Building in Roswell is about to get more expensive.
The city's Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Aug. 18, on a proposed overhaul of development impact fees that haven't been updated since 2015. Under the new schedule, a single-family home could carry a fee as high as $9,275, and commercial projects could face charges up to $8,142 per 1,000 square feet.
Planning and Zoning Director Jeannie Peyton recommended approval of the amendment in an Aug. 11 memo to the Planning Commission, citing findings from consultant TischlerBise and a city advisory committee that met five times between June 2025 and February 2026.
What the fees fund
Impact fees are one-time charges collected when a building permit is issued. Under Georgia law, the money can only go toward system improvements: transportation, police, fire and parks. It cannot be used for routine maintenance or operations.
The proposed single-family fee of $9,275 breaks down to $4,249 for parks and recreation, $2,399 for transportation, $1,498 for fire, $859 for police and $270 in administrative costs. The commercial rate of $8,142 per 1,000 square feet is dominated by transportation at $4,871, followed by fire at $1,928, police at $1,106 and $237 in administrative costs. Both schedules include a 3% admin fee.
Two fee tables, different scales
The draft ordinance contains two computation tables. A "Citywide" table ties residential fees to home size, ranging from $1,844 for homes of 1,000 square feet or less up to $4,135 for homes over 4,000 square feet. Commercial space under that table would be assessed $3,033 per 1,000 square feet.
A second table sets flat per-unit fees: $9,275 for single-family and $6,728 for multi-family. It is not clear from the agenda packet whether the two tables represent different service areas, alternative schedules or a phased rollout.
Context and comparisons
Roswell is one of only two Georgia jurisdictions, along with Atlanta, that tier single-family impact fees by square footage. A 2022-23 Georgia Public Policy Foundation study pegged Roswell's average single-family rate at about $3,225, well below neighbors Alpharetta ($6,690), Sandy Springs ($6,855) and Milton ($7,758). The proposed top-end fee of $9,275 would push Roswell above all three, though those cities' rates may have shifted since the study.
The City Council authorized TischlerBise, a national consulting firm that also conducted Roswell's 2015 study, in January 2025. The city budgeted $100,000 for the review.
Exemptions
Projects designated by City Council as economic development or affordable housing would be exempt. So would alterations to existing buildings that don't add units or change use, and replacements of buildings with the same use.
What's next
The hearing begins at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 in City Hall Council Chambers. Chair Kitty Singleton and commissioners Eric Schumacher, Pooja Gardner, Robert Mayer and Carol Williams will make a recommendation to Mayor and Council, which holds final approval authority. No date for that vote has been announced.
