Yolo HCP/NCCP Mitigation Fee

“The purpose of the Land Cover Fee is to mitigate for direct (project impact acreage) and indirect (project land cover fee buffer acreage) impacts on species covered by the Yolo HCP/NCCP.”

“The Land Cover Fee revenues will be used to fund the acquisition of land that does or could provide habitat for covered species, the management and enhancement of such land and habitat, and the administrative actions necessary to accomplish these tasks, as more particularly set forth in the Yolo HCP/NCCP.”

“Yolo HCP/NCCP permit coverage applies only to eligible projects, known as covered activities, undertaken within the Yolo HCP/NCCP Plan Area (Plan Area). ... The Plan Area is 654,723 acres, including 653,549 acres contained within Yolo County and 1,174 acres in the expanded area for riparian conservation in Solano County on the south side of Putah Creek (See Figure 1-1).”

2018 (Conservancy fee ordinance); plan permits effective 2019-01-11

“Section 4.C of the Conservancy's adopted fee ordinance (Ordinance No. 2018-1) states that mitigation fees shall be adjusted annually by the Executive Director on or about March 15 of each year using the automatic adjustment methodology specified in Section 8.4.1.6.1 of Chapter 8 and Table 8-10 of the Yolo HCP/NCCP.”

“Section 4.C of the Conservancy's adopted fee ordinance (Ordinance No. 2018-1) states that mitigation fees shall be adjusted annually by the Executive Director on or about March 15 of each year using the automatic adjustment methodology specified in Section 8.4.1.6.1 of Chapter 8 and Table 8-10 of the Yolo HCP/NCCP.”

“For private projects, the Conservancy will require the payment of HCP/NCCP fees by the time the grading permit for the project is issued. If a grading permit is not required, fees must be paid before or at the time the first construction permit is issued.”

County of Yolo and the Cities (Permittees), which transfer the fees to the Conservancy at least quarterly

“The Cities and the County will collect fee payments from private project participants and provide the fee revenues to the Conservancy at least quarterly. The Conservancy will comply with all provisions of the Mitigation Fee Act (Gov. Code §66000, et seq.) to the extent those provisions are applicable the deposit, accounting, expenditure and reporting of such fee revenues.”

“The following covered activities are also exempt from the Yolo HCP/NCCP fees but are tracked as effects, count against the Stay-Ahead Provision, and are reported by the Conservancy: ... Additions to existing structures or new structures within 50 feet of an existing structure (e.g., a new garage) that result in less than 5,000 square feet of impervious surface as long as no fresh emergent wetland, riparian, lacustrine, or riverine land cover types are affected. ... Activities on a parcel that is less than 2.0 acres, unless the project proponent's site survey shows that the project will adversely affect suitable habitat for a covered species;”

“If a landowner or Permittee conveys a portion of the development site (either in fee simple or through a conservation easement) for inclusion in the Yolo HCP/NCCP's reserve system and the Conservancy and the wildlife agencies approve the inclusion, the Conservancy will not assess the land cover and/or land cover temporary effect fees on the portion of the property included in the reserve system. ... Land to be conveyed by a landowner or Permittee will be eligible for HCP/NCCP fee credit if the land satisfies the criteria described below.”