Deltona adopts higher impact fees for new development
The Deltona City Commission has approved higher impact fees for new development, shifting more of the cost of planned public services and infrastructure onto future residential and commercial projects.
Commissioners took final action June 22, 2026, approving Ordinance 12-2026 at second and final reading. The ordinance amends the city’s Chapter 94 impact-fee rules, updates fees for fire and rescue, parks and recreation, transportation, and law enforcement, and creates a new municipal impact fee.
The changes are based on a 2026 impact-fee study prepared by Raftelis Financial Consultants. Impact fees are charges placed on new development to help pay for public facilities and services needed to accommodate growth.
Higher charges for new homes
Spectrum News reported that the total impact-fee increase will be 73% for single-family homes and 132% for multifamily development by 2027. The city’s action comes as local officials anticipate substantial additional construction in Deltona.
City leaders tied the fee changes to projections of 3,033 new residential units and 3.24 million square feet of nonresidential development. Those projections help explain why the city is revising the charges used to fund growth-related needs.
The ordinance’s effect is prospective in the sense that it establishes the fee schedule for new development. The city’s action does not establish that already-approved projects will be charged retroactively.
Police and fire fees phase in
Some of the reported increases will take effect in stages rather than all at once. The police impact fee is scheduled to rise from $63 to $130 per 1,000 square feet by Oct. 1, 2027.
The fire impact fee is scheduled to increase from $123 to $381.50 on Oct. 1, 2026, and to $700 by Oct. 1, 2027. The reported schedule identifies those dates for the fire and police changes; the ordinance also covers parks, recreation, transportation and municipal fees.
The fee amounts are tied to the type and scale of development, so the effect will differ between a single-family home, a multifamily project and nonresidential construction. A larger project generally creates a larger fee obligation because the charge is connected to development activity and, in the case of the police fee, square footage.
What the decision means for Deltona
The immediate change is to the cost structure facing developers seeking to build in Deltona. Future projects may have to account for higher public-service and infrastructure charges when developers prepare budgets, evaluate sites and set prices.
That could affect the economics and timing of housing and commercial construction, although the city’s action does not establish that the increases will raise home prices or stop development. The practical effect will depend on individual project costs, financing, market conditions and the fees applicable to each proposal.
For the city, the ordinance provides an updated framework for collecting money from new development as Deltona prepares for projected growth. The charges are intended to address the public-service and infrastructure demands associated with that growth across several departments.
Ordinance 12-2026 is now the city’s approved legislation after the June 22 final reading. The next major dates identified in the fee schedule are Oct. 1, 2026, when the first reported fire-fee increase is scheduled, and Oct. 1, 2027, when the reported police and final fire-fee levels are scheduled to take effect.
Sources
- Ordinance 12-2026 Impact Fees, City of Deltona
- Deltona approves impact fee increase for new homes, Spectrum News 9
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