Deltona's City Commission unanimously approved a major overhaul of its municipal impact fees, raising single-family fees 73% and multi-family fees 132% over a two-year phase-in.
Deltona's City Commission unanimously approved a major overhaul of its municipal impact fees on June 22, raising costs for new single-family homes by 73% and multi-family units by 132% over a two-year phase-in.
What changed
The vote followed a municipal impact fee study that city officials said was nearly 20 years in the making. The updated ordinance covers police, fire, parks and recreation, municipal services, and "complete streets" — the city's rebranded transportation category.
The increases are being phased in across two fiscal years starting October 1, 2026.
Residential fees
- •Single-family (per unit): $2,937.30 today → $4,003.65 on Oct 1, 2026 → $5,070.00 on Oct 1, 2027
- •Multi-family (per unit): $1,997.50 today → $3,313.25 on Oct 1, 2026 → $4,629.00 on Oct 1, 2027
Fire impact fees saw the steepest category-level jump — roughly 365% for single-family and 437% for multi-family — driven in part by the city's plans to build a new fire station.
Non-residential: a mixed picture
While residential fees are climbing across the board, the story for commercial development is more nuanced. Complete streets fees for non-residential uses are dropping dramatically (per 1,000 sq ft, current → Oct 1, 2026):
- •Retail / Eating & Drinking: $4,826 → $576
- •Office / Other Services: $1,530 → $187
- •Hotel / Motel: $1,029 → $80
- •Institutional / Daycare / Church: $2,416 → $162
- •Industrial / Warehousing: $449 → $33
Police and fire fees for non-residential uses, on the other hand, are rising. Police fees increase from $63 to $130 per 1,000 sq ft by Oct 1, 2027, and fire fees jump from $123 to $700 per 1,000 sq ft over the same period.
Why the increase required a unanimous vote
Because the overall increase exceeds 50%, Deltona invoked what Florida law calls an "extraordinary circumstance" exemption. Under state statute, any impact fee increase above 50% must be approved unanimously by the governing body. The commission initially struggled with the timeline — an earlier motion to phase the increases over four years failed twice before commissioners settled on the two-year schedule.
The city cited over 3,000 new residential units and 3.24 million square feet of non-residential development in the pipeline as justification for the exemption.
Affordability concerns
The Volusia Building Industry Association pushed back on the size of the increase. Executive officer Allison Root noted that impact fees are ultimately a homeowner cost, not a developer cost, and argued the city should have stayed within the standard increase limits rather than claiming an extraordinary circumstance.
Root estimated that a $2,000-per-home increase could displace 200,000 to 300,000 potential buyers from the Deltona market. Commissioners acknowledged the tension but argued the fees are necessary to maintain services for both current and future residents.
Context: Florida's tightening impact fee rules
Deltona's vote comes as Florida's regulatory landscape for impact fees continues to shift. State law now requires any fee increases to be phased in over multiple years and, for increases above 50%, approved unanimously. The nearby city of Edgewater is also considering a steep fee increase — a proposed 600% hike to stormwater fees — suggesting that Volusia County jurisdictions are broadly re-evaluating development costs after periods of rapid growth.
What builders and developers should know
The first phase takes effect October 1, 2026. If you're permitting work in Deltona, the key dates to track are:
- •October 1, 2026 — Phase 1 rates take effect for all categories
- •October 1, 2027 — Phase 2 rates take effect, completing the full increase
For the current adopted fee schedule, visit the City of Deltona's impact fee page. You can also look up Deltona and other Florida jurisdictions in our impact fee calculator.
Fee figures cited are from the ordinance approved June 22, 2026. Always verify with the jurisdiction before relying on any number for underwriting or permitting.