Carlsbad Municipal Code Ch. 2.24 Engineering Services Fees

The engineering service fees shall be established by resolution of the Board. The purpose of the engineering services fees is to defray the costs associated with the District's review and approval of studies, maps, plans, specifications, and easements and quitclaims in connection with the City's development review process and inspection of potable water and recycled water facilities, including, but not limited to, the installation or relocation of pipelines, service connections, service lines, and meters.

A. Policy. The District Engineer shall review plans and other required documents for potable and recycled water facilities to be abandoned, replaced, or constructed and added to the systems of the District at a charge of the estimated cost of providing those services.

B. Fees. The fees shall be fixed and established by resolution of the Board.

C. Private On-Site Irrigation System. The plans for the private, on-site, irrigation system for a proposed development shall be reviewed by the City's Planning Department and the District Engineer. A plan check fee shall be paid by the applicant to cover the City's cost to review and approve the irrigation system plans. The County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality will also review all private on-site irrigation plans where recycled water is proposed to be used for irrigation. A separate plan check fee shall be submitted to the County of San Diego, together with the landscape and irrigation plans and the City's application form.

(Ord. 51, 10/7/2025)

The City's Finance Department, on behalf of the District, shall periodically review the fees charged for engineering services to ensure that the fixed fees do not exceed the estimated costs of providing the services, and are fair and appropriate. Adjustments to the fixed fees may be made at any time by resolution, but shall be adjusted annually by a ratio using the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index for Los Angeles.

(Ord. 51, 10/7/2025)

A. All fees to review improvement plans, easements, quitclaims, or other documents required during the development review process are paid upon initial submittal to the City based on the cost estimate (valuation) submitted with the initial submittal. Near the end of the plan check process and prior to the plan approval, the applicant must pay any balance of plan check fees or receive a refund for excess fees paid.

B. Prior to issuance of a right-of-way permit to construct the improvements, the applicant shall pay inspection fees that cover the inspection of District improvements.

(Ord. 51, 10/7/2025)