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County adopts land-development cost-recovery ordinance after staff cites $2.7 million in annual savings
Summary
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an ordinance adjusting land-development fees for fiscal years 2025–26, with staff saying process improvements have produced roughly $2.7 million in annualized cost containment and new online tools intended to speed housing permits.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on May 21 adopted an ordinance to recover costs for land-development fees and deposits for fiscal years 2025–26, and approved a related CEQA exemption.
The action follows a staff report that said recent process improvements and technology changes produced about $2,700,000 in annualized cost containment that would otherwise have been part of fee increases. A county staff member told the board that changes include online permit processing for more than half of building permits, a six-permit self-certification program, a guaranteed review-time program and a current average 29-day first-round plan check for building plans.
Those improvements, staff said, are paired with planned steps to speed housing production: new sets of preapproved home plans, a program to allow tiny homes on wheels, and additional online tools to let applicants submit right-away permits.
"These are longer-term projects that will work with stakeholders to refine the scope and details," a county staff member said during the hearing. The staff presentation listed self-service reports and mobile inspections as other efficiency gains.
Members of the public criticized some aspects of the proposal, questioning whether fee increases would actually make permitting faster. After public comment, Supervisor Jim Desmond asked staff to return with progress updates on the specific "enhanced services" the county is developing with industry, saying he wanted to track implementation milestones such as self-certification expansion and conversion of discretionary permits to ministerial.
Supervisor Desmond moved the ordinance for final adoption; the motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously among those present to approve the ordinance.
The ordinance takes effect after the clerk’s final processing; staff said they will report back to the board on implementation and on any additional funding needs tied to the process-improvement work.
What the board approved is a county-cost-recovery ordinance tied to Planning & Development Services operations; the hearing record notes the board set the item for second consideration and adoption on May 7 and completed final action on May 21.
