OLYMPIA – The Thurston County Board of Commissioners adopted Fire and Emergency Services Growth Management Impact Fees for certain types of new construction permits within S.E. Thurston Fire Authority’s jurisdiction on January 23, 2018. The fees are scheduled to go into effect on March 1, 2018.
The S.E. Thurston Fire Authority’s Board of Fire Commissioners requested the county collect the fees on their behalf. After conducting public meetings to hear from citizens about this request and assessing the impacts, the County adopted amendments to the impact fee code in September 2016, April 2017 and January 2018. The authority to collect impact fees for fire districts and authorities was added with these amendments, and the County will collect the fees on their behalf.
You can view more detailed information about the proposal on the Thurston County Community Development Long Range Planning website.
What are Fire and Emergency Services Impact Fees?
Fire and emergency services impact fees are used to fund new developments’ share of facility and major equipment needs. Impact Fees are not charged for internal remodeling work on existing structures and other selected types of construction, such as:
- Single-family homes with residential fire sprinklers
- Ag-exempt structures up to 775 square feet
- Structures not requiring permits
- Bulkheads
- Retaining Walls
- Stair Towers
- Ground based solar panels
- Structures which are not frequently used such as: docks, walking surfaces such as porches and decks
- Any addition to current structures which is less than 500 square feet
Impact fees are based on the square footage of the proposed building. The fee rate is $0.36 per square foot. The fee is based on S.E. Thurston Fire Authority’s Impact Fee Rate Study and on their Capital Facilities Plan.
Impact fees will be assessed at the time a completed building application is submitted to the Thurston County Permit Assistance Center. Impact Fees will be collected at time of Building Permit issuance.
Credit: Thurston County Website