Impact Fees for Fire Departments: a Funding Source for New Stations and Apparatus

Keeping your fire department mission-ready isn’t cheap. New stations, engines, gear, equipment — costs add up fast. As your community continues to grow, your capital needs grow right along with it.

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So, every day you’re facing a big question:

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How are we going to pay for the stations, apparatus, and gear we need to protect our growing service area?

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Here’s the good news: Fire mitigation fees — also known as development impact fees — are a powerful (and underused) tool that can help your department keep up with the demand.

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Many states have legislation allowing public agencies (including fire departments) to charge impact fees to help fund critical public facilities.

These fees allow you to recover the cost of facilities and equipment needed to serve new development. When properly designed, they can help pay for:

• New or expanded fire stations, admin buildings, training centers, bays, and storage facilities
• Fire engines, ambulances, and support vehicles
• Equipment like hose reels, turnout gear, generators, and more

But here’s the catch: too many departments either don’t have a fee program in place, or they’re working with outdated numbers, missing facility costs, or incomplete records. That means missed revenue — and more pressure on your general fund.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Doing It Right

To help fire agencies like yours make the most of impact fees, Ridgeline Municipal Strategies has put together a practical guide full of insights and best practices. They even recorded a podcast about it, too:

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📖 Read the article or listen to the podcast episode

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Whether you’re building a new station or just trying to stretch your dollars, having the right impact fee program in place can make a big difference.

LET FEEMASTER TAKE THE HEADACHE OUT OF FEE MANAGEMENT

Of course, having a good fee program is just the beginning.Managing it over time — tracking payments, generating reports, staying compliant — that’s a different challenge.

That’s where FeeMaster comes in.

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FeeMaster is designed to help departments like yours take control of their impact fees. With FeeMaster, you can:

• Automate fee calculations, including inflation adjustments
• Track every dollar collected and how it’s used
• Keep detailed records that support annual and 5-year reporting
• Generate compliance reports in just a few clicks
• Stay audit-ready at all times

No more spreadsheets and paper files! No more guesswork! Just a simple, powerful tool to help you manage your fee program with confidence.

🚒 Ready to get your fire mitigation fees under control?

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