By Christina B. Farnsworth
Why is California’s housing least affordable? “Local fees add a staggering $64,320 to the cost of every new single-family home in Danville in the San Francisco Bay area,” says Mick Pattinson, president of San Diego-based Barratt American and the newly elected president of the California BIA. Fees for a 900-square-foot apartment total $27,285 a unit. And for a 600-square-foot guesthouse on a lot with an existing home, $33,355. Water and schools exact the largest fees.
New-Home Fees
Below are some of the fees assessed a new single-family home built in Danville, Calif.:
- water service connection–$21,095
- school construction and modernization–$14,827
- building permit plan checks and inspections–$8,376
- parks, off-site transportation improvements, childcare facilities, and storm-water runoff mitigation–$4,652
- sewer hookups–$4,500
