Vacaville council introduces updated development impact fee ordinance

Vacaville — The City Council voted July 22 to introduce an ordinance replacing Chapter 11.1 of the Vacaville Municipal Code that governs how the city administers development impact fees for new development.

Community Development Director Erin Morris told the council the update is an administrative rewrite that does not set fee amounts but clarifies and streamlines processes that have not been updated in more than 30 years. Morris said the draft ordinance aligns the city’s rules with the California Mitigation Fee Act and explicitly authorizes future council-adopted policies to defer, reduce or waive fees for applicants.

"This ordinance does not set the amount of the fees. It's about administering the program," Morris said, noting the council previously adopted an updated fee schedule in June and had directed staff to update the ordinance and create companion programs such as fee deferral and a reduction/waiver program.

Morris reminded the council that most fees are collected at building permit issuance and that an interim nonresidential fee-deferral program is currently in place through December. She said the draft ordinance also reflects state law exemptions such as accessory dwelling units under 750 square feet.

Council members asked clarifying questions and then opened the item for public comment; no members of the public spoke. A motion to introduce the ordinance, waive further reading of the title and move it forward passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Why it matters: The ordinance sets the city’s administrative framework for collecting and managing impact fees and creates a clearer pathway for later policy actions — such as targeted fee deferral or incentive programs — without re-opening the code each time.

What’s next: Morris said fee amounts and any specific programs (for example, residential deferral or targeted biotech incentives) would come back to council later this year for separate action.