When a new residential, commercial, or industrial development project is proposed, school districts must collect accurate project information before determining applicable developer fees. A standardized project registration process helps ensure applications are complete, calculations are accurate, and projects move through the approval process efficiently.
Use this checklist to collect the information needed before calculating or assessing school developer fees.
Before You Begin
Before registering a development project:
- Confirm the project falls within the district's boundaries.
- Verify the applicant's contact information.
- Determine the project type.
- Review local district developer fee policies.
- Identify required supporting documentation.
Many districts simplify this process by using the Facilitron DevFees platform to centralize project registration, fee calculations, document management, and reporting.
School Development Project Registration Checklist
Applicant Information
- Applicant name
- Company or organization
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Authorized representative (if applicable)
Project Information
- Project name
- Project address
- Assessor's Parcel Number (APN)
- Jurisdiction (city or county)
- School district
- Project description
- Proposed construction start date
- Estimated completion date
Project Type
Identify the applicable project category:
- Residential
- Commercial
- Industrial
- Mixed-use
- Addition or expansion
- Other
Building Information
- Number of buildings
- Total square footage
- Residential unit count (if applicable)
- Commercial floor area
- Industrial floor area
- Planned occupancy
Required Documentation
- Site plan
- Building plans
- Planning approval documents
- Building permit application
- Environmental documentation (if required)
- Previous developer fee records (if applicable)
Maintaining complete documentation from the beginning helps reduce processing delays and improves the accuracy of developer fee calculations throughout the project lifecycle.
Fee Review
Before processing the application, verify:
- Applicable fee schedule
- Fee exemptions (if any)
- Eligible credits
- Current fee rates
- Supporting calculations
Districts can automate much of this review through the Developer Fee Program portal, reducing manual calculations and improving consistency.
Internal Review
- Verify application completeness.
- Review submitted documentation.
- Confirm project classification.
- Calculate applicable developer fees.
- Request additional information (if necessary).
- Approve project for fee assessment.
Applicant Notification
- Provide fee calculation summary.
- Issue payment instructions.
- Explain next steps.
- Document all correspondence.
- Maintain project records.
Common Registration Issues
Watch for:
- Missing project documents
- Incorrect square footage
- Incomplete applicant information
- Incorrect project classification
- Outdated fee schedules
- Missing approvals
- Inconsistent project descriptions
Identifying these issues early helps prevent delays in project approval and fee collection.
Best Practices
- Require complete applications before beginning the review process.
- Standardize documentation requirements across all projects.
- Use the latest adopted developer fee schedules.
- Keep digital records for every application.
- Document all applicant communications.
- Review project information before issuing final fee assessments.
Districts managing a high volume of development projects can improve efficiency by integrating project registration, fee calculations, reporting, and payment tracking into a single workflow using the Developer Fee Program.
Download Your School Development Project Registration Checklist
Turn this checklist into a repeatable workflow your district can use to standardize project intake and developer fee administration.
Using a standardized project registration checklist helps districts improve consistency, reduce processing delays, maintain accurate records, and streamline developer fee administration.
Conclusion
A complete project registration process lays the foundation for accurate developer fee assessments and efficient project review. By collecting the right information upfront, school districts can reduce administrative workload, improve compliance, and avoid costly processing delays.
For districts looking to modernize the entire process, Facilitron DevFees simplifies project registration, fee calculations, payment tracking, and reporting, while the Developer Fee Program portal provides resources and tools to support effective developer fee management.