Fees & public finance
Quimby Act
Subdivision Map Act § 66477: parkland dedication or in-lieu fees on residential subdivisions, sized at 3 (up to 5) acres per 1,000 new residents.
Definition
The Quimby Act (Gov. Code § 66477, inside the Subdivision Map Act) authorizes cities and counties — by local ordinance grounded in the general plan's recreation element — to condition tentative and final map approval on dedicating parkland, paying in-lieu fees, or both. The exaction cannot exceed the amount needed to provide 3 acres of park per 1,000 subdivision residents, rising to a 5-acre ceiling where the community's existing park ratio already exceeds 3, and small subdivisions (50 parcels or fewer) generally pay fees rather than dedicate land. Fees must fund parks serving the subdivision.
Why it matters in an underwrite
Quimby is triggered by the map, not the building: a rental project on an existing lot owes no Quimby exaction, while the same building sold as condominiums — a subdivision — does. The math runs off adopted population factors per unit type, so unit mix moves the number, and the 3-versus-5-acre standard is worth checking against the city's actual inventory. On condo deals, put the dedication-or-fee question into the tentative-map budget early.
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.