Riverside Municipal Code Ch. 16.56 School Development Fee

The City of Riverside's general plan acknowledges the need to work with the local school districts to accommodate growth and reduce overcrowding. Future residential development has the potential to have a significant environmental effect on school services. For the purpose of mitigating the impact of residential development on a school district's ability to provide the normal functioning of educational programs, a school development fee may be required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. 7362 §8, 2017; Ord. 6393 §40, 1997; Ord. 5018 §1 (part), 1982)

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them below:

Dwelling means a building or portion thereof or a mobile home or manufactured house designed primarily for residential occupancy. The term dwelling does not include hotels or motels.

Dwelling unit means two or more rooms in a dwelling as defined above designed for occupancy by one family and having no more than one kitchen.

Educational level means elementary school, middle school and high school.

Impacted area means one or more attendance areas located within a school district that is found to be overcrowded.

Residential development means a project containing residential dwellings, including mobile homes, of one or more units or a subdivision of land for the purpose of constructing one or more residential dwelling units.

School development fee means a fee established pursuant to this chapter.

School district means any school district any part of which is located within the City.

(Ord. 7362 §8, 2017; Ord. 6393 §40, 1997; Ord. 5111 §1, 1983; Ord. 5018 §1 (part), 1982)

A determination that an attendance area located in a school district is overcrowded may be made by the governing board of the school district pursuant to California Government Code section 65971. When the governing board has made the required findings that an attendance area in the school district is overcrowded it shall so notify the City of those findings. Thereafter the City Council shall either concur or not concur with the findings. Should the City Council concur, then no ordinance rezoning property, a discretionary permit for residential use or a tentative residential subdivision map shall be approved until the City Council adopts an ordinance or makes the findings required under section 65972 of the California Government Code.

(Ord. 7362 §8, 2017; Ord. 6393 §40, 1997; Ord. 5018 §1 (part), 1982)

When fees are established for an impacted school district, such fees shall be paid prior to the issuance of a building permit or a mobile home set up permit for a proposed residential development. No building permit or mobile home set up permit for residential development shall be issued until such fees are paid. No fee shall be required for residential development which replaces on the same lot previously existing residential development, unit for unit, within one year from the date of destruction or relocation of the previously existing residential development.

(Ord. 7362 §8, 2017; Ord. 6393 §40, 1997; Ord. 5111 §2, 1983; Ord. 5018 §1 (part), 1982)

All school development fees collected pursuant to this chapter shall be placed in a separate fund to be established by the school district.

(Ord. 7362 §8, 2017; Ord. 6393 §40, 1997; Ord. 5018 §1 (part), 1982)

Any impacted school district for which a fee has been collected, shall, at the end of the previous fiscal year, make a report to the City Council which shall include a statement of the amount of fees collected and spent in that previous fiscal year and a summary of the facilities acquired, constructed, leased or dedicated. The report shall also specify which attendance areas will continue to be overcrowded and where overcrowding will no longer exist.

(Ord. 7362 §8, 2017; Ord. 6393 §40, 1997; Ord. 5018 §1 (part), 1982)