Development Impact Fees in California: An Analysis of AB 1600, the Mitigation Fee Act, and Recommended Amendments

Jurisdictional land use, resource allocation, and equitable tax policy issues are as bread-and-butter as public administration issues come. This thesis approaches these topics within the context of application and premise. Specifically, this thesis addresses both standards and implementation issues related to the very important public administrative application of development impact fees, with special attention given to California’s AB 1600, also known as the Mitigation Fee Act. The Mitigation Fee Act, and its eventual codification, is nothing short of the amalgamation of acknowledged ingredients of public administration - that public administration is art, craft, science, profession, field of study and discipline. All aspects of public administration came into play in the formulation, ratification, and implementation of AB 1600, as those familiar with public policy and public law can attest. To date, interpretation and implementation issues are yet to addressed to the general satisfaction of public administration practitioners, business community members, and legal professionals. This thesis reviews AB 1600 in the context of legislative, legal and implementation history of the Mitigation Fee Act, development impact fees in general, and the forces that have shaped and forged them in California.Master'sCollege of Arts and Sciences: Public AdministrationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117974/1/Bohlen.pd