HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-06; Cost of Service Study Update and Master Fee Schedule (Districts - All); Rocha, LauraTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date ~CA ✓ cc ✓
CM _L ACM _L.. DCM (3) ✓
May 7, 2021
Council Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
From: Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Via: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager ®
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID #2021097
Re: Cost of Service Study Update and Master Fee Schedule (Districts -All)
This memorandum provides information related to the Cost of Service Study and Master Fee
Schedule agenda item scheduled for the May 18, 2021, City Council meeting.
Background
A comprehensive Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedule Update to update the city's Master
Fee Schedule was presented to the City Council on Dec. 10, 2019. The Cost of Service Study was
conducted to update the city's cost to provide services to the community. The City Council
directed staff to return to the City Council with additional information and recommendations
for fee updates. Due to a variety of factors, including COVID-19, the city has not updated many
of the fees it charges since September 2018. The Cost of Service Study has recently been
updated with more recent cost data and, to provide sufficient time for review, staff have
attached the Final Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedule Update Report.
Discussion
For many years the city was using a purchased software program to calculate fee updates. With
this software program becoming antiquated, staff prepared to contract for a professional
evaluation that could compare the city's fees to current industry practices and standards. A
comprehensive review about every five to seven years is recommended as a best management
practice and is the industry standard.
City Involvement and Exclusions
The following departments and divisions were included in the Cost of Service Study: Library,
City Clerk, Planning, Land Development Engineering, Building, Police, Fire Prevention, and
Utilities. The fees that were included in the Final Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedule Update
Report fall under the General City Fees and Development Processing Fees categories in the
current Master Fee Schedule. Excluded from the Cost of Service Study are the city's water,
wastewater, recycling and waste related utility rates, park fees, development impact fees, and
any special assessments, all of which fall under distinct analytical and procedural requirements.
Cost Recovery Considerations
Administrative Services Branch
1635 Faraday Avenue I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 760-602-2430 t I 760-602-8553 f
Memo -Cost of Services Study Update and Master Fee Schedule (Districts -All)
May 6, 2021
Page 2
In setting fees and cost recovery, the level of user fee cost recovery should consider the public
versus private benefit of the program or activity. The use of General Fund revenues to subsidize
cost recovery levels may be deemed appropriate for public benefit services, while higher cost
recovery user fees are appropriate for services that are of private benefit easily identified to
individuals or groups. Fee surveys should not be the sole or primary criteria in setting fees, as
there are many factors that affect how and why other communities have set their fees at their
levels. Examples include:
o Differing cost recovery policies and procedures
o Varied terminology for provisions of similar services
o Basis of fees and frequency of review
o Level and cost of services provided
Next steps
Staff will present the Final Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedul~ Update Report at the
May 18, 2021, City Council meeting for the City Council's consideration and recommendation
for how to proceed.
Attachment: A. Final Report: Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedule Update
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Cindie McMahon, Assistant General Counsel
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Jeff Murphy, Community Development Director
Ryan Green, Finance Director
Roxanne Muhlmeister, Assistant Finance Director
Marcelo Penha, Senior Management Analyst
Aerial view of The City of Carlsbad
nbsgov.com
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Temecula, CA 92592
Toll free: 800.676.7516
Final Report
Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedule Update
May 6, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Findings ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Report Format ........................................................................................................... 2
Introduction and Fundamentals ...................................................................................... 3
2.1 Scope of Study ........................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Methods of Analysis .................................................................................................. 5
Library Division ............................................................................................................. 10
3.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 10
3.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 10
City Clerk Division ......................................................................................................... 12
4.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 12
4.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 12
4.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 13
Planning Division .......................................................................................................... 14
5.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 14
5.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 15
5.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 16
Land Development Engineering Division ....................................................................... 17
6.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 17
6.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 19
6.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 19
Building Division ........................................................................................................... 21
7.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 21
7.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 22
7.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 22
Police Department ........................................................................................................ 24
8.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 24
8.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 24
8.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 24
Fire Prevention Division ................................................................................................ 26
9.1 Cost of Service Analysis ........................................................................................... 26
9.2 Fee Establishment ................................................................................................... 27
9.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation ........................................................................................ 27
Utilities Department ..................................................................................................... 29
10.1 Cost of Service Analysis ....................................................................................... 29
10.2 Fee Establishment................................................................................................ 29
10.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation .................................................................................... 30
General City Fees .......................................................................................................... 31
11.1 Cost of Service Analysis ....................................................................................... 31
11.2 Fee Establishment................................................................................................ 31
11.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation .................................................................................... 31
Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 33
Appendix A - Cost of Service Analysis (Fee Tables)
Library Division Appendix A.1
City Clerk Division Appendix A.2
Planning Division Appendix A.3
Land Development Engineering Division Appendix A.4
Building Division Appendix A.5
Police Department Appendix A.6
Fire Prevention Division Appendix A.7
Utilities Department Appendix A.8
General City Fees Appendix A.9
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
NBS performed a Cost of Service Study and Fee Schedule Update (Fee Study) for the City of Carlsbad
(City). The purpose of this report is to describe the Study’s findings, which intend to defensibly update
and establish user and regulatory fees for service for the City of Carlsbad, California.
California cities impose user fees and regulatory fees for services and activities they provide through
provisions of the State Constitution. First, cities may perform broad activities related to their local policing
power and other service authority as defined in Article XI, Sections 7 and 9. Second, cities may establish
fees for service through the framework defined in Article XIIIC, Section 1. Under this latter framework, a
fee may not exceed the estimated reasonable cost of providing the service or performing the activity. For
a fee to qualify as such, it must relate to a service or activity under the control of the individual/entity on
which the fee is imposed. For example, the individual/entity requests service of the municipality or his or
her actions specifically cause the municipality to perform additional activities. In this manner, the service
or the underlying action causing the municipality to perform service is either discretionary and/or is
subject to regulation. As a discretionary service or regulatory activity, the user fees and regulatory fees
considered in this Study fall outside requirements for imposition of taxes, special taxes, or fees imposed
as incidences of property ownership.
The City’s chief purposes in conducting this Study were to ensure that existing fees do not exceed the
costs of providing services, and to provide an opportunity for the City Council to align fee amounts with
local cost recovery policies.
1.1 Findings
This Study examined user and regulatory fees managed by the following City departments and divisions:
Library, City Clerk, Planning, Land Development Engineering, Construction Management & Inspection,
Building, Police, Fire Prevention, Utilities, and other General City Fees. The following table provides a
summary of results for each department or division studied:
TABLE 1. REPORT SUMMARY1
As shown, the Study identified approximately $5.3 million in annual revenue collected at current fee
amounts, versus $12.2 million of estimated costs eligible for recovery from fees for service. The City is
1 While a cost of service analysis at the individual fee level for General City Fees was completed, annualized outcomes are not
available, thus marked as "n/a" above.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Library $ 42,465 $ 453,145 $ (410,680) 9%
City Clerk $ 595 $ 4,295 $ (3,700) 14%
Planning $ 882,745 $ 3,041,567 $ (2,158,822) 29%
Engineering $ 1,158,639 $ 3,697,898 $ (2,539,259) 31%
Building $ 2,673,482 $ 3,396,796 $ (723,314) 79%
Police $ 117,829 $ 192,361 $ (74,532) 61%
Fire $ 406,291 $ 1,371,661 $ (965,370) 30%
Utilities $ 5,729 $ 13,073 $ (7,344) 44%
General City Fees n/a n/a n/a n/a
Total $ 5,287,776 $ 12,170,796 $ (6,883,020) 43%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 2
currently recovering approximately 43% of the total costs associated with providing fee related services.
Should the Council adopt fee levels at 100% of the calculated full cost recovery fee amounts determined
by this Study, an additional $6.9 million in costs could be recovered.
However, as discussed in Section 2.2.3 of this report, there may be reasons why policy makers chose to
adopt fees at less than the calculated full cost recovery amount.
1.2 Report Format
This report documents analytical methods and data sources used throughout the Study, presents findings
regarding current levels of cost recovery achieved from user and regulatory fees.
Section 2 of the report outlines the foundation of the Study and general approach
Sections 3 through 11 discuss the results of the cost of service analysis performed, segmented
by category of fee and/or department. The analysis applied to each category/department falls
into studies of: the fully burdened hourly rate(s) and the calculation of the costs of providing
service.
Section 12 provides the grand scope conclusions of the analysis provided in the preceding
sections
Appendices to this report include additional analytical details supporting the cost of providing
each fee for service
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 3
INTRODUCTION AND FUNDAMENTALS
2.1 Scope of Study
The following is a summarized list of fees studied for each City department or division studied, including
fees newly added during the course of this Study:
Library Division:
o Account Collection
o Borrowing Audio Visual Equipment
o Card Replacement
o Print and Copies
o Interlibrary Loan
o Lost/Damaged Items
o Refund Check Processing
City Clerk Division:
o Appeals
o Subpoena Fees
o Copy Fees
o FPPC Fees
o Candidate Filing Fee – NEW FEE
o Notice of Intention to Circulate Petition Filing Fee – NEW FEE
Planning Division:
o Permits – Coastal Development, Conditional Use, Hillside Development
o Environmental Impact Assessment
o Fish & Game
o Habitat Management Plan (HMP)
o Landscape Plan check & Inspection
o Master Plan Fees
o Sign Program
o Site Development
o Specific Plan Fees
o Tentative Maps
o Variance
o Zone Change and Compliance
o Building Plan Review Fees – NEW FEE
o Research Fee – NEW FEE
Land Development Engineering Division:
o Certificate of Compliance
o Construction Change Review
o Developer Agreements
o Easement Document Processing and Recording
o Encroachment Agreement Processing
o Grading Plan Check and Permit
o Improvement Plan Review and Agreements
o Mapping
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 4
o Right-of-Way Permits
o Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
o Street/Public Service Easement
o Building Plan Review Fees - NEW FEE
Building Division:
o New Construction, Additions and Major Remodel inspections.
o Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Permits
o Awnings or Canopy Permits
o Deck / Balcony Permits
o Patio Permits
o Kitchen / Bath Remodels
o Re-roofing
o Signs
o Solar Permits
o Storage Racks
o Swimming Pools
Police Department:
o Audio/Photos on Disk
o Burglary Alarm Registration and Response
o Panic Alarm Response
o Dispatch Records Searches
o Entertainment License
o Fingerprinting
o Fix-It Ticket
o Handicap Placard Violation Waiver Processing
o Emergency Response DUI Traffic Collision
o Body Worn Camera Production Videos
o Storage/Impounded Vehicle Administrative Charge
o Burglary Alarm Registration Fee – NEW FEE
Fire Prevention Division:
o Sprinkler System – New, Tenant Improvement, Other
o Alarm System – New, Sprinkler Monitoring, Tenant Improvement Fire
o Development Applications, Plan Review, and Inspection
o Special Events Application Processing
o Annual Inspections and Fire Code Permits
o Fire Prevention Division Access & Fire Lanes – NEW FEE
Utilities Department:
o Water Account Fees
o Water Service Fees
o Recycled Water Fees
o Wastewater Fees
o E28 Recycled Water Shutdown – Deposit - – NEW FEE
o E28 Recycled Water Shutdown - Actual Cost – NEW FEE
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 5
General City Fees:
o Business Licenses
o Administrative Fees
o Geographic Information System (GIS)
o Hearing Disposition Services for Parking Citations
o City Publications
o Community Facilities District Annexation
The fees examined in this Study specifically excluded development impact fees, utility rates, and any
special tax assessments, all of which fall under distinct analytical and procedural requirements different
from the body of user/regulatory fees analyzed in this effort. Additionally, this Study excluded facility and
equipment rental rates, as well as most of fines and penalties imposed by the City for violations to its
requirements or codes. (The City is not limited to the costs of service when charging for entrance to or
use of government property, or when imposing fines and penalties.)
2.2 Methods of Analysis
There are three phases of analysis completed for each City department or program studied:
1. Cost of service analysis
2. Fee establishment
3. Cost recovery evaluation
2.2.1 COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS
This cost of service analysis is a quantitative effort that compiles the full cost of providing governmental
services and activities. There are two primary types of costs considered: direct and indirect costs. Direct
costs are those that specifically relate to an activity or service, including the real-time provision of the
service. Indirect costs are those that support provision of services in general, but cannot be directly or
easily assigned to a singular activity or service.
Components of the full cost of service include direct labor costs, indirect labor costs, specific direct non-
labor costs where applicable, allocated non-labor costs, and allocated Citywide overhead. Definitions of
these cost components are as follows:
Labor costs – Salary, wages and benefits expenses for City personnel specifically involved in
the provision of services and activities to the public.
Indirect labor costs – Personnel expenses supporting the provision of services and activities.
This can include line supervision and departmental management, administrative support
within a department, and staff involved in technical activities related to the direct services
provided to the public.
Specific direct non-labor costs – When applicable, discrete expenses incurred by the City due
to a specific service or activity performed, such as contractor costs, third-party charges, and
very specific materials used in the service or activity.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 6
Allocated indirect non-labor costs – Expenses other than labor for the departments involved
in the provision of services. In most cases, these costs are allocated across all services
provided by a department, rather than directly assigned to fee categories.
Allocated indirect organization-wide overhead – These are expenses, both labor and non-
labor, related to agency-wide support services. Support services include general
administrative services such as City Manager, Finance, Information Technology, etc. An
agency’s support services departments assist the direct providers of public service. The
amount of costs attributable to each department or program included in this Study were
sourced from a separate overhead Cost Allocation Plan, created by NBS.
All cost components in this Study use annual (or annualized) figures, representing a twelve-month cycle of
expenses incurred by the City in the provision of all services and activities agency-wide.
Nearly all of the fees under review in this Study require specific actions on the part of City staff to provide
the service or conduct the activity. Because labor is the primary underlying factor in these activities, the
Study expresses the full cost of service as a fully burdened cost per labor hour. NBS calculates a
composite, fully burdened, hourly rate for each department, division, program, or activity, as applicable
to the specific organization and needs of each area studied. The rate serves as the basis for further
quantifying the average full cost of providing individual services and activities.
Deriving the fully burdened hourly rate requires two figures: the full costs of service and the number of
hours available to perform those services. The full costs of service are quantified through the earlier steps
described in this analysis. NBS derives the hours available from a complete listing of all City employees
and, when applicable, hours of service available from contracted professionals.
The City has supplied NBS with the total number of paid labor hours for each function/service within each
department or division studied. These available hours represent the amount of productive time available
for providing both fee-recoverable and non-fee recoverable services and activities. The productive labor
hours divided into the annual full costs of service equals the composite fully burdened labor rate. Some
agencies also use the resulting rates for other purposes than setting fees, such as when the need arises to
calculate the full cost of general services or structure a cost recovery agreement with another agency or
third party.
Fully burdened labor rates applied at the individual fee level estimate an average full cost of providing
each service or activity. This step required the development of staff time estimates for the services and
activities listed in the City’s fee schedule. For all fee programs studied, time tracking records (if available)
were useful in identifying time spent providing general categories of service (e.g. division administration,
plan review, inspection, public information assistance, etc.). However, the City does not systematically
track activity service time for all departments, or all individual fee-level services provided. Consequently,
interviews and questionnaires were used to develop the necessary data sets describing estimated labor
time. In many cases, the City estimated the average amount of time (in minutes and hours) it would take
to complete a typical occurrence of each service or activity considered.
It should be noted that the development of these time estimates was not a one-step process: estimates
received were carefully reviewed by both NBS and departmental management to assess the
reasonableness of such estimates. Based on this review, the City reconsidered its time estimates until
both parties were comfortable that the fee models reasonably reflected the average service level
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 7
provided by the City. Then, time estimates were applied to the appropriate fully burdened labor rate to
yield an average total cost of the service or activity.
2.2.2 FEE ESTABLISHMENT
Establishing fee names and categories includes a range of considerations. The Study’s process provided
each department or division the opportunity to propose additions and deletions to their fee schedules, as
well as rename, reorganize, and clarify fee names and categories. In most cases, the current structure of
fees did not change; the focus is to recalibrate the fee amount to match the costs of services. In several
cases, however, fee categories and fee names were simplified or re-structured to increase the likelihood
of full cost recovery, or to enhance the fairness of how the fee applies to various types of fee payers.
Many such revisions better conform fees to current practices, as well as improve the calculation of fees
owed by an individual, the application of fees, and the collection of revenues. Beyond this, some
additions to the fee schedule were simply identification of existing services or activities performed by City
staff for which no fee is currently charged.
The City’s fee schedule should include the list of fully burdened rates developed by the Study.
Documenting these rates in the fee schedule provides an opportunity for the City Council to approve rates
for cost recovery under a “time and materials” approach. It also provides clear publication of those rates,
so fee payers of any uniquely determined fee can reference the amounts. The fee schedule should
provide language that supports special forms of cost recovery for activities and services not contemplated
by the adopted master fee schedule. These rare instances use the published rates to estimate a flat fee,
or bill on an hourly basis, at the discretion of the director of each department.
2.2.3 COST RECOVERY EVALUATION
The NBS fee model compares the existing fee for each service or activity to the average total cost of
service quantified through this analysis. A cost recovery rate of 0% identifies no current recovery of costs
from fee revenues (or insufficient information available for evaluation). A rate of 100% means that the
fee currently recovers the full cost of service. A rate between 0% and 100% indicates partial recovery of
the full cost of service through fees. A rate greater than 100% means that the fee exceeded the full cost
of service.
User fees and regulatory fees examined in this Study should not exceed the full cost of service. In other
words, the cost recovery rate achieved by a fee should not be greater than 100%. In most cases, charging
a fee above this threshold could require the consensus of the voters.
When modeling the “recommended” or “targeted” level of cost recovery for each fee, it should always be
established at 100%, or less, than the calculated full cost of service. Targets and recommendations
always reflect agency-specific judgments linked to a variety of factors, such as existing policies, agency-
wide or departmental revenue objectives, economic goals, community values, market conditions, level of
demand, and others.
A general means of selecting an appropriate cost recovery target is to consider the public and private
benefits of the service or activity in question.
To what degree does the public at large benefit from the service?
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 8
To what degree does the individual or entity requesting, requiring, or causing the service
benefit?
When a service or activity completely benefits the public at large, there is generally little to no
recommended fee amount (i.e., 0% cost recovery), reflecting that a truly public-benefit service is best
funded by the general resources of the City, such as General Fund revenues (e.g., taxes). Conversely,
when a service or activity completely benefits an individual or entity, there is generally closer to or equal
to 100% of cost recovery from fees, collected from the individual or entity. An example of a completely
private benefit service may be a request for exemption from a City regulation or process.
In some cases, a strict public-versus-private benefit judgment may not be sufficient to finalize a cost
recovery target. Any of the following other factors and considerations may influence or supplement the
public/private benefit perception of a service or activity:
If optimizing revenue potential is an overriding goal, is it feasible to recover the full cost of
service?
Will increasing fees result in non-compliance or public safety problems?
Are there desired behaviors or modifications to behaviors of the service population helped or
hindered through the degree of pricing for the activities?
Does current demand for services support a fee increase without adverse impact to the
citizenry served or current revenue levels? (In other words, would fee increases have the
unintended consequence of driving away the population served?)
Is there a good policy basis for differentiating between type of users (e.g., residents and non-
residents, residential and commercial, non-profit entities and business entities)?
Are there broader City objectives that inform a less than full cost recovery target from fees,
such as economic development goals and local social values?
Because this element of the Study is subjective, NBS provides each fee calculation at 100% full cost
recovery as well as the framework for the City to adjust recommended fee amounts in accordance with
the City’s goals as pertains to code compliance, cost recovery, economic development, and social values.
2.2.4 DATA SOURCES
The following data sources were used to support the cost of service analysis and fee establishment phases
of this Study:
The City of Carlsbad’s Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021
A complete listing of all City personnel, salary/wage rates, regular hours, paid benefits, and
paid leave amounts – provided by the Finance Department.
Various correspondences with the City staff supporting the adopted budgets and current fees,
including budget notes and expenditure detail not shown in the published document.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 9
Prevailing fee schedules by each involved department or division.
Annual workload data from the prior fiscal year provided by each involved department or
division.
The City’s adopted budget is the most significant source of information affecting cost of service results.
NBS did not audit or validate the City’s financial management and budget practices, nor was cost
information adjusted to reflect different levels of service or any specific, targeted performance
benchmarks. This Study has accepted the City’s budget as a legislatively adopted directive describing the
most appropriate and reasonable level of City spending. Consultants accept the City Council’s deliberative
process and ultimate acceptance of the budget plan and further assert that through that legislative
process, the City has yielded a reasonable expenditure plan, valid for use in setting cost-based fees.
Original data sets also support the work of this Study: primarily, estimated or tracked time at various
levels of detail. To develop these data sets, consultants prepared questionnaires and conducted
interviews with each division. In the fee establishment phase of the analysis, each division supplied
estimates of average time spent providing a service or activity corresponding with an existing or new fee.
NBS and departmental management reviewed and questioned responses to ensure the best possible set
of estimates.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 10
LIBRARY DIVISION
The Carlsbad City Library serves the community with three inviting and unique facilities and provides high-
quality services and programs year-round for all ages.
3.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS developed composite fully-burdened hourly rates for full time versus part time personnel. This was
performed uniquely for the Library Division, in order to conform to the manner in which it typically staffs
services and activities. Table 3 shows the summary of outcomes from the Cost of Service Analysis:
TABLE 3. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
All subsequent cost of service calculations at the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate
of $127 for Full-Time employees and $48 for Part-Time employees which support Library Direct Services.
3.2 Fee Establishment
No changes were made the Library Division’s Fee schedule. Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides
additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding, deleting, and revising fee categories.
3.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.1 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the Library Division’s fees. In
the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee amount
for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The Cost of Service Per Activity for each
fee item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery %” shows
whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
The Library Division’s fees currently recover approximately 9% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $42,000 per year in revenues at
current fee amounts.
Cost Element
Library Direct
Services - Full
Time
Library Direct
Services - Part
Time
Labor 735,682$ 962,918$
Recurring Non-Labor 141,521 153,329
Citywide Overhead 834,925 904,583
Library Admin 262,817 310,204
Division Total 1,974,945$ 2,331,033$
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 127 $ 48
Reference: Direct Hours Only 15,539 48,439
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 11
TABLE 4. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $453,000. Should
the Council adopt fee levels at 100% of the calculated full cost recovery fee amounts determined by this
Study, an additional $410,000 in costs could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Library Division staff, will make policy judgements to set appropriate
cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted schedule of
fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Library $ 42,465 $ 453,145 $ (410,680) 9%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 12
CITY CLERK DIVISION
The Office of the City Clerk acts as the compliance officer for federal, state and local statutes, including
the Political Reform Act, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act. The Office of the City Clerk is also
responsible for conducting elections in a fair and impartial manner.
4.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS developed a composite fully-burdened hourly rate for the City Clerk Division, summarized in the table
below:
TABLE 5. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
The total annual cost of the City Clerk Division per year is approximately $1.4 million. All subsequent cost
of service calculations at the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate of $143 for City Clerk
support.
4.2 Fee Establishment
The following is a summary of overall changes made to the City’s fee schedule for the City Clerk Division:
Deletion of fees that are no longer used or not needed, such as:
o Certification Charge
Addition of new fee categories, notated as “New” in the “Current Fee / Deposit” column of
Appendix A.2, including:
o Candidate Filing Fee
o Notice of Intention to Circulate Petition Filing Fee
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
Cost Element Direct Services
Labor 580,612$
Recurring Non-Labor 147,018
Citywide Overhead 354,924
Department Admin 401,251
Division Total 1,483,806$
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 143
Reference: Direct Hours Only 10,364
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 13
4.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.2 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the City Clerk’s Department’s
fees. In the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee
amount for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The “Cost of Service Per Activity”
for each fee item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery
%” shows whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
The City Clerk Division’s fees currently recover approximately 14% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $600 per year in revenues at
current fee amounts.
TABLE 6. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $4,300. Should
the City Council adopt all fees at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amounts shown, an additional
$3,700 could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, City Clerk Division staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
City Clerk $ 595 $ 4,295 $ (3,700) 14%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 14
PLANNING DIVISION
The Planning Division guides the physical development of the city in a manner that preserves the quality
of life for its residents, by ensuring that all new planning programs and development projects comply with
the General Plan, Local Coastal Program, Zoning, and the performance standards of the Growth
Management Plan. Advice and technical support is provided to the City Council and Planning Commission
regarding the compliance of all development proposals with the city’s zoning, subdivision and
environmental ordinances. In addition, the Planning Division does analysis and prepares reports dealing
with long-range planning matters, such as demographic projections, open space protection and General
Plan updates.
5.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS calculated the total estimated annual cost of Planning Division services, segregated between those
costs that are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees for service, versus those that require another
funding source other than fees. Fee-recoverable costs are then translated into a “fully burdened” hourly
rate, for purposes of individual fee calculations. Table 7 shows the summary of outcomes from the Cost of
Service Analysis:
TABLE 7. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
As shown, the total cost of the Planning Division per year is approximately $4.5 million. Approximately
47% of the total costs ($2.1 million) are targeted for recovery in fees, while approximately $2.4 million
require another funding source. All subsequent cost of service calculations at the individual fee level
assume a fully burdened hourly rate of $164.
The cost category columns shown in the table above were adapted and summarized from Division staff
interviews. To assist the reader in understanding the underlying costs and assumptions used to calculate
the fully burdened hourly rate, the following provides a description of each cost category and its resulting
application toward the fully burdened hourly rate calculation:
Public Counter Duty / General Info – Planning Staff responds to phone calls and general
information requests that support the development review process. Costs associated with the
provision of general public information and public counter services are not only a basic and
Cost Element
Public Counter
Duty / General
Info
Advance /
Long Range
Planning
Non-Fee
Support To
Other City
Departments
Current Planning -
Direct Services Total
Labor 215,988$ 662,188$ 369,207$ 895,478$ 2,142,862$
Recurring Non-Labor 23,248 71,276 39,741 96,387 230,652
Citywide Overhead 124,573 381,922 212,943 516,474 1,235,912
Planning Division Admin 88,763 272,134 151,730 368,007 880,633
Division Total 452,571$ 1,387,520$ 773,621$ 1,876,346$ 4,490,058$
Cost Recovery Targeted from Fees 50% 0% 0% 100%47%
Amount Targeted for Consideration in Billings/Fees 226,286 - - 1,876,346 2,102,632
Amount Requiring Another Funding Source 226,286 1,387,520 773,621 - 2,387,427
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 164
Reference: Direct
Hours Only 12,847
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 15
expected function of governmental services to the public, but also an overall supportive and
beneficial service to active and incoming applications and requests for development approval.
As such, NBS recommends only partial recovery of these costs in fees for service, to the
extent that the City estimates what degree of these services are in support of active or
incoming project approval requests. Planning staff estimated that approximately 50% of these
costs support land use application review activities and are therefore targeted for recovery in
fees for services, while the remaining require another funding source other than fees.
Advance / Long Range Planning – Planning staff support the ongoing maintenance and
cyclical update of the City’s General Plan and local zoning ordinances. These costs are not
targeted for recovery in the user and regulatory fees subject to this Study. The City may want
to consider addition of a General Plan Surcharge fee for recovery of these costs.
Non-Fee Support for Other Departments – Planning staff provides support to other City
Departments. These are not recommended for recovery from Planning fees.
Current Planning – Direct Services – Development review and approval comprises the
majority of the Planning Division’s work efforts. 100% of these costs are eligible for recovery
from the Division’s fees for service.
Significant analytical and policy decisions influence the inclusion or exclusion of categorized activity costs
in the fully burdened hourly rate. The decision of whether to apply or exclude certain costs toward
recovery in fees for service stems from the basic fee setting parameters offered by the California State
Constitution and Statutes, which requires that any new fee charged, or existing fee increased should not
exceed the estimated amount (cost) required to provide the service for which the charged. For more
discussion on the approach to the Cost of Service Analysis, see report section 2.2.1
5.2 Fee Establishment
The following is a summary of overall changes made to the City’s fee schedule for the Planning Division:
Deletion of fees that are no longer used or not needed, such as:
o General Plan Amendment – Over 5 Acres
o Master Plan – Pre-Filing Submittal
o Planning Commission Determination – Single Family
o Zone Change – 5.1 or more acres
Reorganization of fee categories or clarification of fee names to create a more user-friendly
fee structure, such as:
o Community Facilities District Annexation: Moved to Finance Fee Schedule
o Landscape Plan Check and Inspection fees: Moved to the Planning fee schedule from
the Engineering fee schedule and structured to better “pass through”
consultant/contractor costs.
o Construction Change Review – Major: Moved to Engineering Fee Schedule
o Construction Change Review – Minor: Moved to Engineering Fee Schedule
o Blueprints and Copy fees moved to City Clerk
Addition of new fee categories, notated as “New” in Appendix A.3:
o Building Plan Review Fees
o Research Fee
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 16
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
5.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.3 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the City’s Planning Division
fees. In the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee
amount for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. This Cost of Service per Activity is
reflective of the Planning Division’s costs for review of each entitlement/permit, as well as any supporting
department/division’s review as required by the City’s established development review processes.
Engineering, Building, and Fire may all receive routed copies of planning applications for review and
comment. As such, NBS structured the City’s fee model to quantify support costs for each of these
departments, where applicable.
The City’s Planning Division fees currently recover approximately 29% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $893,000 per year in revenues at
current fee amounts.
TABLE 8. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $3 million. Should
the City Council adopt all fees amounts at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amount, an additional
$2.2 million could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Planning Division staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Planning $ 882,745 $ 3,041,567 $ (2,158,822) 29%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 17
LAND DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION
Land Development Engineering is responsible for reviewing and approving grading plans, improvements
plans, subdivision maps, implementing regional storm water regulations, issuing grading, right-of-way,
and haul route permits, and administration of the floodplain.
In addition to its responsibilities to implement the City’s Capital Improvement Program, the Land
Development Engineering and Construction Management & Inspections (CM&I) Division performs field
inspections of engineering permits including grading, improvements, haul route, work in the right-of-way
and traffic control.
6.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS calculated the total estimated annual cost of the Land Development Engineering and CM&I divisions’
services, segregated between those costs that are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees for service,
versus those that require another funding source other than fees. Fee-recoverable costs are also
expressed as a “fully burdened” hourly rate. For purposes of analysis, NBS developed separate fully
burdened hourly rates for the Land Development Engineering and CM&I divisions.
Table 9.1 provides the summary of outcomes for Land Development Engineering:
TABLE 9.1 ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
The total annual cost of the Land Development Engineering Division per year is approximately $2.7
million. Approximately 58% of the total costs are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees, while
approximately $1.1 million require another funding source. All subsequent cost of service calculations at
the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate of $215 Land Development Engineering fees.
The cost category columns shown in the table above were adapted and summarized from Division staff
interviews. To assist the reader in understanding the underlying costs and assumptions used to calculate
the fully burdened hourly rate, the following provides summary descriptions of each cost category:
Cost Element
Public Counter
Duty / General
Info
CIP and
Planning
Direct Permit
Processing /
Project Review
Code
Enforcement/
Violations
Inspections/
After project
permit
issuance
Total
Labor 259,084$ 427,690$ 554,990$ 26,535$ 62,749$ 1,331,048$
Recurring Non-Labor 26,448 43,660 56,655 2,709 6,406 135,877
Citywide Overhead 140,115 231,300 300,144 14,351 33,935 719,845
Engineering Division Admin 98,868 163,210 211,788 10,126 23,945 507,938
Division Total 524,516$ 865,860$ 1,123,577$ 53,720$ 127,035$ 2,694,708$
Cost Recovery Targeted from Fees 60% 0% 100% 0% 100%58%
Amount Targeted for Consideration in Billings/Fees 314,709 - 1,123,577 - 127,035 1,565,322
Amount Requiring Another Funding Source 209,806 865,860 - 53,720 - 1,129,387
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 215
Reference:
Direct Hours
Only
7,270
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 18
Public Counter Duty / General Info – Division staff respond to phone calls and general
information requests at the public counter. Costs associated with the provision of public
information and public counter services are not only a basic and expected function of
governmental services to the public, but also a supportive service to active and incoming
requests for plan review and permitting. As such, NBS recommends only partial recovery of
these costs in fees for service. Engineering Department staff estimated that approximately
60% of these costs support the plan check and permitting process and are therefore targeted
for recovery in fees for services, while the remaining require another funding source other
than fees.
CIP – Engineering staff support the review and implementation of various City capital
improvement projects (CIP). These costs do not apply toward recovery from Engineering fees.
Direct Permit Processing/Project Review – Work activities associated with active plan check
and permit applications. 100% of these costs are recoverable in fees for service.
Code Enforcement/Violations – Work activities associated with code enforcement and
violations follow up pertaining to the City’s adopted codes and policies that govern the use
and maintenance of private property. These costs do not apply toward recovery from
Engineering fees.
Inspections/After Project Permit Issuance – Work activities associated with inspections after
project permits are issued. 100% of these costs are recoverable in fees for service.
Table 9.2 provides the summary of outcomes for CM&I:
TABLE 9.2 COST OF SERVICE OUTCOME AND FULLY BURDENED HOURLY RATE CALCULATION
The total annual cost of the CM&I Division per year is approximately $3.5 million, however approximately
$1.2 million in CIP costs are not eligible for recovery from fees for service. The remaining $2.3 million
Direct Service costs are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees. All subsequent cost of service
calculations at the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate of $160 for CM&I fees.
Cost Element CIP
LDE Direct
Services
Labor 453,318$ 1,023,859$
Recurring Non-Labor 78,504 177,308
Citywide Overhead 314,376 405,081
CM&I Admin 350,400 665,127
Division Total 1,196,599$ 2,271,375$
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate n/a $ 160
Reference: Direct
Hours Only 14,198
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 19
The cost category columns shown in the table above were adapted and summarized from Division staff
interviews. To assist the reader in understanding the underlying costs and assumptions used to calculate
the fully burdened hourly rate, the following provides summary descriptions of each cost category:
CIP – Engineering staff support the review and implementation of various City capital
improvement projects (CIP). These costs do not apply toward recovery from Engineering fees.
LDE Direct Services – Work activities associated with various land development engineering
direct services; such as reviewing and approving grading plans, improvement plans,
subdivision maps, and administration of flood plain. 100% of these costs are recoverable in
fees for service.
6.2 Fee Establishment
The following is a summary of overall changes made to the City’s fee schedule for Engineering
Department:
Reorganization of fee categories or clarification of fee names to create a more user-friendly
fee structure, such as:
o Landscape Plan Check and Inspection fees: Moved to the Planning fee schedule from
the Engineering fee schedule and structured to better “pass through”
consultant/contractor costs.
o Encroachment permits for work performed in the right of way by utilities to be
charged a City processing fee and an hourly fee for the Inspector’s time
o Third party review of special studies will be charged a City processing fee in addition
to the actual cost of the consultant
o Blueprints and Copy fees moved to City Clerk
Addition of new fee categories include fees for review of building plan submittals.
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
6.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.4 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the Land Development
Engineering and CM&I Division’s fees. In the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column
establishes the maximum adoptable fee amount for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee
Name” list. This Cost of Service per Activity is reflective of the Land Development Engineering and CM&I
Division’s costs for review of each fee category or service, as well as any supporting department/division’s
review as required by the City’s established development review processes. The Fire and Utilities
Departments may each receive routed copies of improvement plans and final map submittals for review
and comment. As such, NBS structured the City’s fee model to quantify support costs for each of these
departments, where applicable.
The City’s Land Development Engineering Division’s fees currently recover approximately 31% of the total
annual cost of providing services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $1.2
million per year in revenues at current fee amounts.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 20
TABLE 10. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $3.7 million.
Should the City Council adopt all fees at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amounts shown, an
additional $2.5 million could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Land Development Engineering Division staff, will make policy
judgements to set appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report
for the adopted schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Engineering $ 1,158,639 $ 3,697,898 $ (2,539,259) 31%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 21
BUILDING DIVISION
The Building Division was established to protect those who live and work in Carlsbad by enforcing building
and safety standards contained in the state Building Codes and various municipal codes and policies. The
Building Division performs field inspections in order to ensure that the work under an issued building
permit is being done according to the approved plans.
7.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS calculated the total estimated annual cost of Building Division services, segregated between those
costs that are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees for service, versus those that require another
funding source other than fees. Fee-recoverable costs are also translated into a “fully burdened” hourly
rate, for purposes of individual fee calculations. Table 11 shows the summary of outcomes from the Cost
of Service Analysis:
TABLE 11. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
The total annual cost of the Building Division is approximately $2.2 million. Approximately 98% of the
total costs are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees, with approximately $39,000 requiring another
funding source. All subsequent cost of service calculation at the individual fee level assume a fully
burdened hourly rate of $153.
The cost category columns shown in the table above were adapted and summarized from Division staff
interviews. To assist the reader in understanding the underlying costs and assumptions used to calculate
the fully burdened hourly rate, the following provides summary descriptions of each cost category:
Public Information / Counter Services – Processing, Plan Check and Inspection Services staff
respond to phone calls and general information requests at the public counter. Costs
associated with the provision of public information and public counter services are not only a
basic and expected function of governmental services to the public, but also a supportive
service to active and incoming requests for plan check and permitting. As such, NBS
recommends only partial recovery of these costs in fees for service. Building Division staff
Cost Element Public Counter
/ General Info
Building Direct
Services -
Processing
Building Direct
Services - Plan
Check
Building Direct
Services -
Inspection
Total
Labor 78,206$ 321,981$ 53,340$ 436,023$ 889,550$
Recurring Non-Labor 15,694 64,612 10,704 84,999 176,009
Citywide Overhead 51,965 213,944 35,443 281,450 582,801
Building Division Admin 50,194 206,651 34,234 276,140 567,220
Division Total 196,058$ 807,187$ 133,721$ 1,078,613$ 2,215,579$
Cost Recovery Targeted from Fees 80% 100% 100% 100%98%
Amount Targeted for Consideration in Billings/Fees 156,847 807,187 133,721 1,078,613 2,176,368
Amount Requiring Another Funding Source 39,212 - - - 39,212
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 153
Reference:
Direct Hours
Only
14,253
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 22
estimated that approximately 80% of these costs support the plan check and permitting
process and are therefore targeted for recovery in fees for services, while the remaining
require another funding source other than fees.
Building Direct Services – Processing – Work activities associated with the administration and
processing of active building applications processing. 100% of these costs are recoverable in
fees for service.
Building Direct Services – Plan Check – Work activities associated with the management of
third-party contractors for outsourced Plan Review. 100% of these costs are recoverable in
fees for service.
Building Direct Services – Inspection – Work activities associated with active building
inspections. 100% of these costs are recoverable in fees for service.
7.2 Fee Establishment
The Building fee schedule underwent a complete transition from a construction valuation-based fee
calculation methodology to a calculation methodology dependent on square footage and occupancy
classification. Additionally, the Building Division has identified numerous minor common permit types,
such as miscellaneous residential improvements and mechanical, plumbing, and engineering permits not
associated with larger building permits, which will be charged as a flat fee amount and not be based on a
square footage/occupancy classification calculation.
The proposed refinement in fee structure is consistent with refinements being made by jurisdictions
throughout the State. While many agencies still successfully use a construction valuation-based fee
calculation methodology, many agencies are moving toward fee structures that function similar to the
one currently proposed. The rationale is that this type of fee structure results in fees that represent a
clearer connection between the service provided and the fee collected.
Additionally, it is important to note that Planning, Engineering, and Fire have their own Building Plan
Review fees to collect for their services when Building Plans are routed to their departments/divisions.
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
7.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.5 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the Building Division’s fees. In
the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee amount
for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The “Cost of Service Per Activity” for each
fee item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery %” shows
whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
The City’s Building Division fees currently recover approximately 79% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $2.7 million per year in revenues
at current fee amounts.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 23
TABLE 12. BUILDING - COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $3.4 million.
Should the City Council adopt all fees at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amounts shown, an
additional $723,000 could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Building Division staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Building $ 2,673,482 $ 3,396,796 $ (723,314) 79%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 24
POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Police Department is a full-service police department that prides itself on its strong partnership with
the community and high service levels. Tech Services & Records Division of the Police Department handle
all fee services with occasional help from sworn police officers.
8.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS developed a composite fully-burdened hourly rate for the Tech Services & Records Division of the
Police Department, summarized in the table below:
TABLE 13. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
All subsequent cost of service calculations at the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate
of $99 for Tech Services & Records Division employees and an hourly rate of $135 for sworn police
officers, sourced from a separate City-wide Hourly Rates calculation.
8.2 Fee Establishment
The following is a summary of overall changes made to the City’s fee schedule for the Police Department:
Deletion of fees that are no longer used or not needed, such as:
o Administrative Fee – DUI
o Proof of Correction Certification
o Special Business Permit
Addition of new fee categories include a Burglary Alarm Registration Fee
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
8.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.6 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the Police Department’s fees.
In the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee
amount for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The “Cost of Service Per Activity”
Cost Element Direct Services
Labor 528,851$
Recurring Non-Labor 53,977
Citywide Overhead 318,012
Division Admin 177,208
Division Total 1,078,048$
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 99
Reference: Direct Hours Only 10,893
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 25
for each fee item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery
%” shows whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
Police Department fees currently recover approximately 61% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $118,000 per year in revenues at
current fee amounts.
TABLE 14. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $192,000. Should
the City Council adopt all fees at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amounts shown, an additional
$75,000 could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Police Department staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Police $ 117,829 $ 192,361 $ (74,532) 61%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 26
FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION
The Fire Prevention Division focuses on educating the community about the benefits of proper safety
practices and identifying and eliminating all types of hazardous conditions, which pose a threat to life, the
environment and property. Fire Prevention’s responsibilities include: Plan checks and inspections,
investigation of fire and safety code complaints and violations, testing of fire protection systems, fire
investigations, public education, special event inspections, and fire code enforcement.
9.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS calculated the total estimated annual cost services of Fire Prevention Division services, segregated
between those costs that are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees for service, versus those that
require another funding source other than fees. Fee-recoverable costs are also translated into a “fully
burdened” hourly rate, for purposes of individual fee calculations. Table 15 shows the summary of
outcomes from the Cost of Service Analysis:
TABLE 15. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
The total annual cost of the Fire Prevention Division per year is approximately $1.8 million. Approximately
62% of the total costs are eligible and/or targeted for recovery in fees, while approximately $687,000
require another funding source. All subsequent cost of service calculations at the individual fee level
assume a fully burdened hourly rate of $213.
The cost category columns shown in the table above were adapted and summarized from Division staff
interviews. To assist the reader in understanding the underlying costs and assumptions used to calculate
the fully burdened hourly rate, the following provides summary descriptions of each cost category:
General Public Information – Staff time devoted to responding to phone calls and public
inquiries not specifically associated with an active permit. Typically, some portion of costs for
provision of general public information and assistance are not linked for recovery from fees
for fire prevention services. Fire Prevention staff estimates approximately 75% of their time
Cost Element General
Public Info
Weed
Abatement
Public
Education
Arson
Invest. /
Incident
Response
Direct Plan
Check/ Field
Services
Total
Labor 117,753$ 108,795$ 78,331$ 51,546$ 351,378$ 707,802$
Recurring Non-Labor 11,353 10,489 7,552 4,970 33,877 68,241
Citywide Overhead 31,737 29,323 21,112 13,893 94,706 190,771
Division Admin. 140,783 130,073 93,651 61,627 420,102 846,236
Division Total 301,626$ 278,680$ 200,646$ 132,035$ 900,063$ 1,813,051$
Cost Recovery Targeted from Fees 75% 0% 0% 0% 100%62%
Amount Targeted for Consideration in Billings/Fees 226,220 - - - 900,063 1,126,282
Amount Requiring Another Funding Source 75,407 278,680 200,646 132,035 - 686,768
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 213
Reference:
Direct Hours
Only
5,278
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 27
spent on this activity is associated with plan check and inspection activities, while the
remaining costs should be not be considered in the calculation of fees for services.
Weed Abatement – Groups of tasks and activities devoted to the responsibilities of enforcing
weed abatement activities. These costs do not apply toward recovery from Fire fees.
Public Education – The Fire Prevention group provides various public outreach and public
safety education services. These costs do not apply toward recovery from Fire fees.
Arson Investigation/Incident Response – Fire Prevention staff are occasionally called upon to
provide investigation and response activities for the City. These costs do not apply toward
recovery from Fire fees.
Direct Plan Check/Field Services – Activities associated with an active fire prevention plan
check, inspection, or permit application. 100% of these costs are recoverable in the Fire
Prevention Division’s user and regulatory fee for service.
9.2 Fee Establishment
The following is a summary of overall changes made to the City’s fee schedule for the Fire Prevention
Division:
Deletion of the Bicycle Licenses fee, as this is no longer in use.
Restructured apartment and hotel/motel annual inspection fee categories to more accurately
reflect how the Fire Prevention Division keeps track of these inspections.
Addition of new fee Fire Prevention Division Access & Fire Lanes
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
9.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.7 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the Fire Prevention Division
fees. In the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee
amount for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The “Cost of Service Per Activity”
for each fee item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery
%” shows whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
Fire Prevention Division fees currently recover approximately 30% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $406,000 per year in revenues at
current fee amounts.
TABLE 16. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Fire $ 406,291 $ 1,371,661 $ (965,370) 30%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 28
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $1.4 million.
Should the City Council adopt all fees at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amounts shown, an
additional $965,000 could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Fire Prevention Division staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 29
UTILITIES DEPARTMENT
The Potable Water Operations and Recycled Water Operations Divisions of the Utilities Department
provide safe and reliable drinking water on demand, that meets all regulatory standards and
requirements. Staff operate and maintain all of the water infrastructure such as reservoirs, pressure
regulating stations, pump stations, valves, fire hydrants, water meters, and approximately 450 miles of
pipelines. The Wastewater Division provides reliable wastewater collection services and delivers that
wastewater to the local treatment facility. Staff operate and maintain a sanitary sewer system, including
lift stations, wet wells, access holes, and approximately 300 miles of pipelines.
10.1 Cost of Service Analysis
To establish the estimated and total cost of providing these services, NBS first calculated fully burdened
hourly rates for the Water, Recycled Water, and Wastewater Divisions of the Utilities Department. A
single composite rate (cost per hour) was calculated for each Division, as follows:
TABLE 17. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
All subsequent cost of service calculations at the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate
of $217 for Water Operations fees, an hourly rate of $201 for Recycled Water Operations fees, and an
hourly rate $191 for Wastewater Operations fees.
10.2 Fee Establishment
The only changes made to the City’s fee schedule for the Utilities Department was the addition of new fee
categories, notated as “New” in the Current Fee / Deposit column of Appendix A.8:
E28 Recycled Water Shutdown – Deposit
E28 Recycled Water Shutdown - Actual Cost
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
Cost Element
Water
Operations -
Direct Services
Recycled
Water
Operations -
Direct Services
Wastewater
Operations -
Direct Services
Labor 2,087,030$ 986,428$ 1,320,223$
Recurring Non-Labor 903,963 438,825 456,185
Citywide Overhead 1,071,705 349,806 431,697
Admin 2,780,271 1,153,623 1,720,195
Division Total 6,842,968$ 2,928,682$ 3,928,300$
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 217 $ 201 $ 191
31,547 14,548 20,537 Reference: Direct Hours Only
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 30
10.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.8 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the Utilities Department fees.
In the Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee
amount for the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The “Cost of Service Per Activity”
for each fee item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery
%” shows whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
Utilities Department fees currently recover approximately 44% of the total annual cost of providing
services. As shown in the following table, the City collects approximately $5,729 per year in revenues at
current fee amounts.
TABLE 18. COST RECOVERY OUTCOMES
At full cost recovery, the same demand for these services would recover approximately $13,000. Should
the City Council adopt all fees at 100% of the Cost of Service per Activity amounts shown, an additional
$7,000 could be recovered.
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Utilities Department staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
Department / Division
Estimated
Annual Current
Fee Revenue
Estimated Annual
Full Cost Recovery
Fee Revenue
Annual Cost
Recovery
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Cost
Recovery %
Utilities $ 5,729 $ 13,073 $ (7,344) 44%
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 31
GENERAL CITY FEES
The Finance Department works to ensure the City’s excellent financial health through long range financial
planning and budget management, general accounting and reporting, assessment district administration
and purchasing, as well as manages General City Fees.
11.1 Cost of Service Analysis
NBS developed a composite fully-burdened hourly rate for the Finance Department, summarized in the
table below:
TABLE 19. ANNUAL AND HOURLY COST OF SERVICE CALCULATION
The total annual cost of the Finance Department per year is approximately $6 million. All subsequent cost
of service calculations at the individual fee level assume a fully burdened hourly rate of $125 for Finance
Department support.
11.2 Fee Establishment
The list of fees as shown in Appendix A.9 to this report reflects very few changes from the City’s prior fee
schedule. The Community Facilities District Annexation fee was moved from the Planning Division into the
Finance Department fee schedule as this fee service is actually performed by Finance Department staff.
Section 2.2, Methods of Analysis, provides additional discussion on the Study’s approach to adding,
deleting, and revising fee categories.
11.3 Cost Recovery Evaluation
Appendix A.9 presents the results of the detailed cost recovery analysis for the General City fees. In the
Appendix, the “Cost of Service per Activity” column establishes the maximum adoptable fee amount for
the corresponding service identified in the “Fee Name” list. The Cost of Service Per Activity for each fee
item is compared to the City’s current fee for each service, and the “Existing Cost Recovery %” shows
whether each fee is under, over, or approximately equal to the cost of providing the service.
Due to difficulty in obtaining annual workload data from the prior fiscal year, further analysis of cost
recovery outcomes and anticipated revenue impacts for the Finance Department was not available for
inclusion in the Study.
Cost Element Direct Services
Labor 3,330,088$
Recurring Non-Labor 600,459
Citywide Overhead 1,021,557
Department Admin 1,018,591
Division Total 5,970,695$
Fully Burdened Hourly Rate $ 125
47,637 Reference: Direct Hours Only
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 32
NBS provided the full cost of service information and the framework for considering fees, while those
closest to the fee-paying population, Finance Department staff, will make policy judgements to set
appropriate cost recovery levels at or below that full cost. Consult the City staff report for the adopted
schedule of fees.
For more discussion on NBS’ overall approach to the Cost Recovery Evaluation, consult section 2.2.3 of
the Report.
CITY OF CARLSBAD
User Fee Analysis 33
CONCLUSION
Based on the Cost of Service Analysis, Fee Establishment, and Cost Recovery Evaluation outcomes
presented in this Study, the proposed Master Schedule of Fees will be formatted for implementation and
included in the Department’s accompanying Staff Report.
As discussed throughout this report, the proposed fee schedule intends to improve the City’s recovery of
costs incurred to provide individual services, as well as to adjust fees downward where fees charged
exceed the average costs incurred. Predicting the amount to which any adopted fee increases will affect
City revenues is difficult to quantify. For the near-term, the City should not count on increased revenues
to meet any specific expenditure plan. Experience with the revised fee amounts should be gained first
before revenue projections are revised. However, unless there is some significant, long-term change in
activity levels at the City, proposed fee amendments should enhance the City’s cost recovery
performance, over time, providing it the ability to stretch other resources further for the benefit of the
public at large.
The City’s Master Fee Schedule should become a living document but handled with care:
A fundamental purpose of the fee schedule is to provide clarity and transparency to the public and
to staff regarding fees imposed by the City. Once adopted by the Council, the fee schedule is the
final word on the amount and manner in which fees should be charged. Old fee schedules should
be superseded by the new master document. If the master document is found to be missing fees,
those fees need eventually to be added to the master schedule and should not continue to exist
outside the consolidated, master framework.
The City should consider adjusting these user fees and regulatory fees on an annual basis to keep
pace at least with cost inflation. For all fees and charges, the City could use either a Consumer Price
Index adjustment or a percentage of Labor Cost increase, and that practice would be well applied to
the new fee schedule. Conducting a comprehensive user fee Study is not an annual requirement; it
becomes worthwhile only over time as significant shifts in organization, local practices, legislative
values, or legal requirements change.
As a final note in this Study, it is worth acknowledging the path that fees in general have taken in California.
The public demands ever more precise and equitable accounting of the basis for governmental fees and a
greater say in when and how they are charged. It is inevitable in the not too distant future, that user fees
and regulatory fees will demand an even greater level of analysis and supporting data to meet the public’s
evolving expectations. Technology systems will play an increased and significant role in an agency’s ability
to accomplish this. Continuous improvement and refinement of time tracking abilities will greatly enhance
the City’s ability to set fees for service and identify unfunded activities in years to come.
Disclaimer: In preparing this report and the opinions and recommendations included herein, NBS has relied on a number of principal assumptions
and considerations with regard to financial matters, conditions and events that may occur in the future. This information and assumptions, including
the City’s budgets, time estimate data, and workload information from City staff, were provided by sources we believe to be reliable; however, NBS
has not independently verified such information and assumptions. While we believe NBS’ use of such information and assumptions is reasonable for
the purpose of this report, some assumptions will invariably not materialize as stated herein and may vary significantly due to unanticipated events
and circumstances. Therefore, the actual results can be expected to vary from those projected to the extent that actual future conditions differ from
those assumed by us or provided to us by others.
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.1
Cost of Service Analysis –Library Department
City of Carlsbad
Library Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.1
Library Fees
1 Library Account Collection Fee per item [1] $ 10
2 Library Borrowing - Audio Visual Equipment per item,
per day [1] $ 5
3 Library Borrowing - Audio Visual Insurance
fee
per
DVD/Video
Game
[1] $ 1
4 Library Borrowing - Mobile Device Loan Late
Fee
per item,
per hour [1] $ 5
5 Library Card Replacement per card 0.25 48$ 12$ $ 2 14% 10$ 1,402 2,313$ 16,867$
6 Library Copies/Print - Black & White each [1] $ 0.20
7 Library Copies/Print - Color each [1] $ 1
8 Carlsbad History Collection Photo Fee -
vendor cost of printing historical photos per request [1] Actual Cost
9 Library Hold Request Non-Pickup Fee per item 0.25 48$ 12$ $ 1 8% 11$ 6,432 6,432$ 77,381$
10 Library Interlibrary Loan per request 0.40 127$ 51$ $ 5 10% 46$ 72 360$ 3,660$
11 Library Lost/Damaged - DVD/Video Game per item [1] 20% of list
price
12 Library Lost/Damaged Item - beyond repair per item [1] List price
13 Library Lost/Damaged Item - processing fee per item 0.45 n/a 53$ $ 5 9% 48$ 6,672 33,360$ 355,237$
14 Library Lost/Damaged - Library Materials per item [1] Variable, up
to list price
15 Library Overdue Fines
per day,
per item [1] $ 0.25
16 Library Overdue Fines - DVD/Video Game
per day,
per item [1] $ 1
17 Library Overdue Fines - Juvenile Material
per day,
per item [1] $ 0.10
18 Refund Check Processing Fee (Customer
Initiated)per request 0.50 48$ 24$ $ 20 85% 4$ - -$ -$
hourly 1.00 48$ 48$ new % n/a - -$ -$
TOTAL 42,465$ 453,145$
[Notes]
[1] Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a
case-by-case basis. It will be based on the fully
burdened hourly rate and the time of service
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesEstimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery
Fee
FBHR
Dollar
Variance
Between
Full COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
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Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.2
Cost of Service Analysis –City Clerk Division
City of Carlsbad
City Clerk Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.2
FBHR
City Clerk Fees
1 Blueprinting of Standard Size (all) each $ 5
2 City Clerk - Certification Charge (per document)1.00 143$ 24$ $ 24 100%n/a - -$ -$
3 Appeals to City Council each 1.00 143$ 143$ n/a % n/a 13 -$ 1,790$
new Candidate Filing Fee each [2] new
new Notice of Intention to Circulate Petition Filing Fee each [2] new
Subpoena Fees [2]
1 Deposition Subpoena each 5.00 143$ 716$ $ 275 38% 441$ 2 550$ 1,432$
2 Records Subpoena each 2.50 143$ 358$ $ 15 4% 343$ 3 45$ 1,074$
Copy Fees [1]
1 Copies - Black & White (each) each $ 0.20 0.10$
2 Copies - Color (each) each $ 1.00 0.10$
3 City Clerk - CD Copy each $ 3.17 Actual Cost
4 DVD Copy, including Council Meeting on DVD each $ 9.28 Actual Cost
5 City Clerk - USB Drive Copy each $ 3.17 Actual Cost
FPPC Fees [2]
1 Campaign Statements (per page), set by California Fair
Political Practices Commission (FPPC)per page $ 0.10
2 Conflict of Interest Statement (per page), set by
California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)per page $ 0.10
per hour 1.00 143$ 143$ new % n/a - -$ -$
TOTAL 595$ 4,295$
[Notes]
[1] Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]Fee amount set by State.
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-by-
case basis. It will be based on the fully burdened hourly rate
and the time of service provided.
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar
Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesEstimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery
Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
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Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.3
Cost of Service Analysis –Planning Division
City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Planning Fees
1 Affordable Housing Credit Per Unit [1]
Northwest Quadrants $ 142,000
Cassia Heights (Southeast and Southwest
quadrants) $ 60,011
Tavarua Senior Affordable Apartments (Northwest
quadrant) $ 84,000
Villa Loma (Southeast and Southwest quadrants) $ 48,000
2 Affordable Housing Impact Fee per unit [1] $ 2,915
3 Affordable Housing In-Lieu Fee
per market
unit [1] $ 4,515
4 Agricultural Mitigation Fee
per net
converted
acre
[1] $ 10,000
5 Amendments and Revisions to Approved Projects flat [1]
50% of
current
application
fee
6 Appeals to Planning Commision / City Council 8.00 1,309$ $ 876 67% 433$ - -$ -$
7 Building Plan Review
Minor Projects, per permit each [3]1.00 164$ new % n/a - -$ -$
Major Projects, per permit each [4]3.00 491$ new % n/a - -$ -$
Repeat Tract Plan Review
Minor Projects each 0.50 82$ new %n/a - -$ -$
Major Projects each 1.00 164$ new %n/a - -$ -$
8 Coastal Development Permit (CDP)
2 - 4 unit or lot subdivision and SFD w/ bluff
per unit/lot -
whichever
is greater
83.10 14,490$ $ 2,390 16% 12,100$ 11 26,290$ 159,391$
5 or more units or lot subdivision per permit 147.10 27,237$ $ 3,891 14% 23,346$ - -$ -$
Emergency flat 33.50 6,051$ $ 484 8% 5,567$ - -$ -$
Exemption flat 3.00 543$ $ 266 49% 276$ 7 1,864$ 3,798$
Minor Permit flat 41.50 7,257$ $ 938 13% 6,319$ 38 35,639$ 275,757$
Non-Residential + 10 cents per square foot flat 43.00 7,451$ $ 1,059 14% 6,392$ 6 6,353$ 44,704$
Single Family Lot flat 59.88 10,537$ $ 1,180 11% 9,357$ 11 12,979$ 115,902$
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
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City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
9 Community Facilities District Annexation 0.00 -$ $ 1,851 %n/a - -$ -$
10 Conditional Use Permit (CUP)
Within Biological Habitat Preserve flat 35.88 6,454$ $ 926 14% 5,528$ - -$ -$
Minor flat 40.95 7,110$ $ 823 12% 6,287$ 7 5,760$ 49,771$
Regular - Planning Commission flat 95.88 16,945$ $ 4,913 29% 12,032$ 12 58,958$ 203,338$
Regular - Planning Commission & City Council flat 122.45 21,636$ $ 4,913 23% 16,723$ 12 58,958$ 259,637$
11 Construction Change Review - Major
Base Fee 0.00 -$ $ 750 %n/a - -$ -$
Plus fee per sheet per sheet 0.00 -$ $ 245 %n/a - -$ -$
12 Construction Change Review - Minor
Base Fee 0.00 -$ $ 532 %n/a - -$ -$
Plus fee per sheet per sheet 0.00 -$ $ 155 %n/a - -$ -$
13 Daycare Permit (7 - 14 Children)8.38 1,437$ $ 230 16% 1,207$ - -$ -$
14 Developer Agreements - Deposit $10,000 increments
(Consistent with city payroll records + overhead)deposit n/a -$ Actual cost %n/a - -$ -$
15 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Initial Study - NEGATIVE DECLARATION flat 24.75 4,206$ $ 1,894 45% 2,312$ 2 3,788$ 8,411$
Initial Study - MITIGATED NEG DEC flat 94.25 16,045$ $ 1,042 6% 15,003$ - -$ -$
16 Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
Addendum
First 20 hours of project planner base fee
(flat)38.15 7,063$ $ 2,753 39% 4,310$ - -$ -$
>20 hours of project planner per hour 1.00 164$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Focused/Supplemental (requiring a public hearing)
First 120 hours of project planner and 20 hours
of project engineer
base fee
(flat)149.15 25,488$ $ 21,321 84% 4,167$ - -$ -$
>120 project planner hours and >20 project
engineer hours per hour 2.00 379$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
FULL EIR
First 180 hours of project planner and 40 hours
of project engineer
base fee
(flat)229.15 39,614$ $ 21,321 54% 18,293$ 1 21,321$ 39,614$
>180 project planner hours and >40 project
engineer hours per hour 2.00 379$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
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City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
17 Fish & Game Fee [2]
Environmental Impact Report (EIR)flat $ 3,218
Environmental Document pursuant to a Certified
Regulatory Program (CRP)flat $ 1,127
Negative Declaration (ND) /Mitigated Negative
Declaration (MND)flat $ 2,330
18 Extensions to projects in process flat [1] 25% of
current fee
19 General Plan Amendment deposit 206.43 37,986$ $ 4,677 12% 33,309$ 1 4,677$ 37,986$
20 Habitat Management Plan (HMP)
Amendment to Plan Document - Major - first 60
hours of project planner
base fee
(flat)72.98 12,198$ $ 5,857 48% 6,341$ 3 17,571$ 36,595$
>60 hours of project planner per hour 1.00 164$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Amendment to Plan Document - Minor flat 38.98 6,479$ $ 3,764 58% 2,715$ 1 3,764$ 6,479$
Permit - Major -first 40 hours of project planner base fee
(flat)52.43 8,857$ $ 4,283 48% 4,574$ - -$ -$
>40 hours or project planner per hour 1.00 164$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Permit - Minor - first 20 hours of project planner base fee
(flat)27.00 4,522$ $ 594 13% 3,928$ - -$ -$
>20 hours of project planner per hour 1.00 164$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Permit - MINOR W/MINISTERIAL PERMIT flat 11.50 1,934$ 50% of
Minor Fee % n/a - -$ -$
21 General Plan Amendment - Over 5 Acres 0.00 -$ $ 6,747 %n/a - -$ -$
22 Hillside Development Permit - Major - first 40 hours of
project planner
base fee
(flat)77.68 14,254$ $ 2,753 19% 11,501$ - -$ -$
>40 hours of project planner per hour 2.00 379$ Hourly Rate %n/a - -$ -$
23 Hillside Development Permit - Minor - first 20 hours of
project planner
base fee
(flat)38.88 7,048$ $ 1,361 19% 5,687$ 4 5,446$ 28,192$
>20 hours of project planner per hour 2.00 379$ Hourly Rate %n/a - -$ -$
24 Inspection - Additional Planning per hour 1.00 164$ $ 102 62% 62$ 2 203$ 327$
25 Inspection - Overtime per hour, each additional hour at
$70 per hour 1.00 186$ $ 127 68% 59$ - -$ -$
26 Landscape Plan Check / Inspection Fees
City Processing Fee per project 3.00 491$ new % n/a 42 -$ 20,621$
Contractor Cost per project 0.00 -$ Actual Cost % n/a - -$ -$
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City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
27 Landscape Inspection
City Processing Fee per project 0.00 -$ new %n/a - -$ -$
Contractor Cost per project 0.00 -$ Actual Cost %n/a - -$ -$
28 Local Coastal Plan - Amendment flat 125.00 21,491$ $ 6,837 32% 14,653$ - -$ -$
29 Local Facilities Management Fees - as established by
Council deposit [1] Actual Cost
30 Local Facilities Management Plan/Amendment - Fee +
deposit in minimum increments of $5,000 deposit [1] $ 10,000
31 Master Plan
Master Plan
First 200 hours of project planner and 100
hours of project engineer
base fee
(flat)310.08 55,949$ $ 45,792 82% 10,157$ - -$ -$
>200 project planner hours and >100 project
engineer hours per hour 2.68 482$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Major Amendment
First 100 hours of project planner and 40 hours
of project engineer
base fee
(flat)149.85 26,630$ $ 28,650 108% (2,020)$ - -$ -$
>100 project planner hours and >40 project
engineer hours per hour 2.45 448$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Minor Amendment
First 30 hours of project planner and 7 hours of
project engineer
base fee
(flat)43.85 7,578$ $ 1,827 24% 5,751$ 2 3,655$ 15,156$
>30 project planner hours and >7 project
engineer hours per hour 2.45 448$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Pre-Filing Submittal 0.00 -$ $ 7,787 %n/a - -$ -$
32 Non-Conforming Construction Permit flat 15.45 2,730$ $ 764 28% 1,966$ 2 1,528$ 5,460$
33 Notice Fee (+ postage)flat [1] $ 345
34 Plan Consistency Determination 14.50 2,528$ $ 774 31% 1,754$ 30 23,235$ 75,841$
35 Planned Development (residential/non-residential) - 5 or
more lots/units - Major Subdivision per project 153.60 26,648$ $ 9,161 34% 17,487$ 7 64,126$ 186,536$
36 Planned Development (residential/non-residential) - 4 or
fewer lots/units per project 89.38 15,933$ $ 3,304 21% 12,629$ 4 13,215$ 63,731$
37 Planning Commission Agenda and Minutes (+ postage)flat [1] Copy Charge
38 Planning Commission Determination flat 23.00 3,868$ $ 1,791 46% 2,077$ 2 3,582$ 7,735$
39 Planning Commission Determination - Single Family 0.00 -$ $ 1,107 %n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/4/2021 Planning COS,Page 4 of 7
City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
40 Postage (All)flat [1]
Current
Postage Rate
x Number of
labels
41 Precise Development Plan flat 156.93 27,819$ $ 8,338 30% 19,481$ - -$ -$
42 Preliminary Plan Review - Major (Other)flat 27.85 5,164$ $ 774 15% 4,389$ 34 26,333$ 175,566$
43 Preliminary Plan Review - Minor (SFD)flat 17.13 3,179$ $ 218 7% 2,961$ 10 2,178$ 31,785$
44 Reversion to Acreage (Consistent with city payroll records
charged against a $3,100 deposit)
First 25 hours of project planner and 20 hours
of project engineer
base fee
(flat)45.00 8,398$
Actual Cost
Charged
against
$3,100
Deposit
% n/a -$ -$
>25 project planner hours and 20 hours of
project engineer per hour 2.00 379$ Hourly Rate %n/a - -$ -$
45 Satellite Antenna Permit flat 7.45 1,266$ $ 460 36% 806$ - -$ -$
46 Sign Program
Sign Permit (including non-commercial)flat 1.25 205$ $ 67 33% 138$ 118 7,854$ 24,140$
Sign Program flat 32.45 5,358$ $ 1,156 22% 4,202$ 1 1,156$ 5,358$
Modified Minor Sign Program flat 23.45 3,885$ $ 765 20% 3,119$ - -$ -$
Modified Regular Sign Program flat 45.95 7,567$ $ 2,882 38% 4,685$ - -$ -$
47 Site Development Plan
Minor - Village Area Request for a Parking Option flat 11.00 1,800$ n/a % n/a - -$ -$
Minor - Residential, less than or equal to 4 units/lots
or as required per CMC/PLAN flat 87.88 15,687$ $ 4,895 31% 10,792$ 3 14,685$ 47,062$
Major - 5 or more units/lots or as required per
CMC/PLAN flat 163.60 28,801$ $ 12,416 43% 16,385$ 9 111,745$ 259,209$
48 Special Use Permit - Other 55.38 9,645$ $ 3,757 39% 5,888$ 10 37,568$ 96,452$
49 Special Use Permit - Floodplain 45.43 8,435$ $ 3,757 45% 4,678$ 10 37,568$ 84,348$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/4/2021 Planning COS,Page 5 of 7
City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
50 Specific Plan
Base Fee
First 200 hours of project planner and 60 hours
of project engineer
base fee
(flat)291.88 51,966$ $ 38,247 74% 13,720$ 1 38,247$ 51,966$
>200 project planner hours and >60 project
engineer hours per hour 2.45 448$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Amendment - Major
First 180 hours of project planner and 30 hours
of project engineer
base fee
(flat)231.88 40,081$ $ 24,614 61% 15,466$ 1 24,614$ 40,081$
>180 project planner hours and >30 project
engineer hours per hour 2.45 448$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
Amendment - Minor
First 20 hours of project planner and 7 hours of
project engineer
base fee
(flat)45.45 7,950$ $ 1,591 20% 6,359$ 1 1,591$ 7,950$
>20 project planner hours and >7 project
engineer hours per hour 2.45 448$ Hourly Rate % n/a - -$ -$
51 Street Name Change flat 18.00 2,972$ $ 1,791 60% 1,181$ - -$ -$
52 Tentative Maps
Tentative Parcel Map - Minor Subdivision - 0- 4
Lots/Units flat 55.38 10,162$ $ 4,169 41% 5,993$ 10 41,689$ 101,616$
Tentative Tract Map - 5 - 49 units/lots flat 107.10 19,554$ $ 9,028 46% 10,526$ 14 126,387$ 273,758$
Tentative Tract Map - 50 + units/lots flat 135.10 25,273$ $ 18,043 71% 7,230$ - -$ -$
Tentative Tract Map Litigation Stay flat [1] 25% of
current fee
53 Third Party Review
Processing Fee per project 6.00 1,008$ $ 817 81% 191$ - -$ -$
Consultant Cost per project [1] Actual Cost
54 Variance flat 46.18 7,705$ $ 3,098 40% 4,607$ 2 6,196$ 15,409$
55 Variance - Minor flat 35.95 6,034$ $ 823 14% 5,211$ 10 8,229$ 60,337$
56 Village Area
Village Area Review - Administrative flat 39.45 7,278$ $ 450 6% 6,828$ - -$ -$
Village Area Review - Major - Plus Noticing Costs flat 101.68 17,976$ $ 3,186 18% 14,789$ 4 12,745$ 71,903$
Village Area Review - Minor - Plus Noticing Costs flat 79.95 14,319$ $ 1,738 12% 12,581$ - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/4/2021 Planning COS,Page 6 of 7
City of Carlsbad
Planning - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.3
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesTotal
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual Estimated
Revenues at Full
Cost Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Current Fee
/ Deposit
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
57 Wireless Communication Third Party Review flat [1] Actual Cost -
58 Zone Change flat 144.93 24,822$ $ 5,373 22% 19,449$ 2 10,746$ 49,645$
59 Zone Change - 5.1 or more acres 120.00 19,639$ $ 7,279 37%n/a - -$ -$
60 Zone Code Compliance Letter flat 3.50 573$ $ 127 22% 446$ - -$ -$
new Research Fee per hour 2.00 379$ $ 127 33% 252$ - -$ -$
per hour 1.00 164$ new % n/a - -$ -$
TOTAL 882,745$ 3,041,567$
[Notes]
[1]Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]
Set by Department of Fish and Wildlife. Fish & Game fees are
additional to the EIA /EIR fees. Includes $50.00 County Clerk
processing fee.
[3] Minor: residential new/remodel, commercial/industrial tenant improvement
[4] Major: Commercial/Industrial new
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-by-
case basis. It will be based on the fully burdened hourly rate
and the time of service provided.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/4/2021 Planning COS,Page 7 of 7
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.4
Cost of Service Analysis –Engineering and CM&I Divisions
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Engineering Fees
1 Adjustment Plat per project 14.75 3,176$ $ 1,410 44% 1,766$ - -$ -$
2 Building Plan Review
Minor Projects, per permit each [3]1.00 215$ new % n/a - -$ -$
Major Projects, per permit each [4]3.00 646$ new % n/a - -$ -$
3 Certificate
Certificate of Compliance each 12.25 2,637$ $ 1,144 43% 1,494$ 8 9,149$ 21,100$
Certificate of Compliance In Lieu of Parcel Map each 21.75 4,683$ $ 3,008 64% 1,675$ - -$ -$
Certificate of Correction each 9.75 2,099$ $ 889 42% 1,210$ - -$ -$
4 Construction Change Review - Major
Base Fee per project 8.00 1,729$ $ 750 43% 979$ 16 12,005$ 27,662$
Plus fee per sheet per sheet 6.25 1,353$ $ 245 18% 1,108$ 80 19,600$ 108,230$
5 Construction Change Review - Minor
Base Fee per project 4.75 1,026$ $ 532 52% 493$ 11 5,857$ 11,285$
Plus fee per sheet per sheet 6.75 1,462$ $ 155 11% 1,307$ 38 5,890$ 55,561$
6 Developer Agreements - Deposit $10,000 increments
(Consistent with city payroll records + overhead)deposit Actual cost
7 Easement Document Processing and Recording - Major
(all others)per project 14.75 3,184$ $ 714 22% 2,470$ - -$ -$
8 Easement Document Processing and Recording - Minor
(Single Family Lot)per project 14.75 3,182$ $ 126 4% 3,056$ - -$ -$
9 Encroachment Agreement Processing per project 7.25 1,564$ $ 369 24% 1,195$ 1 369$ 1,564$
10 Grading Permit Investigation Fee (Consistent with city
payroll records + overhead)deposit Actual Cost
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 1 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
11 Grading Plan Check Fees
100 base fee up
to 100 CY 23.58 5,075$ $ 464 9% 4,611$ 5 2,320$ 25,373$
101 base fee at
101 CY 27.58 5,936$ $ 928 16% 5,008$ 9 8,352$ 53,422$
each add'l
100 CY 0.6667 144$ 120$ n/a - -$ -$
1,001 base fee at
1,000 CY 33.58 7,228$ $ 2,777 38% 4,451$ 9 24,993$ 65,049$
each add'l
1,000 CY 1.3333 287$ 120$ n/a - -$ -$
10,001 base fee at
10,000 CY 45.58 9,811$ $ 4,371 45% 5,440$ 6 26,226$ 58,868$
each add'l
10,000 CY 1.6111 347$ 180$ n/a - -$ -$
100,001 base fee at
100,000 CY 60.08 12,933$ $ 6,666 52% 6,267$ - -$ -$
each add'l
10,000 CY 1.5000 323$ 285$ n/a - -$ -$
200,001 base fee at
200,000 CY 75.08 16,163$ $ 10,694 66% 5,469$ - -$ -$
each add'l
100,000 CY 10.5000 2,261$ 285$ n/a - -$ -$
400,001 base fee at
400,000 CY 96.08 20,684$ n/a % n/a - -$ -$
each add'l
100,000 CY 6.8333 1,471$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
1,000,001
base fee at
1,000,000
CY
137.08 29,512$ n/a % n/a - -$ -$
each add'l
100,000 CY 13.7083 2,951$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 2 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
12 Grading Permit Fees
100 base fee up
to 100 CY 44.50 7,119$ $ 464 7% 6,655$ 6 2,784$ 42,714$
101 base fee at
109 CY 44.50 7,119$ $ 470 7% 6,649$ 25 11,750$ 177,974$
each add'l
100 CY 2.5833 413$ 65$ n/a - -$ -$
1,001 base fee at
1,000 CY 67.75 10,838$ $ 1,319 12% 9,519$ 17 22,423$ 184,253$
each add'l
1,000 CY 2.5833 413$ 65$ n/a - -$ -$
10,001 base fee at
10,000 CY 91.00 14,558$ $ 2,179 15% 12,379$ 10 21,790$ 145,579$
each add'l
10,000 CY 3.5556 569$ 130$ n/a - -$ -$
100,001 base fee at
100,000 CY 123.00 19,677$ $ 3,821 19% 15,856$ - -$ -$
each add'l
10,000 CY 1.0000 160$ 130$ n/a - -$ -$
200,001 base fee at
200,000 CY 133.00 21,277$ $ 5,640 27% 15,637$ - -$ -$
each add'l
10,000 CY 1.1000 176$ 195$ n/a - -$ -$
400,001 base fee at
400,000 CY 155.00 24,796$ $ 11,195 45% 13,601$ - -$ -$
each add'l
100,000 CY 13.1667 2,106$ 980$ n/a - -$ -$
1,000,001
base fee at
1,000,000
CY
234.00 37,434$ $ 19,532 52% 17,902$ - -$ -$
each add'l
100,000 CY 23.4000 3,743$ $ 710 n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 3 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
13 Improvement Plan Review Fee
$ 20,000 base fee up
to $20,000 31.58 6,810$ $ 1,483 22% 5,327$ - -$ -$
$ 20,001 base fee at
$20,001 34.58 7,457$ $ 2,850 38% 4,607$ 7 19,950$ 52,202$
each add'l
$10,000 1.6667 360$ 250$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 50,001 base fee at
$50,000 39.58 8,539$ $ 4,090 48% 4,449$ 12 49,080$ 102,465$
each add'l
$10,000 2.6000 561$ 125$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 100,001 base fee at
$100,000 52.58 11,342$ $ 5,840 51% 5,502$ 5 29,200$ 56,712$
each add'l
$10,000 1.6667 360$ 100$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 250,001 base fee at
$250,000 77.58 16,740$ $ 13,910 83% 2,830$ 7 97,370$ 117,177$
each add'l
$10,000 1.0000 216$ 105$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 500,001 base fee at
$500,000 102.58 22,141$ $ 23,840 108% (1,699)$ 4 95,360$ 88,566$
each add'l
$10,000 0.5400 117$ 105$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 1,000,001 base fee at
$500,000 129.58 27,971$ $ 31,630 113% (3,659)$ 7 221,410$ 195,795$
each add'l
$10,000 1.2958 280$ 105$ n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 4 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
14 Improvement Inspection
$ 20,000 base fee up
to $20,000 28.00 4,479$ $ 375 8% 4,104$ - -$ -$
$ 20,001 base fee at
$20,001 28.00 4,479$ $ 1,843 41% 2,636$ 2 3,686$ 8,959$
each add'l
$10,000 2.5000 400$ 250$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 50,001 base fee at
$50,000 35.50 5,679$ $ 3,693 65% 1,986$ 2 7,386$ 11,358$
each add'l
$10,000 2.0000 320$ 125$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 100,001 base fee at
$100,000 45.50 7,279$ $ 4,615 63% 2,664$ 4 18,460$ 29,116$
each add'l
$10,000 1.5000 240$ 100$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 250,001 base fee at
$250,000 68.00 10,878$ $ 6,836 63% 4,042$ 3 20,508$ 32,635$
each add'l
$10,000 1.0800 173$ 105$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 500,001 base fee at
$500,000 95.00 15,198$ $ 11,097 73% 4,101$ 5 55,485$ 75,989$
each add'l
$10,000 0.7000 112$ 105$ n/a - -$ -$
$ 1,000,001 base fee at
$500,000 130.00 20,797$ $ 17,701 85% 3,096$ 1 17,701$ 20,797$
each add'l
$10,000 1.3000 208$ 105$ n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 5 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
14 Landscape Improvement Fees
City Processing Fee per project 0.00 -$ new %n/a 42 -$ -$
Contractor Cost per project n/a -$ Actual Cost %n/a - -$ -$
15 Landscape Inspection
City Processing Fee per project 0.00 -$ new %n/a 39 -$ -$
Contractor Cost n/a -$ Actual Cost %n/a - -$ -$
15 Mapping Fees per project
Final Tract Map - Major Subdivision
Base Fee per project 62.83 13,525$ $ 8,193 61% 5,333$ 6 49,156$ 81,152$
Per Acre Fee per acre 1.75 377$ $ 5 1% 372$ 80 400$ 30,143$
Parcel Map - Minor Subdivision per project 32.33 6,958$ $ 3,678 53% 3,281$ 4 14,711$ 27,834$
16 Neighborhood Improvement Agreements each 3.25 700$ $ 172 25% 528$ - -$ -$
17 Oversize Load Permit - 1 trip (fee set by State)each [2] $ 16
18 Oversize Load Permit - Annual/Per Year (fee set by
State)each [2] $ 90
19 Quitclaim of Easement each 30.50 6,576$ $ 750 11% 5,826$ - -$ -$
20 Reapportionment Fees for 1911 Act Assessment
Districts each Actual Cost
21 Retaining Wall Plan Check Fees
Retaining Wall Plan Check Valuation
$0 - $50,000 up to
$50,000 2.75 592$ $ 380 64% 212$ 17 6,460$ 10,065$
$50,001 - $250,000 base fee at
$50,001 10.50 2,261$
$516 + 0.5% of
Engineer's
Estimate
% n/a - -$ -$
$250,000+base fee at
$250,001 18.50 3,983$
0.5% of
Engineer's
Estimate
($2,062 min.)
% n/a - -$ -$
22 Reversion to Acreage (Consistent with city payroll
records charged against a $3,100 deposit)deposit 34.00 7,318$ $ 3,100 42% 4,218$ - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 6 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
23 Right-of-Way Permit
Minor - Construction
Single Family each 11.75 1,963$ $ 381 19% 1,582$ 120 45,743$ 235,526$
Pool each 12.25 2,070$ $ 381 18% 1,689$ - -$ -$
Driveway each 12.25 2,070$ $ 381 18% 1,689$ - -$ -$
Spa each 12.25 2,070$ $ 381 18% 1,689$ - -$ -$
Fencing each 19.25 3,577$ $ 381 11% 3,196$ - -$ -$
Sidewalk Café each 30.25 5,282$ $ 381 7% 4,901$ - -$ -$
Outdoor Display each 18.25 3,362$ $ 381 11% 2,981$ - -$ -$
Minor - Non-Construction each 1.75 377$ $ 188 50% 189$ 24 4,502$ 9,043$
Minor - Non-Construction each 10.00 2,153$ $ 188 9% 1,965$ - -$ -$
Utility
City Processing Fee each 1.75 377$ $ 811 215% (434)$ 85 68,935$ 32,026$
Inspector's Time hourly 1.00 160$ Actual Cost % n/a - -$ -$
Utility (by contract)each 21.00 3,691$ $ 811 22% 2,880$ - -$ -$
Village Area - Curb Café (max of two parking
spaces)
per space/
per year 31.75 5,550$ $ 1,200 22% 4,350$ - -$ -$
24 Secured Agreement Processing - Extension each 2.50 428$ $ 448 105% (20)$ 1 448$ 428$
25 Secured Agreement Processing - Replacement, plus
improvement plan revision fees if required each 3.50 754$ $ 823 109% (69)$ 3 2,469$ 2,261$
26
Segregation of Assessments - 1- 4 lots (Consistent with
city payroll records + overhead, consultant cost and
recording fee. Also see Streets and Highways Code
Section 8760-8769 )
deposit [1] Actual Cost
27
Segregation of Assessments - 5 lots or more - fee + $20
per lot (Consistent with city payroll records +
overhead, consultant cost and recording fee. Also see
Streets and Highways Code Section 8760-8769)
deposit [1] Actual Cost
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 7 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
28 Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) Fees
Plan Review Fee
Tier 1 per site 0.50 108$ $ 58 54% 50$ 3 174$ 323$
Tier 2 per site 1.75 377$ $ 383 102% (6)$ 56 21,448$ 21,100$
Tier 3 one acre or
less 4.00 861$ $ 593 69% 268$ 23 13,639$ 19,808$
Tier 3 - Supplemental Fee per acre 1.00 215$ $ 71 33% 144$ - -$ -$
Inspection Fee
Tier 1 per site 84.00 13,438$ $ 246 2% 13,192$ 3 738$ 40,314$
Tier 2 per site 84.00 13,438$ $ 933 7% 12,505$ 54 50,382$ 725,653$
Tier 3 one acre or
less 88.00 14,078$ $ 1,353 10% 12,725$ 31 41,943$ 436,416$
Tier 3 - Supplemental Fee per acre 20.00 3,200$ $ 233 7% 2,967$ - -$ -$
29 Storm Water Quality Management Plan (SWQMP) Fees
Plan Review - Base Fee each 16.00 3,445$ $ 364 11% 3,081$ 7 2,548$ 24,114$
Plan Review - For each subsequent acre or
portion thereof over one half acre per acre 0.50 108$ $ 131 122% (23)$ 50 6,550$ 5,383$
Inspection Fee - Base Fee each 12.00 1,920$ $ 306 16% 1,614$ 14 4,284$ 26,876$
Inspection Fee - For each subsequent acre or
portion thereof over one half acre per acre 10.00 1,600$ $ 122 8% 1,478$ 123 15,006$ 196,771$
30 Street Vacation - Street/Public Service Easement
Vacation - Regular each 38.08 8,196$ $ 3,660 45% 4,537$ - -$ -$
31 Street Vacation - Street/Public Service Easement
Vacation - Summary each 30.08 6,474$ $ 1,452 22% 5,022$ - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 8 of 9
City of Carlsbad
Engineering Division - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.4
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type /
Unit NotesTotal
Estimated
Average
Labor Time
Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Activity Service Cost
Analysis
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
32 Third Party Review
Processing Fee per project 1.75 377$ new % n/a 6 -$ 2,261$
Consultant Cost per project Actual Cost
33 Village Area - Parking In Lieu Fee each [1] $ 11,240
per hour 1.00 215$ new % n/a - -$ -$
TOTAL 1,158,639$ 3,697,898$
[Notes]
[1]Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]Fee set by Vehicle Code Section 35795; not evaluated by NBS
[3] Minor: residential new/remodel, commercial/industrial tenant improvement
[4] Major: Commercial/Industrial new
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-by-
case basis. It will be based on the fully burdened hourly rate
and the time of service provided.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Engineering COS,Page 9 of 9
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.5
Cost of Service Analysis –Building Division
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
I. NEW CONSTRUCTION, ADDITIONS, AND MAJOR REMODELS
1
Commercial/Industrial Uses - Structural (All
newly constructed or added space for non-
residential occupancies classified as CBC Group
A, B, E, F, H, I, M, or other commercial
occupancies not specifically addressed
elsewhere in this Fee Schedule)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.9.75 153$ 1,489$ $ 236 16%31 7,309$ 46,152$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.47$ n/a n/a 639 -$ 298$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.23.50 153$ 3,588$ $ 1,945 54%1 1,945$ 3,588$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.63$ 0.39$ n/a 162 63$ 101$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.44.00 153$ 6,719$ $ 2,440 36%3 7,320$ 20,156$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.06$ 0.24$ n/a 27,702 6,762$ 1,718$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.60.25 153$ 9,200$ $ 13,400 146%1 13,400$ 9,200$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.14$ 0.27$ n/a 36,940 9,887$ 5,275$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.107.00 153$ 16,339$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.16$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
2
Commercial Residential and Multifamily
Residential Uses - (All newly constructed or
added space for residential occupancies
classified as CBC Group R (except R-3), or other
residential occupancies not specifically
addressed elsewhere in this Fee Schedule)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.9.25 153$ 1,412$ $ 398 28%132 52,579$ 186,442$
each add'l s.f.0.005 n/a 0.78$ n/a n/a 18,800 -$ 14,672$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.32.25 153$ 4,924$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.005 n/a 0.77$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.57.50 153$ 8,780$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.07$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.76.25 153$ 11,643$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.20$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.141.00 153$ 21,530$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.22$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 1 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
3 Duplicate Floor Plan Review - Commercial
Residential and Multifamily Residential Uses
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
4
Low and Moderate Hazard Storage - (All newly
constructed or added space for storage
occupancies classified as CBC Group S, or other
storage occupancies not specifically addressed
elsewhere in this Fee Schedule)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.9.50 153$ 1,451$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.51$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.24.50 153$ 3,741$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.34$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.35.50 153$ 5,421$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.04$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.45.75 153$ 6,986$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.01$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.50.00 153$ 7,635$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.08$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 2 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
5
Attached Accessory and Utility Uses - (All newly
constructed, added or structurally remodeled
space for utility and accessory occupancies
classified as CBC Group U, or other utility and
accessory occupancies not specifically addressed
elsewhere in this Fee Schedule
200 base fee up to 200 s.f.5.00 153$ 763$ $ 167 22%24 4,010$ 18,324$
each add'l s.f.0.014 n/a 2.10$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
400 base fee up to 400 s.f.7.75 153$ 1,183$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.006 n/a 0.95$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
600 base fee up to 600 s.f.9.00 153$ 1,374$ n/a %1 -$ 1,374$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.48$ n/a n/a 272 -$ 130$
1,000 base fee up to 1,000 s.f.10.25 153$ 1,565$ n/a % -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.23$ n/a n/a -$ -$
3,000 base fee up to 3,000 s.f.13.25 153$ 2,023$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.67$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
6
Detached Accessory and Utility Uses - (All newly
constructed, added, or structurally remodeled
space for utility and accessory occupancies/uses
not specifically addressed elsewhere in this Fee
Schedule)
200 base fee up to 200 s.f.5.00 153$ 763$ $ 555 73%7 3,885$ 5,344$
each add'l s.f.0.014 n/a 2.10$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
400 base fee up to 400 s.f.7.75 153$ 1,183$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.006 n/a 0.95$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
600 base fee up to 600 s.f.9.00 153$ 1,374$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.48$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
1,000 base fee up to 1,000 s.f.10.25 153$ 1,565$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.23$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
3,000 base fee up to 3,000 s.f.13.25 153$ 2,023$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.67$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 3 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
7
Shell Buildings for all Commercial/Industrial
Uses - (The enclosure for all newly constructed
or added space for non-residential occupancies
classified as CBC Group A, B, E, F, H, I, M, or
other commercial occupancies not specifically
addressed elsewhere in this Fee Schedule where
the interior is not completed or occupiable)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.8.25 153$ 1,260$ $ 2,097 166%36 75,500$ 45,351$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.33$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.18.00 153$ 2,749$ $ 1,247 45%5 6,233$ 13,743$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.40$ 0.25$ n/a 10,060 2,508$ 3,994$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.31.00 153$ 4,734$ $ 2,980 63%4 11,920$ 18,934$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.04$ 0.30$ n/a 45,616 13,573$ 1,743$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.41.00 153$ 6,261$ $ 7,300 117%5 36,500$ 31,303$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.02$ 0.15$ n/a 181,445 26,541$ 2,776$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.46.00 153$ 7,024$ $ 12,000 171%4 48,000$ 28,096$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.07$ $ 0.12 n/a 252,912 30,457$ 17,765$
8
Commercial/Industrial Tenant Improvement -
Structural - (Structurally remodeled space for
non-residential occupancies classified as CBC
Group A, B, E, F, H, I, M, or other commercial
occupancies not specifically addressed
elsewhere in this Fee Schedule where the
structure is not altered)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.7.25 153$ 1,107$ $ 626 57%153 95,465$ 168,825$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.31$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.16.50 153$ 2,519$ $ 1,000 40%1 1,000$ 2,519$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.14$ 0.20$ n/a 2,852 570$ 392$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.21.00 153$ 3,207$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.08$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.42.50 153$ 6,490$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.07$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.64.75 153$ 9,887$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.10$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 4 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
9
Commercial/Industrial Tenant Improvement -
Non-structural - (Non-structurally remodeled
space for non-residential occupancies classified
as CBC Group A, B, E, F, H, I, M, or other
commercial occupancies not specifically
addressed elsewhere in this Fee Schedule where
the structure is not altered)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.6.55 153$ 1,000$ $ 626 63%153 95,465$ 152,524$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.30$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.15.50 153$ 2,367$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.11$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.19.00 153$ 2,901$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.07$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.37.75 153$ 5,764$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.06$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.56.75 153$ 8,666$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.09$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10
Commercial Residential and Multifamily
Residential Remodels - Structural - (Structurally
remodeled space for residential occupancies
classified as CBC Group R (except R-3), or other
residential occupancies not specifically
addressed elsewhere in this Fee Schedule)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.7.75 153$ 1,183$ $ 500 42%74 36,981$ 87,571$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.65$ 1.55$ n/a 454 705$ 297$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.27.00 153$ 4,123$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.48$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.42.75 153$ 6,528$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.09$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.67.50 153$ 10,307$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.13$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.108.50 153$ 16,568$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.17$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 5 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
11
Commercial Residential and Multifamily
Residential Remodels - Non Structural - (Non-
Structurally remodeled space for residential
occupancies classified as CBC Group R (except R-
3), or other residential occupancies not
specifically addressed elsewhere in this Fee
Schedule)
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.7.75 153$ 1,183$ $ 500 42%73 36,481$ 86,388$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.38$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.19.00 153$ 2,901$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.58$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.38.00 153$ 5,802$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.09$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.60.50 153$ 9,238$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.12$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.100.50 153$ 15,346$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.15$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
12
Single Family Dwellings and Duplexes - (All
newly constructed or added space for residential
occupancies classified as CBC Group R-3,
including custom builds and model homes for
tract master plans, or other similar residential
occupancies not specifically addressed
elsewhere in this Fee Schedule)
1,000 base fee up to 1,000 s.f.11.75 153$ 1,794$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.64$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
2,500 base fee up to 2,500 s.f.18.00 153$ 2,749$ $ 607 22%28 16,990$ 76,959$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.41$ n/a n/a 1,188 -$ 484$
4,000 base fee up to 4,000 s.f.22.00 153$ 3,359$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.38$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
6,000 base fee up to 6,000 s.f.27.00 153$ 4,123$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.42$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
8,000 base fee up to 8,000 s.f.32.50 153$ 4,963$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.62$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 6 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
13 Duplicate Floor Plan Review - Single Family
Dwellings and Duplexes
1,000 base fee up to 1,000 s.f.9.80 153$ 1,496$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.38$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
2,500 base fee up to 2,500 s.f.13.50 153$ 2,061$ $ 615 30%138 84,837$ 284,473$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.20$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
4,000 base fee up to 4,000 s.f.15.50 153$ 2,367$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.31$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
6,000 base fee up to 6,000 s.f.19.50 153$ 2,978$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.002 n/a 0.27$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
8,000 base fee up to 8,000 s.f.23.00 153$ 3,512$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.44$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
14 Duplicate Floor Plan Review - Multifamily
Dwellings
1,000 base fee up to 1,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
2,500 base fee up to 2,500 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
4,000 base fee up to 4,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
6,000 base fee up to 6,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
8,000 base fee up to 8,000 s.f.0.00 153$ -$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.00 n/a -$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 7 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat / Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery
%
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
15 Duplicate Floor Plan Review - Attached or
Detached Accessory and Utility Uses
200 base fee up to 200 s.f.4.75 153$ 725$ $ 171 24%9 1,536$ 6,528$
each add'l s.f.0.008 n/a 1.15$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
400 base fee up to 400 s.f.6.25 153$ 954$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.003 n/a 0.38$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
600 base fee up to 600 s.f.6.75 153$ 1,031$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.67$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
1,000 base fee up to 1,000 s.f.8.50 153$ 1,298$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.21$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
3,000 base fee up to 3,000 s.f.11.25 153$ 1,718$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.004 n/a 0.57$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
16
Site Improvements - This includes substantial
development of private parking lots which are
processed separate of the structure and include
any combination of the following: Underground
utilities, parking lot lighting, accessible path of
travel analysis, grading, drainage and
compliance with the City's parking and driveway
standards.
500 base fee up to 500 s.f.4.00 153$ 611$ $ 2,764 452%14 38,693$ 8,551$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.20$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
5,000 base fee up to 5,000 s.f.9.75 153$ 1,489$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.001 n/a 0.10$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
10,000 base fee up to 10,000 s.f.13.00 153$ 1,985$ n/a %- -$ -$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.01$ n/a n/a - -$ -$
50,000 base fee up to 50,000 s.f.15.00 153$ 2,290$ $ 9,500 415%1 9,500$ 2,290$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.01$ 0.19$ n/a 21,614 4,036$ 264$
100,000 base fee up to 100,000 s.f.19.00 153$ 2,901$ $ 10,000 345%1 10,000$ 2,901$
each add'l s.f.0.000 n/a 0.03$ $ 0.10 n/a 109,524 10,411$ 3,178$
TOTAL 801,061$ 1,360,622$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS New Construction,Page 8 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
II. MINOR/MISCELLANEOUS RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL IMPROVEMENTS
Above Ground Storage Tank per permit 2.50 153$ 382$ $ 211 55%2 421$ 763$
Cell Site
Radio over 30 ft. high each 7.50 153$ 1,145$ $ 588 51%4 2,353$ 4,581$
Dish, 10 ft. dia. w/decoder each 3.50 153$ 534$ n/a %- -$ -$
Equipment Enclosure each 8.00 153$ 1,222$ n/a %- -$ -$
Awning or Canopy per permit 2.00 153$ 305$ $ 340 111%10 3,401$ 3,054$
Bollards up to 4pcs per permit 2.50 153$ 382$ $ 2,652 695%3 7,957$ 1,145$
Certificate of Occupancy per permit 0.50 153$ 76$ $ 13 18%7 94$ 534$
Decks / Balcony
Repair each 4.00 153$ 611$ $ 91 15%20 1,827$ 12,216$
New/Replace each 6.00 153$ 916$ n/a %- -$ -$
Demolition of Building
Commercial each 4.50 153$ 687$ $ 174 25%30 5,219$ 20,614$
Residential each 4.00 153$ 611$ n/a %- -$ -$
Fence or Freestanding Wall up to 100' each 4.50 153$ 687$ n/a %- -$ -$
Fire Damage Repair - Residential - Minor per permit 4.75 153$ 725$ $ 209 29%4 837$ 2,901$
Fireplace Repair/Replace per permit 3.00 153$ 458$ $ 387 84%35 13,547$ 16,033$
Foundation Repair
Commercial each 3.75 153$ 573$ $ 788 138%2 1,576$ 1,145$
Residential each 3.75 153$ 573$ n/a %- -$ -$
Greenhouse per permit 3.75 153$ 573$ n/a %- -$ -$
Manufactured House / Building
Commercial per permit 4.50 153$ 687$ $ 266 39%49 13,023$ 33,670$
Residential per permit 3.75 153$ 573$ n/a %- -$ -$
Mobile Home (Within a park, per current edition
of Title 25, published by California Division of
Housing and Community Development.)
per permit 4.25 153$ 649$ n/a %- -$ -$
Partition/ Wall - Interior/Non-Structural <100' per permit 3.50 153$ 534$ $ 316 59%3 948$ 1,603$
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat /
Deposit / Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per Activity
(hours)
FBHR Current Fee /
Deposit [3]
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS Misc Fees,Page 9 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat /
Deposit / Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per Activity
(hours)
FBHR Current Fee /
Deposit [3]
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Patio
Frame with Cover each 2.40 153$ 366$ $ 91 25%97 8,850$ 35,548$
Frame with Cover & Walls each 4.00 153$ 611$ n/a %- -$ -$
Screen or Plastic Walls each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
Plastering Outside per permit 2.50 153$ 382$ n/a %- -$ -$
Remodel - Residential
Kitchen/Bath each 2.55 153$ 389$ $ 945 243%139 131,382$ 54,123$
Other - up to 500 s.f. each 3.50 153$ 534$ n/a %- -$ -$
Repairs - Miscellaneous
Commercial each 3.75 153$ 573$ $ 332 58%25 8,309$ 14,315$
Residential each 3.10 153$ 473$ $ 78 17%64 5,008$ 30,295$
Retaining Wall
Non-Engineered - City Standard per permit 4.25 153$ 649$ $ 91 14%15 1,361$ 9,734$
Reroofing
Commercial per permit 2.60 153$ 397$ $ 242 61%18 4,354$ 7,146$
Residential per permit 1.60 153$ 244$ $ 81 33%222 17,944$ 54,238$
Roof Structure Repair / Reinforcement
Commercial each 4.30 153$ 657$ $ 230 35%1 230$ 657$
Residential each 2.60 153$ 397$ n/a %- -$ -$
Saunas (Steam) per permit 2.25 153$ 344$ n/a %- -$ -$
Sign
Wall - Illuminated per permit 2.25 153$ 344$ $ 126 37%53 6,682$ 18,209$
Wall - Non-Illuminated per permit 2.25 153$ 344$ $ 126 37%21 2,648$ 7,215$
Pole per permit 2.50 153$ 382$ n/a %- -$ -$
Monument per permit 2.25 153$ 344$ $ 126 37%19 2,396$ 6,528$
Skylight
Commercial each 2.50 153$ 382$ $ 895 234%3 2,684$ 1,145$
Residential each 2.50 153$ 382$ $ 895 234%8 7,157$ 3,054$
Solar - Residential (Up to 10 kW) per permit 1.95 153$ 298$ $ 247 83%232 57,356$ 69,080$
Per kW above 10kW per permit 0.35 153$ 53$ n/a %- -$ -$
Add Residential Battery Back-up per permit 1.50 153$ 229$ n/a %- -$ -$
Add Residential Panel Upgrade per permit 1.75 153$ 267$ n/a %- -$ -$
Add Reverse Tilt System/ Ground Mount per permit 2.25 153$ 344$ n/a %- -$ -$
Solar - Commercial (Up to 50 kW) per permit 4.50 153$ 687$ n/a %- -$ -$
Per kW between 51kW - 250kW per permit 0.45 153$ 69$ n/a %- -$ -$
Per kW above 250kW per permit 0.45 153$ 69$ n/a %- -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS Misc Fees,Page 10 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat /
Deposit / Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per Activity
(hours)
FBHR Current Fee /
Deposit [3]
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Spray Booth Install / Clean Room per permit 3.50 153$ 534$ $ 226 42%1 226$ 534$
Stairs
New/Replace First Story each 2.75 153$ 420$ $ 1,491 355%42 62,611$ 17,636$
Additional Story each 2.25 153$ 344$ n/a %- -$ -$
Repair each 2.75 153$ 420$ n/a %- -$ -$
Siding
Stucco each 2.75 153$ 420$ $ 362 86%2 723$ 840$
Stone/Brick Veneer each 3.75 153$ 573$ $ 362 63%5 1,808$ 2,863$
Storage Racks
<8 ft, first 100 lf per permit 3.25 153$ 496$ $ 611 123%10 6,109$ 4,963$
each add'l. 100 lf per permit 0.60 153$ 92$ n/a %- -$ -$
>8 ft, first 100 lf per permit 3.50 153$ 534$ n/a %- -$ -$
>8 ft, ea. Add'l 100 lf per permit 1.60 153$ 244$ n/a %- -$ -$
Swimming Pool
Commercial per permit 7.50 153$ 1,145$ $ 207 18%2 415$ 2,290$
Residential per permit 3.75 153$ 573$ $ 207 36%117 24,268$ 66,995$
Temporary Seating or Bleachers Install per permit 3.75 153$ 573$ $ 518 90%4 2,071$ 2,290$
Trash Enclosure Install per permit 1.75 153$ 267$ $ 670 251%9 6,026$ 2,405$
Windows / Door
Commercial each 2.25 153$ 344$ $ 409 119%12 4,903$ 4,123$
Residential each 2.25 153$ 344$ $ 409 119%137 55,973$ 47,069$
Other Inspections (Per Hour)
Inspections outside of normal business hours
(minimum charge: two hours)per hour 1.25 153$ 191$ $ 117 61%- -$ -$
Re-inspection fees per hour 1.25 153$ 191$ $ 117 61%- -$ -$
Inspections for which no fee is specifically
indicated (minimum charge: one half-hour)per hour 1.25 153$ 191$ $ 117 61%- -$ -$
Additional plan review required by changes,
additions or revisions to approved plans
(minimum charge: one half-hour)
per hour 1.00 153$ 153$ $ 117 77%- -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS Misc Fees,Page 11 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat /
Deposit / Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per Activity
(hours)
FBHR Current Fee /
Deposit [3]
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Other Building Fees
Building Permit Revision, Fee + Third Party Hourly
Charge per hour [2]n/a 153$ n/a $ 35 %78 2,730$ 2,730$
Building Plan Check Fee (8% discount on
repetitive plan checks)each [2]n/a 153$ n/a
70% of Current
Building Permit
Fee
%2,683 1,027,792$ 1,027,792$
Green Building Standards Plan Check and
Inspection each [2]n/a 153$ n/a $ 175 %595 104,225$ 104,225$
Green Building State Standards Fee (SB1473) each [1]153$
$1.00 per every
$25,000 in
building
valuation or
fraction thereof
(minimum fee
$1.00)
Strong Motion Instrumentation Fee (SMIP) and
Seismic Hazard Mapping Fee - Residential each [1]153$
Pass through
from State:
$13.00 per
$100,000
valuation
(minimum
$0.50 fee)
Strong Motion Instrumentation Fee (SMIP) and
Seismic Hazard Mapping Fee - Commercial each [1]153$
Pass through
from State:
$28.00 per
$100,000
valuation
(minimum
$0.50 fee)
per hour 1.00 153$ 153$ new %- -$ -$
TOTAL 1,607,442$ 1,696,302$
[Notes]
[1]Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]
Fee based on actual cost. Plan check revenues are included
for purposes of analysis; going forward fees are
recommended to be charged on an actual cost basis
[3]
“n/a” in this context means no data available to evaluate.
Prior to the new format, the City would have used valuation.
No way to estimate a fee.
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-
by-case basis. It will be based on the fully burdened
hourly rate and the time of service provided.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS Misc Fees,Page 12 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
1 Simple Single or Combination Permits per permit (see list
of simple items)1.45 153$ 221$ $ 175 79%1,424 249,200$ 315,287$
2 Water Heater Only per permit 1.00 153$ 153$ $ 98 64%161 15,778$ 24,584$
3 Complex Mechanical Permits per permit
FAU less than 100,000 Btu/h 3.50 153$ 534$ n/a %- -$ -$
FAU greater than 100,000 Btu/h 4.50 153$ 687$ n/a %- -$ -$
Floor furnace (including vent)2.50 153$ 382$ n/a %- -$ -$
Suspended, wall, or floor-mounted heaters 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Appliance vents not included in an
appliance permit 4.00 153$ 611$ n/a %- -$ -$
Boiler up to 100,000 Btu/h 4.75 153$ 725$ n/a %- -$ -$
Boiler 100,000 Btu/h to 500,000 Btu/h 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Compressor up to 3 HP 2.25 153$ 344$ n/a %- -$ -$
Compressor up to 3 HP to 15 HP 2.35 153$ 359$ n/a %- -$ -$
Other Complex Mechanical 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
III. PLUMBING, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL PERMITS - NOT
ASSOCIATED WITH A BUILDING PERMIT
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat /
Deposit / Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
FBHR Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS MPE Fees,Page 13 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.5
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name Fee Type (Flat /
Deposit / Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Estimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
FBHR Current Fee /
Deposit [2]
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
4 Complex Electrical Permits per permit
Commercial Appliance 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Power Apparatus 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Motor not over 1 HP each 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Motor over 1 HP and not over 10 HP each 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Motor over 10 HP and not over 50 HP each 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Motor over 50 HP and not over 100 HP each 2.25 153$ 344$ n/a %- -$ -$
Motor over 100 HP each 2.50 153$ 382$ n/a %- -$ -$
Generator not over 1 KW each 2.00 153$ 305$ n/a %- -$ -$
Generator over 1 KW and not over 10 KW each 2.25 153$ 344$ n/a %- -$ -$
Generator over 10 KW and not over 50 KW each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
Generator over 50 KW and not over 100
KW each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
Generator over 100 KW each 3.50 153$ 534$ n/a %- -$ -$
Transformer not over 1 KVA each 2.50 153$ 382$ n/a %- -$ -$
Transformer over 1 KVA and not over 10
KVA each 2.50 153$ 382$ n/a %- -$ -$
Transformer over 10 KVA and not over 50
KVA each 2.75 153$ 420$ n/a %- -$ -$
Transformer over 50 KVA and not over 100
KVA each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
Transformer over 100 KVA each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
Services of 600 volts or less and over 400
amperes to 1000 amperes in rating each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
Services over 600 volts or over 1000
amperes in rating each 4.00 153$ 611$ n/a %- -$ -$
Other Complex Electrical each 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
5 Complex Plumbing Permits per permit
Fire Suppression System / Commercial
Hood 4.25 153$ 649$ n/a %- -$ -$
Onsite Sewer 6" & Over 2.75 153$ 420$ n/a %- -$ -$
Onsite Water 6" & Over 2.75 153$ 420$ n/a %- -$ -$
Onsite Storm Drain 6" & Over 2.75 153$ 420$ n/a %- -$ -$
Other Complex Plumbing 3.00 153$ 458$ n/a %- -$ -$
TOTAL 264,978$ 339,871$
[Notes]
[1]Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]
“n/a” in this context means no data available to evaluate.
Prior to the new format, the City would have used valuation.
No way to estimate a fee.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS MPE Fees,Page 14 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.5
Simple Mechanical Items:
Addition to each heating appliance, refrigeration unit, cooling unit,
absorption unit, or each heating, cooling, absorption, or evaporative
cooling system.
HVAC change out - existing dwelling
Air-handling unit under 10,000 CFM
Evaporative cooler
Ventilation fan connected to a single duct
Hood and duct system
Duct systems
Miscellaneous mechanical (wall furnace, condensing units, gas
outlet/gas test, etc.)
Other simple mechanical
Simple Electrical Items:
Receptacle, switch, and lighting outlets
Lighting fixtures
Pole or platform-mounted lighting fixtures
Theatrical-type lighting fixtures or assemblies
Appliances not exceeding one horsepower (HP), kilowatt (KW), or
kilovolt-ampere (KVA), in rating
Busways
Trolley and plug-in-type busways - each 100 feet or fraction thereof
Signs, outline lighting, or marquees supplied from one branch circuit
Services of 600 volts or less and not over 200 amperes in rating
Miscellaneous apparatus, conduits, and conductors
Portable generators less than 10,000 W
Temporary power panel/service
Temporary power pole
Other simple electrical
Simple Single or Combination Permits List
Fee
No.Fee Name
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS MPE Simple List,Page 15 of 16
City of Carlsbad
Building - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.5
Fee
No.Fee Name
Simple Plumbing Items:
Plumbing fixtures
Building sewer
Rainwater systems
Water heater
Industrial waste pretreatment interceptor
Water piping and/or water treating equipment
Repair or alteration of drainage or vent piping
Backflow devices
Atmospheric-type vacuum breakers
Gas test
Gas outlets
Residential remodel/repairs
Other simple plumbing
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/6/2021 Building COS MPE Simple List,Page 16 of 16
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.6
Cost of Service Analysis –Police Department
City of Carlsbad
Police Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.6
Police Fees
1 Administrative Fee - DUI 0.00 -$ $ 20 %n/a - -$ -$
2 Audio / Photos on Disk each 0.50 49$ $ 48 96% 1.93$ 34 1,617$ 1,682$
new Burglary Alarm Registration Fee each [1]0.25 31$ n/a % n/a - -$ -$
3 Burglary Alarm Response - Second Occurrence (no
charge for 1st response if permitted)each [1]0.63 82$ $ 30 37% 52$ 337 10,110$ 27,680$
4 Burglary Alarm Response - Each Additional Occurrence each [1]0.63 82$ $ 60 73% 22$ 930 55,800$ 76,386$
5 False Robbery - Panic Alarm Response - Second
Occurrence (no charge for 1st response)each 0.63 82$ $ 100 122% (18)$ 19 1,900$ 1,561$
6 False Robbery - Panic Alarm Response - Each Additional
Occurrence each [1]0.63 82$ $ 100 122% (18)$ 53 5,300$ 4,353$
7 Copy Investigation Record each 1.50 148$ $ 46 31% 102$ - -$ -$
8 Dispatch Records Searches (per query) each 0.75 74$ $ 18 24% 57$ - -$ -$
9 Entertainment License each [2]5.00 677$ $ 236 35% 441$ - -$ -$
10 Fingerprinting Fees each [5]0.50 49$ $ 20 40% 29$ 248 4,960$ 12,272$
11 Fix-It Ticket - moving violation, with proof of correction each 0.33 33$ $ 16 49% 17$ - -$ -$
12 Fix-It Ticket - parking/registration violation, with proof
of correction each 0.33 33$ $ 10 31% 23$ 61 610$ 1,992$
13 Handicap Placard Violation Waiver Processing Fee -
Waived Upon Proof of Correction each 0.33 33$
Waived upon
proof of
correction
% n/a - -$ -$
14
Photograph Copy - Subpoena or Records requests that
require retrieval in QueTel evidence program.
Photos/Video must be approved prior to release for
compliance with privacy laws.
each 0.25 25$ $ 16 65% 9$ 138 2,227$ 3,414$
15 Police/Fire - Emergency Response DUI Traffic Collision
(max $12,000 per incident)each Actual Cost
16 Production of body worn camera videos. Staff time per
hour of production and redaction of videos.each Actual Cost
17 Proof of Correction Certification - all others 0.00 -$ $ 20 %n/a - -$ -$
18 Proof of Correction Certification - Carlsbad Resident, or
person with CPD citation 0.00 -$ $ - %n/a - -$ -$
19 Report Copy Fee (Free to Victim) each 0.25 25$ $ 10 40% 15$ 1,168 11,680$ 28,899$
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and Current
Fee
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Total Estimated
Average Labor Time
Per Activity (hours)
Activity Service Cost Analysis
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/5/2021 Police COS,Page 1 of 2
City of Carlsbad
Police Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.6
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and Current
Fee
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesFull Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Total Estimated
Average Labor Time
Per Activity (hours)
Activity Service Cost Analysis
new Rental of Conference rooms to Safety Personnel each 2.63 260$ n/a %- -$ -$
20 Special Business Permit (plus fingerprint fee)0.00 -$ $ 136 %n/a - -$ -$
21 Storage/Impounded Vehicle Administrative Charge 1.40 181$ $ 125 69% 56$ 189 23,625$ 34,121$
per hour 1.00 99$ new % n/a - -$ -$
TOTAL 117,829$ 192,361$
[Notes]
[1]Per section 8.50.080(e), Ord NS-230 ph1,2,1993; Ord -53 ph 3, 1989:
Ord. 1278 ph 1 (part) 1985)
[2] Code Section 8.09.070
[3]
A valid, unexpired City of Carlsbad Business License is required for all
special event Applicants. An amendment to 8.17.070 CMC requires an
Applicant to pay a non-refundable fee to allow third party vendors to
participate under the Applicant’s business License.
[4] See Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 8.17.070
[5]Plus DOJ fee
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-by-
case basis. It will be based on the fully burdened hourly rate
and the time of service provided.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 5/5/2021 Police COS,Page 2 of 2
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.7
Cost of Service Analysis –Fire Department
City of Carlsbad
Fire Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.7
I FIRE EXTINGUISHING AND ALARM SYSTEMS
1 New Sprinkler System
ESFR Fire Sprinkler System (Initial system)0.82 2.75 2.75 6.32 213$ 174$ 587$ 587$ 1,348$ 858$ 64%490$ 4 3,431$ 5,392$ Each additional System 0.00 1.00 0.75 1.75 213$ -$ 213$ 160$ 373$ 237$ 63%136$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 102$ 48%111$ - -$ -$
ESFR Fire Sprinkler System with In-Rack Sprinklers 0.82 3.25 3.25 7.32 213$ 174$ 694$ 694$ 1,561$ 994$ 64%568$ - -$ -$ Each additional System 0.00 1.00 0.75 1.75 213$ -$ 213$ 160$ 373$ 237$ 63%136$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 102$ 48%111$ - -$ -$
Fire Pump (first pump)0.82 2.75 2.25 5.82 213$ 174$ 587$ 480$ 1,241$ 790$ 64%452$ 2 1,579$ 2,483$
Each Additional pump 0.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 213$ -$ 213$ 213$ 427$ 271$ 64%156$ - -$ -$
NFPA 13 System < 100 heads 0.82 1.50 2.25 4.57 213$ 174$ 320$ 480$ 975$ 620$ 64%355$ 7 4,337$ 6,822$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 102$ 48%111$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 204$ 96%9$ - -$ -$ NFPA 13 System > 100 heads (includes one riser)0.82 2.75 2.75 6.32 213$ 174$ 587$ 587$ 1,348$ 858$ 64%490$ 58 49,752$ 78,184$ Each Additional Riser 0.00 1.00 0.75 1.75 213$ -$ 213$ 160$ 373$ 237$ 63%136$ 3 711$ 1,120$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 102$ 48%111$ - -$ -$ Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 373$ 175%(160)$ 1 373$ 213$
NFPA 13R System 3-16 units (per building)0.82 2.75 2.75 6.32 213$ 174$ 587$ 587$ 1,348$ 858$ 64%490$ 4 3,431$ 5,392$
Per Additional Inspection (per building)0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 373$ 175%(160)$ - -$ -$ Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 373$ 175%(160)$ - -$ -$
NFPA 13D Single Family System (Plan Review Per Initial or Single
Plan Type)0.82 1.00 0.00 1.82 213$ 174$ 213$ -$ 388$ 246$ 64% 141$ 59 14,538$ 22,873$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ - -$ -$ NFPA 13D Single Family System (Inspection Per Building)0.00 0.00 0.92 0.92 213$ -$ -$ 196$ 196$ 125$ 64%71$ 231 28,817$ 45,189$
Underground Piping with up to 4 Hydrants/Risers 0.82 1.75 3.00 5.57 213$ 174$ 373$ 640$ 1,188$ 756$ 64%432$ 33 24,939$ 39,203$
Underground Piping with 5 or more Hydrants/Risers [3]0.82 2.25 4.50 7.57 213$ 174$ 480$ 960$ 1,615$ 996$ 62%619$ 10 9,959$ 16,148$
2 TI Sprinkler System
NFPA 13 or 13R System 6 heads or less 0.17 0.25 0.50 0.92 213$ 36$ 53$ 107$ 196$ 125$ 64%71$ 33 4,117$ 6,456$ NFPA 13 or 13R System 7 - 100 heads 0.82 1.25 2.00 4.07 213$ 174$ 267$ 427$ 868$ 553$ 64%315$ 104 57,472$ 90,256$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 271$ 127%(58)$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 170$ 80%43$ - -$ -$ NFPA 13 or 13R System > 100 heads 0.82 1.50 2.50 4.82 213$ 174$ 320$ 534$ 1,028$ 654$ 64%374$ 16 10,458$ 16,446$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 339$ 159%(126)$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 204$ 96%9$ - -$ -$
3 Other Extinguishing Systems
Gas Systems (Med Gas, Industrial Gas, LPG)0.82 1.25 1.00 3.07 213$ 174$ 267$ 213$ 654$ 417$ 64%238$ - -$ -$
Hood & Duct Extinguishing System 0.82 1.00 1.25 3.07 213$ 174$ 213$ 267$ 654$ 417$ 64%238$ 23 9,580$ 15,052$ Each additional System 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 213$ -$ 107$ 213$ 320$ 204$ 64%116$ - -$ -$
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Current
Fee
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Fee
No.Fee Description
NotesProcessing
Time
Plan
Review
Time
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Inspection
Time
Total Time
Per
Activity
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate
Processing
Cost Of
Service Per
Activity
Plan Review
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Inspection
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Activity Service Cost Analysis
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 Fire COS, Page 1 of 6
City of Carlsbad
Fire Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.7
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Current
Fee
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Fee
No.Fee Description
NotesProcessing
Time
Plan
Review
Time
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Inspection
Time
Total Time
Per
Activity
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate
Processing
Cost Of
Service Per
Activity
Plan Review
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Inspection
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Activity Service Cost Analysis
Pre-Action System with Alarm 0.82 1.75 1.50 4.07 213$ 174$ 373$ 320$ 868$ 553$ 64%315$ 3 1,658$ 2,604$
Refrigeration Systems < 500 lbs 0.82 3.00 1.50 5.32 213$ 174$ 640$ 320$ 1,135$ 722$ 64%413$ - -$ -$
Refrigeration Systems > 500 lbs 0.82 5.00 3.25 9.07 213$ 174$ 1,067$ 694$ 1,935$ 1,231$ 64%704$ - -$ -$
Special Equipment (Ovens, Dust, Battery)0.82 1.25 1.00 3.07 213$ 174$ 267$ 213$ 654$ 417$ 64%238$ - -$ -$
Special Extinguishing System 0.82 2.25 1.25 4.32 213$ 174$ 480$ 267$ 921$ 586$ 64%336$ 8 4,685$ 7,370$
Spray Booths 0.82 1.25 1.00 3.07 213$ 174$ 267$ 213$ 654$ 417$ 64%238$ - -$ -$
4 Alarm Systems
New Alarm System 0.82 3.25 5.25 9.32 213$ 174$ 694$ 1,120$ 1,988$ 1,265$ 64%723$ 34 43,011$ 67,600$ Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 712$ 334%(499)$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 441$ 207%(228)$ - -$ -$
Sprinkler Monitoring 0.82 1.00 1.00 2.82 213$ 174$ 213$ 213$ 601$ 383$ 64%219$ 68 26,010$ 40,874$ Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ - -$ -$
TI Fire Alarm System 0.82 1.75 2.00 4.57 213$ 174$ 373$ 427$ 975$ 620$ 64%355$ 73 45,233$ 71,142$
Per Additional Inspection 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 213$ 271$ 127%(58)$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Plan Type 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 170$ 80%43$ - -$ -$
II DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS, PLAN REVIEW AND INSPECTION
1 Building Construction Plan (Architectural Review)
A-1 Occupancies - New 0.50 5.25 3.00 8.75 213$ 107$ 1,120$ 640$ 1,867$ 1,188$ 64%680$ - -$ -$
A-1 Occupancies - TI 0.50 3.94 2.25 6.69 213$ 107$ 840$ 480$ 1,427$ 908$ 64%519$ - -$ -$ A-2 & A-3 Occupancies - New 0.50 3.50 2.00 6.00 213$ 107$ 747$ 427$ 1,280$ 814$ 64%466$ 4 3,258$ 5,122$
A-2 & A-3 Occupancies - TI 0.50 2.63 1.50 4.63 213$ 107$ 560$ 320$ 987$ 628$ 64%359$ 24 15,069$ 23,688$
A-4 & A-5 Occupancies - New 0.50 5.25 3.00 8.75 213$ 107$ 1,120$ 640$ 1,867$ 1,188$ 64%680$ - -$ -$ A-4 & A-5 Occupancies - TI 0.50 3.94 2.25 6.69 213$ 107$ 840$ 480$ 1,427$ 908$ 64%519$ - -$ -$
E Occupancies New 0.50 5.25 3.00 8.75 213$ 107$ 1,120$ 640$ 1,867$ 1,188$ 64%680$ - -$ -$
E Occupancies TI 0.50 3.94 2.25 6.69 213$ 107$ 840$ 480$ 1,427$ 908$ 64%519$ - -$ -$ E Occupancies (Daycare only) 0.50 2.00 1.00 3.50 213$ 107$ 427$ 213$ 747$ 475$ 64%272$ - -$ -$
F Occupancies New 0.50 3.50 2.00 6.00 213$ 107$ 747$ 427$ 1,280$ 814$ 64%466$ 2 1,629$ 2,561$
F Occupancies TI 0.50 2.63 1.50 4.63 213$ 107$ 560$ 320$ 987$ 628$ 64%359$ 12 7,535$ 11,844$ H Occupancies (not including Chem Class) New 0.50 3.50 2.00 6.00 213$ 107$ 747$ 427$ 1,280$ 814$ 64%466$ - -$ -$
H Occupancies (not including Chem Class) TI 0.50 2.63 1.50 4.63 213$ 107$ 560$ 320$ 987$ 628$ 64%359$ - -$ -$
I Occupancies New 0.50 3.50 2.00 6.00 213$ 107$ 747$ 427$ 1,280$ 814$ 64%466$ - -$ -$ I Occupancies TI 0.50 2.63 1.50 4.63 213$ 107$ 560$ 320$ 987$ 628$ 64%359$ - -$ -$ L Occupancies New 0.50 2.00 1.00 3.50 213$ 107$ 427$ 213$ 747$ 475$ 64%272$ - -$ -$
L Occupancies TI 0.50 1.50 0.75 2.75 213$ 107$ 320$ 160$ 587$ 373$ 64%214$ - -$ -$ R-1 & R-2 Occupancies <50 units New 0.50 5.25 3.00 8.75 213$ 107$ 1,120$ 640$ 1,867$ 1,188$ 64%680$ 1 1,188$ 1,867$ R-1 & R-2 Occupancies ≥50 units New 0.50 6.56 3.75 10.81 213$ 107$ 1,400$ 800$ 2,307$ 1,468$ 64%839$ 1 1,468$ 2,307$
R-3 Townhomes New 0.50 3.50 2.00 6.00 213$ 107$ 747$ 427$ 1,280$ 814$ 64%466$ - -$ -$
R Occupancies All TI's 0.50 2.63 1.50 4.63 213$ 107$ 560$ 320$ 987$ 628$ 64%359$ 3 1,884$ 2,961$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 Fire COS, Page 2 of 6
City of Carlsbad
Fire Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.7
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Current
Fee
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Fee
No.Fee Description
NotesProcessing
Time
Plan
Review
Time
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Inspection
Time
Total Time
Per
Activity
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate
Processing
Cost Of
Service Per
Activity
Plan Review
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Inspection
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Activity Service Cost Analysis
S Occupancies < 50,000sq. ft. New 0.50 2.00 1.00 3.50 213$ 107$ 427$ 213$ 747$ 475$ 64%272$ 2 951$ 1,494$
S Occupancies < 50,000sq. ft. TI 0.50 1.50 0.75 2.75 213$ 107$ 320$ 160$ 587$ 373$ 64%214$ 1 373$ 587$
S Occupancies ≥ 50,000sq. ft. New 0.50 3.50 2.50 6.50 213$ 107$ 747$ 534$ 1,387$ 883$ 64%505$ 3 2,648$ 4,161$ S Occupancies ≥ 50,000sq. ft. TI 0.50 2.63 1.88 5.00 213$ 107$ 560$ 400$ 1,067$ 678$ 64%389$ 1 678$ 1,067$
2 Plan Review and Inspection
Hazardous Materials Storage
Chem Class <10 Chemicals 0.82 1.50 1.25 3.57 213$ 174$ 320$ 267$ 761$ 485$ 64%277$ - -$ -$
Chem Class 10- 25 Chemicals 0.82 3.00 1.75 5.57 213$ 174$ 640$ 373$ 1,188$ 756$ 64%432$ - -$ -$ Chem Class 26 - 100 Chemicals 0.82 4.50 2.75 8.07 213$ 174$ 960$ 587$ 1,721$ 1,095$ 64%627$ - -$ -$
Chem Class >100 Chemicals 0.82 6.00 3.75 10.57 213$ 174$ 1,280$ 800$ 2,255$ 1,435$ 64%820$ - -$ -$
New Fire Department Access & Fire Lanes 0.82 1.00 0.00 1.82 213$ 174$ 213$ -$ 388$ n/a %n/a - -$ -$
High Piled Storage 0.82 2.25 2.50 5.57 213$ 174$ 480$ 534$ 1,188$ 756$ 64%432$ - -$ -$
High Rise Structure greater than 55 feet 0.50 1.00 1.00 2.50 213$ 107$ 213$ 213$ 534$ 339$ 64%194$ - -$ -$
Per Additional Floor 0.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 213$ -$ 213$ 213$ 427$ 271$ 64%156$ - -$ -$
Storage Tanks
Aboveground Storage Tanks (First tank)0.82 2.00 2.50 5.32 213$ 174$ 427$ 534$ 1,135$ 722$ 64%413$ 1 722$ 1,135$
Underground Storage Tanks (First tank)0.82 2.00 2.00 4.82 213$ 174$ 427$ 427$ 1,028$ 654$ 64%374$ - -$ -$ Each Additional Tank 0.00 0.50 0.25 0.75 213$ -$ 107$ 53$ 160$ 102$ 64%58$ - -$ -$
Vegetation Fuel ModificationCustom Home 0.82 1.50 1.25 3.57 213$ 174$ 320$ 267$ 761$ 485$ 64%277$ - -$ -$
Tract <75 Homes 0.82 3.00 2.75 6.57 213$ 174$ 640$ 587$ 1,401$ 892$ 64%510$ - -$ -$
Tract ≥75 Homes 0.82 4.50 4.25 9.57 213$ 174$ 960$ 907$ 2,042$ 1,299$ 64%743$ - -$ -$
Smoke Control - Rationale Analysis & Plan Review 0.82 6.00 3.25 10.07 213$ 174$ 1,280$ 694$ 2,148$ 1,367$ 64%781$ - -$ -$
3 Other Fire Fees
Aerial Fireworks Display
Major 1.00 0.50 8.00 9.50 213$ 213$ 107$ 1,707$ 2,027$ 1,290$ 64%738$ 1 1,290$ 2,027$ Minor 1.00 0.50 4.00 5.50 213$ 213$ 107$ 854$ 1,174$ 746$ 64%427$ 2 1,493$ 2,347$
Plan Review
Processing Fee 0.17 0.00 0.00 0.17 213$ 36$ -$ -$ 36$ 23$ 63%14$ - -$ -$ Per Hour - Overtime 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 231$ -$ 231$ -$ 231$ 152$ 65%80$ 2 303$ 463$
Per Hour - Regular Office Hours 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ 47 6,396$ 10,030$
Hourly Services for: Alternate Methods and Materials Review, Time and First Hour 0.17 1.00 0.00 1.17 213$ 36$ 213$ -$ 250$ 159$ 64%91$ 3 476$ 749$ Each Additional Hour 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ 3 408$ 640$
Plan Resubmittal (3rd and Subsequent Submittal, per hour)0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 213$ -$ 213$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ 16 2,177$ 3,414$ Reinspections (Per inspection)0.17 0.00 1.25 1.42 213$ 36$ -$ 267$ 302$ 193$ 64%110$ 23 4,434$ 6,953$ Tent Permit (Not associated with special events)
Single tent 0.50 0.50 0.50 1.50 213$ 107$ 107$ 107$ 320$ 204$ 64%116$ 21 4,287$ 6,722$
2-5 tents 0.50 1.00 1.50 3.00 213$ 107$ 213$ 320$ 640$ 407$ 64%233$ 6 2,443$ 3,841$ 6 or more tents 0.50 1.50 2.00 4.00 213$ 107$ 320$ 427$ 854$ 543$ 64%310$ 2 1,087$ 1,707$
Weed Abatement Administrative Fee 2.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 213$ 427$ -$ -$ 427$ 271$ 64%156$ - -$ -$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 Fire COS, Page 3 of 6
City of Carlsbad
Fire Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.7
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Current
Fee
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Fee
No.Fee Description
NotesProcessing
Time
Plan
Review
Time
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Inspection
Time
Total Time
Per
Activity
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate
Processing
Cost Of
Service Per
Activity
Plan Review
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Inspection
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Activity Service Cost Analysis
Fire Nuisance Alarm - 1st response in 12 month period [7]-$
Fire Nuisance Alarm - 2nd response in 12 month period [7]89$
Fire Nuisance Alarm - 3rd response in 12 month period [7]177$ Fire Nuisance Alarm - each additional response thereafter [7]348$
Fire Nuisance Alarm - each billing [7]12$
4 Special Events Application ProcessingMinor: Events that may impact emergency operations equipment or
access and have attendance or participation of under 1,500 persons
(Building and Safety)
Single tent 0.17 0.00 0.00 0.17 213$ 36$ -$ -$ 36$ 23$ 63%14$ - -$ -$ 2-5 tents 1.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 213$ 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64%77$ - -$ -$ Major: Events that may impact emergency operations equipment or
access and have attendance or participation of 1,500 or more persons
(Building and Safety)1.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 213$ 213$ -$ -$ 213$ 136$ 64% 77$ - -$ -$
Miscellaneous: Events that may impact emergency operations
equipment or access and may only require an over the counter submittal
0.17 0.00 0.00 0.17 213$ 36$ -$ -$ 36$ 23$ 64% 13$ - -$ -$
Special Events - Fire Prevention/Operations Support Prior To/During
Event n/a n/a n/a n/a 213$ n/a n/a n/a n/a Actual
Cost % n/a - -$ -$
III ANNUAL INSPECTIONS AND FIRE CODE PERMITS
1 Annual Inspections for the following Occupancies:[1]
Care Facility for more than 6 ambulatory & non-ambulatory clients 0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ -$ 0% 231$ - -$ -$
Hospitals, Nursing homes, Mental hospitals, Detoxification and
Surgery Centers 0.08 0.00 2.00 2.08 213$ 18$ -$ 427$ 445$ -$ 0% 445$ - -$ -$
Commercial Care Facility (i.e. Child, Drug & Alcohol, Juvenile, &
etc.)0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ -$ 0% 231$ - -$ -$
Pre-Inspection Residential Care Facility (i.e. Single Family
Residences)0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ -$ 0% 231$ - -$ -$
High Rise Facility > 75 ft. (per floor of building)0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ -$ 0%231$ - -$ -$
Public or Private School
Pre-School 0.50 0.00 2.00 2.50 213$ 107$ -$ 427$ 534$ -$ 0%534$ -$ -$ Elementary/Middle School 0.50 0.00 3.50 4.00 213$ 107$ -$ 747$ 854$ -$ 0%854$ 43 -$ 36,706$
High School 1.00 0.00 5.00 6.00 213$ 213$ -$ 1,067$ 1,280$ -$ 0%1,280$ -$ -$
2 State Mandated Hotel and Motel Inspection
1-5 Buildings per property 0.50 0.00 3.00 3.50 213$ 107$ -$ 640$ 747$ -$ 0%747$ 45 -$ 33,611$
6-10 Buildings per property 1.00 0.00 5.00 6.00 213$ 213$ -$ 1,067$ 1,280$ -$ 0%1,280$ - -$ -$ 11 or more buildings per property 1.50 0.00 6.00 7.50 213$ 320$ -$ 1,280$ 1,601$ -$ 0%1,601$ - -$ -$
3 State Mandated Apartment Inspection3-10 units per building 0.50 0.00 0.75 1.25 213$ 107$ -$ 160$ 267$ no charge %267$ 2,080 -$ 554,853$ 11-40 units per building 0.50 0.00 1.00 1.50 213$ 107$ -$ 213$ 320$ no charge %320$ 324 -$ 103,715$
Greater than 40 units per building 0.50 0.00 1.50 2.00 213$ 107$ -$ 320$ 427$ no charge %427$ 10 -$ 4,268$
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 Fire COS, Page 4 of 6
City of Carlsbad
Fire Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.7
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Current
Fee
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Fee
No.Fee Description
NotesProcessing
Time
Plan
Review
Time
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Inspection
Time
Total Time
Per
Activity
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate
Processing
Cost Of
Service Per
Activity
Plan Review
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Inspection
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Activity Service Cost Analysis
4 Fire Code Permits - Initial Permit [5]
Tier 1 0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ no charge %231$ - -$ -$ Tier 2 0.08 0.00 2.00 2.08 213$ 18$ -$ 427$ 445$ no charge %445$ - -$ -$
Tier 3 0.08 0.00 3.00 3.08 213$ 18$ -$ 640$ 658$ no charge %658$ - -$ -$
5 Fire Code Permits - Annual Renewal Permit [5]
Tier 1 0.08 0.00 0.50 0.58 213$ 18$ -$ 107$ 124$ no charge %124$ - -$ -$
Tier 2 0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ no charge %231$ - -$ -$ Tier 3 0.08 0.00 1.50 1.58 213$ 18$ -$ 320$ 338$ no charge %338$ - -$ -$
6 Assembly < 300 people 0.08 0.00 1.00 1.08 213$ 18$ -$ 213$ 231$ no charge %231$ - -$ -$
> 300 people 0.08 0.00 2.00 2.08 213$ 18$ -$ 427$ 445$ no charge %445$ - -$ -$
7 All Other Occupancies Annual Inspections
Tier 1 - 5,000 s.f. or less 0.08 0.00 0.75 0.83 213$ 18$ -$ 160$ 178$ -$ 0%178$ - -$ -$
Tier 2 - 5,001 to 20,000 s.f.0.08 0.00 1.25 1.33 213$ 18$ -$ 267$ 285$ -$ 0%285$ - -$ -$ Tier 3 - 20,001 and greater 0.08 0.00 2.00 2.08 213$ 18$ -$ 427$ 445$ -$ 0%445$ - -$ -$
1.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 213$ 213$ -$ -$ 213$ new % n/a - -$ -$
406,291$ 1,371,661$
[Notes]
[1] All annual inspection fees shall include time for the initial inspection and 1 reinspection.
All subsequent reinspections shall be charged an additional rate per inspection.
[2] For services requested of City staff which have no fee listed in this fee schedule, the City
Manager or the City Manager's designee shall determine the appropriate fee based on the
established hourly rates for this division. Additionally, the City will pass-through to the
applicant any discrete costs incurred from the use of external service providers if required
to process the specific request.
[3] Additional Reinspection fees shall apply for phased inspection projects at the discretion of
the Fire Marshall
[4] Minimum deposit of $1500 required for review of Alternate Methods and Materials
For services requested of City staff which have no fee listed in this fee schedule,
the City Manager or the City Manager's designee shall determine the
appropriate fee based on the established hourly rates for this division.
Additionally, the City will pass-through to the applicant any discrete costs
incurred from the use of external service providers if required to process the
specific application.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 Fire COS, Page 5 of 6
City of Carlsbad
Fire Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities
APPENDIX A.7
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
Current
Fee
Existing Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Fee
No.Fee Description
NotesProcessing
Time
Plan
Review
Time
Cost Recovery Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Inspection
Time
Total Time
Per
Activity
Fully
Burdened
Hourly Rate
Processing
Cost Of
Service Per
Activity
Plan Review
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Inspection
Cost of
Service Per
Activity
Activity Service Cost Analysis
[5] Tier 1 – Candles – Open Flame; Cryogens; Dry Cleaning; Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG);
Motor Vehicle Fuel Dispensing; Industrial Ovens; Hot Works; Welding
Tier 2 – Aerosol; Aviation Facility; Waste Handling; Carnival/Fair; Combustible Materials
Storage; Compressed Gas; Dust Producing Operations; Flammable Liquids – Storage;
Combustible Liquids – Storage; Flammable/Combustible Liquids – Tanks;
Flammable/Combustible Liquids – AST/UST Removal; Fruit Ripening; Hazardous Materials;
Magnesium Work; Repair Garage; Tire Storage; Explosives-Model Rockets
Tier 3 – Aircraft Refueling; Explosives – Blasting & Fireworks; High Piled Combustible
Storage (HPS); Lumber Yards & Woodworking Plants; Refrigeration Equipment; Spraying or
Dipping Operations;
Package Permits – All permits associated in the following activities are included in the Tier
priced above: Dry Cleaning; Motor Vehicle Fuel Dispensing; Repair Garage; Welding[6] Additional fees for Standby of fire personnel and equipment during event will apply.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 Fire COS, Page 6 of 6
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.8
Cost of Service Analysis –Utilities Department
City of Carlsbad
Utilities Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.8
Water Account Fees
1 Discontinuation of Service - Non-Payment (Shut-off)each 1.25 217$ 225$ 40$ 18% 185$ - -$ -$
2 Service Reconnection (Non-Payment) - Same Day / Non-
Business hours (After Hours Turn-On)each 3.83 217$ 808$ 178$ 22% 630$ - -$ -$
3 Continuity of Service - Landlord each 0.08 217$ 10$ 12$ 115% (2)$ 520 6,240$ 5,431$
4 Door Hanger - Electronic each 0.02 217$ 3$ 1$ 40% 2$ - -$ -$
5 Door Hanger - Paper each 0.81 217$ 155$ 16$ 10% 139$ - -$ -$
6 New Account Set Up (Admin)each 0.34 217$ 50$ 40$ 80% 10$ - -$ -$
7 Service Reconnection for Non-Payment (Next Day)
Business Hours (Next Scheduled Day Turn-On)each 0.88 217$ 168$ 65$ 39% 103$ - -$ -$
8 New Account Service Connection - (Same Day) Business
Hours (Same Day Turn-On)each 0.88 217$ 168$ 150$ 89% 18$ - -$ -$
Water Services Fees
1 Potable, Recycled and Sewer Standards and
Specifications (Available on Internet)each [1]No Charge
2 Potable, Recycled and Sewer Standards and
Specifications (Cost for each)each [1]Actual Cost
3 Utility Standards and Specifications (actual cost of
reproduction)each [1]Actual Cost
4 Potable Water Meter - Construction Meter Deposit deposit [1]900$
5 Potable Water Meter - Construction Meter Installation each 2.00 217$ 434$ 192$ 44% 242$ 5 960$ 2,169$
6 Potable Water Meter - Construction Meter Relocation each 1.00 217$ 217$ 85$ 39% 132$ 15 1,275$ 3,254$
7 Blueprinting of Standard Size (24" x 36") Improvement
Plan Sheet (cost for each)each 0.30 217$ 65$ 85$ 131% (20)$ - -$ -$
8 Potable Backflow Preventer Annual Testing - 1st Notice per month [1]3$
9 Potable Backflow Preventer Annual Testing - 2nd Notice per month [1]11$
10 Potable Backflow Preventer Annual Testing - 3rd Notice per month [1]33$
Activity Service Cost Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesEstimated
Average Labor
Time Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Dollar
Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Cost Recovery Analysis
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Utilities COS,Page 1 of 2
City of Carlsbad
Utilities Department - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.8
Activity Service Cost Analysis Annual Estimated Revenue Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesEstimated
Average Labor
Time Per Activity
(hours)
Full Cost
of Service
Per
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Full Cost
Recovery Fee
FBHR
Dollar
Variance
Between Full
COS and
Current Fee
Cost Recovery Analysis
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
Estimated
Volume of
Activity
Annual
Estimated
Revenues at
Current Fee
Recycled Water Fees
1 Recycled Backflow Preventer Annual Testing - 2nd
Notice per month 0.10 201$ 20$ 11$ 55% 9$ - -$ -$
2 Recycled Backflow Preventer Annual Testing - 3rd Notice per month 0.25 201$ 50$ 33$ 66% 17$ - -$ -$
3 Cross-Connection Inspection - County Department of
Environmental Health (CDEH) (CDEH Invoice) each 1.00 201$ 201$ Actual Cost % n/a - -$ -$
4 Recycled Backflow Preventer Annual Testing - 1st Notice per month n/a 201$ n/a Actual Cost % n/a - -$ -$
5 Cross-Connection Reinspection each 1.00 201$ 201$ Actual Cost % n/a - -$ -$
6 Recycled Water Meter - Construction Meter Deposit deposit [1]900$
7 Recycled Water Meter - Construction Meter Installation each 2.00 201$ 403$ 192$ 48% 211$ 12 2,304$ 4,832$
8 Recycled Water Meter - Construction Meter Relocation each 1.00 201$ 201$ 85$ 42% 116$ 14 1,190$ 2,818$
NEW E28 Recycled Water Shutdown - Deposit deposit 4.00 201$ 805$ new % n/a - -$ -$
NEW E28 Recycled Water Shutdown - Actual Cost each 4.00 217$ 805$ new % n/a - -$ -$
Wastewater Fees
NEW Annual FOG Inspection Fee - Restaurants [1]new
NEW FOG Violation Fee [1]new
NEW Wastewater System Request - Hydraulic Modeling Fee -
Deposit n/a 191$ n/a new %- -$ -$
NEW Wastewater System Request - Hydraulic Modeling Fee -
Actual Cost n/a 191$ n/a new %- -$ -$
per hour 1.00 201$ 201$ new % n/a
TOTAL 5,729 13,073
[Notes]
[1]Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]City Attorney fee charged based on actual cost.
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-by-
case basis. It will be based on the fully burdened hourly rate
and the time of service provided.
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Utilities COS,Page 2 of 2
Prepared by NBS for the City of Carlsbad
APPENDIX A.9
Cost of Service Analysis –General City Fees
City of Carlsbad
General City Fees - User Fee Study Fiscal Year 2021
Cost of Service Estimate for Fee Related Services and Activities APPENDIX A.9
Miscellaneous City Fees
1
Administrative Fee for 1915 Act Bond Call - 1% of principal
being repaid
(For all Assessment Districts using 1915 Act Bonds)
$50
min/$500
max
2 Business License - additional fee, per license, per State of
California SB1186*[2] $ 4
3 Business License - master list of active business licenses per request 0.33 125$ 41$ $ 37 90% 4$
4 Business License - monthly list of new licenses per request 0.08 125$ 10$ $ 6 57% 4$
5 Cable Channel Administration Fee per hour 1.00 125$ 125$ $110/Hour % 15$
6 Electric Vehicle Charging Fee [1] $0.35 / kWh
7
GIS - digital data delivery, production of new documents,
reproduction of existing documents, and technical services
(per hour + overhead)
Actual Cost
8 Hearing Disposition Services for Parking Citations - Personal
Hearings Actual Cost
9 Hearing Disposition Services for Parking Citations - Written
Review Actual Cost
10 City Publications
Determined
by City
Manager
11 Returned Check Fee per check [3]
First Returned Check $ 38
Each Additional Check $ 38
12 Community Facilities District Annexation - City Labor per request 16.00 125$ 2,005$ $ 1,851 92% 154$
Plus Consultant Cost $ 2,106
hourly 1.00 125$ 125$ new % n/a
TOTAL
[Notes]
[1]Set per City policy / NBS did not evaluate.
[2]
[3]
Fees for services not listed will be determined on a case-by-case
basis. It will be based on the fully burdened hourly rate and the
time of service provided.
Current Fee /
Deposit
Existing
Cost
Recovery %
The business license tax per license is a separate charge and is per Municipal Code 5.08.
Fee amount set by State. First returned check: $25, each additional: $35.
Dollar Variance
Between Full
COS and Current
Fee
Activity Service Cost Analysis Cost Recovery Analysis
Fee
No.Fee Name
Fee Type
(Flat /
Deposit /
Hourly)NotesEstimated
Average Labor
Time Per
Activity (hours)
Full Cost of
Service Per
Activity
FBHR
NBS - Local Government Solutions
Web: www.nbsgov.com Toll-Free:800.676.7516 4/28/2021 Finance COS,Page 1 of 1