Impact Fees and Mobility Fees on Commercial Property in Pasco and Hernando

What these fees are

Florida calls these charges impact fees. The Florida Impact Fee Act, section 163.31801, Florida Statutes, says they fund infrastructure needed because of new growth. The fee has to be based on a study, kept in a separate account, and earmarked for capital facilities that benefit the new development. Administrative charges are limited to actual costs. A local government has to give at least 90 days' notice before a new or increased impact fee takes effect, and it may not require collection earlier than the date the building permit is issued.

The Act also limits how fast rates can rise, with a path to go beyond those caps if the local government completes a demonstrated-need study and meets the other criteria in the statute. Pasco's 2026 mobility-fee ordinance states that some of its increases go beyond the phase-in limits in section 163.31801(6).

Pasco uses the name "mobility fee" for its transportation charge. Hernando uses "impact fee" and splits the bill among several facility categories. Listing a use on a fee schedule is not a zoning approval. See zoning and future land use for that process, and the Pasco site selection checklist for how fees sit among the other location checks.

Pasco County mobility fees

Pasco adopted mobility fees in 2011 and has updated them several times. Ordinance No. 26-19, filed with the state on May 20, 2026, amends Land Development Code Section 1302.2. The amendments in Attachment A took effect July 1, 2026. The attachment has fee schedules effective July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2027. Updated schedules apply to complete permit applications submitted on or after the effective date on the applicable schedule.

The fee pays for increased transportation capacity from new development: roadways, transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) impacts, and right-of-way. An administration fee covers the county's actual cost of running the program. Paying the fee does not guarantee development approval. Other transportation rules still apply. The ordinance also says the mobility system is not used to deny or phase a site plan, plat, or building permit if the developer agrees to pay the fees, and it is not used to make new development pay for an existing transportation backlog.

When it is due. Mobility and administration fees are assessed at building permit issuance and paid before the Certificate of Occupancy. If no building permit is required, the fees are assessed at the development permit and paid before final site inspection.

How the rate is set. The county is divided into Urban, Suburban, and Rural assessment districts, shown on Map 1302.2-A in the ordinance. The rate also depends on the form of development: Standard, Mixed-Use Trip Reduction Measures (MUTRM), Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), or Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). A project that spans two districts generally pays the lower fee, unless less than 15 percent of the development sits in that lower-fee district. East Pasco has parcels in more than one district. Ask the county which district applies before you run a number.

Examples from the July 1, 2026 Standard schedule, read from the adopted ordinance tables. These are net fees on the schedule. Confirm the line, the district, and the development form with Pasco Building Construction Services before you use them in a pro forma.

A building with more than one use is assessed separately for each use that exceeds 35 percent of the gross square footage, with special rules in the ordinance for residential, lodging, office, industrial, recreation, institutions, and retail mixes.

Pasco also runs a locally owned small-business mobility fee reduction for qualifying retail, recreation, or institution projects. The county's page says the business must be majority owned by a resident of Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando, Sumter, or Polk County, must not be part of a chain located outside those counties at the time of permit submittal, and must have 25 or fewer employees on its most recent payroll tax records. Questions go to (727) 815-7092 or oeg@mypasco.net.

School impact fees are separate, and they are aimed at housing. Ordinance No. 24-37 amends Section 1302.3 and took effect January 1, 2025. School impact fees are imposed on new residential construction. The ordinance says no school impact fee shall be imposed on a non-residential structure that cannot result in an increase in the demand for school facilities. That exemption has to be claimed. Do not assume it; ask the county if your use is mixed or unusual.

Hernando County impact fees

Hernando charges impact fees by land use and by facility type. The county's published Impact Fee Schedule, updated February 24, 2025 on the Building Fees page, lists categories that include educational facilities, library, public buildings, law enforcement, parks, roads, Fire and EMS, and jail. The schedule's own disclaimer says to consult the Zoning Division for an exact and accurate fee on a specific building.

The Board adopted Ordinance No. 2024-10 on July 30, 2024, increasing the fees. The county Impact Fee Notice and the Building Fees page say the new rates apply to building permit applications received on or after December 2, 2024, unless an exemption applies, and that an application received before that date and kept in an active status is not subject to the increased rate. The adopted ordinance phased the increase: Phase One on December 2, 2024, and Phase Two on December 2, 2025. A later ordinance, posted on the Building Fees page as a 2026 impact-fee schedule resolution, corrects scrivener's errors in the 2024 ordinance, including phase dates and a missing Fire and EMS schedule page, and takes effect nunc pro tunc to December 2, 2024. For a permit application in late 2026, the Phase Two column is the one to start with, then confirm it in writing.

Examples from the Phase Two (December 2, 2025) totals on the county's published schedule, which combines the facility categories into a total. Get the Zoning Division to confirm the current total and the category split before you use a number.

The same use can look cheap or expensive once you change the category. A warehouse and a drive-through restaurant are not priced the same way, in either county.

For additional information, the county notice says to contact the Zoning Division at 352-754-4048, 1653 Blaise Drive, Brooksville. Rate studies are posted under Impact Fee Rate Studies.

How I would run the number on a deal

I want a written fee quote from the county, tied to a defined use, a square-foot count, and, in Pasco, an assessment district and development form. A listing or a prior permit on a different use is not enough.

Do this early, while the contract's diligence period is still open, alongside zoning and future land use, driveway and access permits, and the vacant land due diligence checklist. If the use is not on the schedule, or the building mixes uses, ask how the county will classify it before you lock a price.

If you later change the use, expect the fee to be recalculated. If you are comparing two sites, compare the fee on the same use and the same size, not a headline per-acre land price alone.

Common questions

When do I have to pay the fee?

In Pasco, mobility and administration fees are assessed at building permit issuance and paid before the Certificate of Occupancy. In Hernando, the published increase applied to building permit applications received on or after the phase dates. Ask the county what it will collect, and when, on your permit.

Do office and industrial buildings pay a Pasco mobility fee?

On the July 1, 2026 Standard schedule in Ordinance 26-19, general office, medical office, and the general industrial categories are listed at $0. Warehouse and high-cube warehouse are not. Confirm the line that matches your use and district.

Does a commercial building in Pasco pay a school impact fee?

School impact fees are imposed on new residential construction. The ordinance says no school impact fee shall be imposed on a non-residential structure that cannot result in an increase in the demand for school facilities, and that exemption must be claimed.

Can I use last year's schedule?

No. Pasco's current mobility schedules are dated July 1, 2026 and July 1, 2027, and they apply by the complete permit application date. Hernando's published Phase Two totals took effect December 2, 2025. Always ask for the schedule that will apply to your application.

Does paying the fee mean the site is approved?

No. Pasco's ordinance says payment does not guarantee development approval, and that listing a use on the mobility fee schedule does not imply zoning or Comprehensive Plan approval.