FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
Q. Where do I pay school fees?
A. Fees can be paid at the Planning and Development office located at 3070 Washington Street, Riverside, CA 92504. To verify fees or make an appointment, please call the number listed above.
Q. What do I need in order to pay school fees?
A. In order for us to determine your fees, we need a square footage verification form that is provided by the agency where you applied for your building permit. In Riverside Unified School District it is either a City of Riverside building permit or a County of Riverside building permit.
Q. How do I know if I qualify for an exemption?
A. Not all development projects are required to pay school fees. The list below provides a guide for these exemptions, though these are subject to change.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Residential Additions Less than 500 Square Feet
Education CodeSection17620(a)(1)(C)(i)permitsschooldistricts tochargeLevel I Fees on residential additions only if the resulting increase in assessablespaceexceeds500 square feet.
Therefore, there is an exemption for school fees for any additions less than 500 square feet.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
ADUs less than 750 square feet are exempt. Anything above 750 square feet will be charged the entirety of the square footage.
Senior Citizen Housing:
Government Code Sections 65995.1 and65995.2providesthatschooldistrictsmay only charge the
commercial/industrial fee for qualified senior citizen housing. If the development is later converted to another type of use, Government Code Section 65995.1(c) states that the Level II (if currently being levied by the school district or the Level I), may be charged at the time of conversion minus any school fees previouslypaid. Four types of senior citizen housing qualify for this special treatment: (1) Senior citizen housing development projects described in Civil Code Section 51.3 (One resident is at least age 55 plus other restrictions); (2) A “residential care facility for the elderly” as described in Health and Safety Code Section 1569.2(k) (residents age 60 and over plus other restrictions); (3) A “multilevel facility for the elderly” as described in Government Code Section 15432(d)(9) (residents age 62 and older plus other restrictions); and (4) A mobile home development limited to older persons as described in the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (age varies by program; generally age 55 or 62). Residences that do not meet these standards should be charged the regular residentialfeerates.Schooldistrictsshouldalsorequire prooffromthedeveloperthatthe project qualifies as senior citizen housing in the form ofCC&Rs.
Churches and Religious Organizations
Pursuant to Government Code Section 65995(d), school districts may not levy school fees on any facility used exclusively for religious purposes and exempt from property taxation under California law.
Private Full-time Day School
Pursuant to Government Code Section 65995(d), school districts may not levy schoolfeesonany“facilityusedexclusivelyasaprivatefull-time dayschoolasdescribed inSection48222oftheEducationCode.”Aprivatefull-timedayschooloffersinstruction intheseveralbranchesofstudy requiredtobetaughtinthepublicschoolsandattendance isrequiredtobetaken.Werecommendthatschooldistrictsobtainacopyofthe affidavit thatprivateschoolsarerequiredtofilepursuanttoEducationCodeSection33190from any private full-time day school requesting this exemption.
Government Agencies
Pursuant to Government Code Section 65995(d), school districts may not levy school fees on “any facility that is owned and occupied by one or more agencies of federal, state, or local government.”
Construction for Handicapped Accessibility
Education Code Section 17620 (a)(1)(C)(ii) states that school districts are not authorizedtolevyschoolfeesagainstresidentialconstructionifthe constructionqualifies fortheexclusionsetforthinRevenueandTaxationCodeSection74.3(a),whichexcludes fromschoolfeesthefollowing:construction,installation,ormodificationofanexisting single-family or multi-family dwelling unit to make the structure more accessible to a disabledperson.Theproofrequiredfortheexclusionisastatementsignedbyalicensed physicianorsurgeonofappropriatespecialtywhich certifiesthatthepersonisseverely and permanently disabled and identifies the specific disability-related requirements necessitating accessibilityimprovementsorfeatures.Thestatementmustalsoidentifythe construction,installation,ormodificationthatwasnecessarytomake thestructuremore accessible to the disabledperson.
Reconstruction of a Structure Destroyed in Fire
Education Code Section 17626 contains an exemption for schoolfeesforthereconstructionofanyresidential,commercial,orindustrial structure thatisdamagedordestroyedasaresultofadisaster.However,theexemptiondoesnot applyifthesquarefootageofthe reconstructedstructureexceedsthesquarefootageofthe structure that was damaged ordestroyed.
Greenhouse Space
EducationCodeSection 17622containsanexemptionforgreenhouseorotherspace that is covered or enclosed for agricultural purposes unless the governing board makes specifiedfindings.