Fees & public finance
Linkage / affordable housing fee
A per-square-foot fee on commercial or market-rate projects funding affordable housing, justified by a jobs-housing or affordability nexus study.
Definition
A linkage fee (often styled an affordable housing impact fee) is a per-square-foot charge on commercial and/or market-rate residential development, deposited into an affordable-housing fund. The justification is a nexus study linking new square footage to the affordable units its workers or residents will demand. Because it is a fee rather than a tax, it lives under the Mitigation Fee Act: nexus findings, separate-fund accounting, the § 66020 protest window, and AB 602's published-study and square-footage-scaling rules all apply.
Why it matters in an underwrite
Linkage schedules vary enormously between neighboring cities and by land use, so pull the posted schedule — AB 602 requires it to be online — rather than assuming a metro norm. An SB 330 preliminary application under the Housing Crisis Act freezes the schedule at submittal, which matters because affordable-housing fees are a favorite target for mid-entitlement increases. Where an inclusionary ordinance and a linkage fee coexist, confirm which one your project actually owes.
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.