Affordable Housing and Employee Accommodation Ordinance and Fee

On April 19, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved the 2022 Annual Adjustment of Impact Fees including an adjustment to the Affordable Housing and Employee Accommodation Fee. Effective July 1, 2022, the fee was adjusted from $2.12 to $2.45.

Affordable Housing Ordinance

The purpose of the ordinance is to increase affordable housing in Placer County by requiring that at least 10% of the units of all new private housing development projects are in the affordable range.

Affordable Housing Fee

Developments with 8 to 100 units have the option to instead pay an in-lieu fee of $2.45 per habitable square foot of each market rate unit.

Employee Accommodation Fee

The Employee Accommodation Fee is $2.45 per net building area square foot and applies to all new non-residential (commercial) development in the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe area. Payment of the fee is required prior to building permit issuance. The intent is to address the affordable housing demand from new workers resulting from the construction of non-residential development such as hotels, office space, retail, and restaurants.

  1. What development projects are affected by the ordinance?
  2. What will the fee be used for?
  3. How was the $2.45 fee determined?
  • All new residential development of 8 to 100 units may pay the Affordable Housing Fee at the time of building permit issuance or dedicate 10% of its units as affordable. 
  • All new residential development of greater than 100 units must provide for 10% of its units as affordable.
  • All new non-residential development in the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe area shall pay an Employee Accommodation Fee prior to building permit issuance. The boundary for the payment of the fee is the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District.

Exempt Projects

  • Residential full-time occupancy projects seven (7) units or less, or residential projects with  majority of units are less than 1,600 square feet 
  •  All public projects
  •  Accessory dwelling units and deed restricted affordable housing
  •  Rehabilitation of existing residence or conversion of nonresidential to residential
  •  Single dwelling unit constructed by an owner/builder
  •  Dormitories, fraternity/sorority houses, boarding housing, residential hotels, single room occupancy units, and live/work units (not considered a permanent dwelling unit) 
  •  Development of an infill site, and warehouse or industrial developments (such as in the Sunset Area)
  •  Residential project located within a “transit priority area”
  •  Homeless/emergency shelters, care homes, community care/health care facilities, childcare facilities, churches, mobile home parks
  •  Residential mixed-use project with at least 70% of the total project floor area is constructed for residential use

To see the full list of exemptions refer to Section 15.65.050 under Exempted Development on pages 6-7 here.

How to Calculate the Fees

Affordable Housing Fee for New Residential Development

Number of Units30
Unit Size2,800 square feet*
Total Square Footage30 x 2,800 = 84,000
Fee Assessed84,000 x $2.45 = $205,800

*Habitable square foot of each market unit

Employee Accommodation Fee for New Non-Residential Development in East Placer County

Size of Development150,000 square feet*
Fee Assessed150,000 x $2.45 = $367,500

*Gross square feet non-residential minus existing square feet floor area