example, the burden on the transit system created by a new office building is offset through the payment of an impact fee used to improve MUNI. Most development impact fees are established in Article 4 of the Planning Code. 

The San Francisco Citywide Development Impact Fee Register is adjusted yearly and becomes effective at the beginning of the year on January 1.

Impact Fees are not the same as application fees, which are used to cover the cost of the City’s review of a given proposal. Impact fees established in the Planning Code are assessed by the Planning Department for development projects and are collected by the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) upon issuance of the first construction document. Impact fees established in other municipal codes are assessed by the controlling entity as indicated in the Citywide Development Impact Fee Register. 

Some impact fees apply throughout the City to various types of development projects. Others apply only in certain neighborhoods. Another type of impact fee only applies when a builder chooses to pay them in-lieu of meeting a particular Planning Code requirement (e.g. usable open space).

 

Reference Material

Previous Registers (for reference only)

For questions regarding impact fee assessments for an actual or proposed development project, please contact the assigned Planner or the Planning Counter. For general questions regarding the impact fee assessment and indexing process you may contact CPC.ImpactFees@sfgov.org