Putnam County, FL Accessory Structures: ADU Impact Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Exemption
- Accessory structures/ADUs exempt if no added impact units
- Claim deadline
- Before fee payment & building permit issuance
- Fee chapter
- Putnam County Code ch. 24 (Ord. 2025-015)
- Appeal window
- 30 days to Board of County Commissioners
- Nonpayment penalty
- Misdemeanor plus property lien (§ 24-16)
Summary
Unincorporated Putnam County charges countywide impact fees on new development, but Sec. 24-9(a)(2) exempts accessory structures to a residential building, a garage, workshop or detached accessory dwelling unit, from those fees as long as construction does not create additional impact units. If the accessory use does add an impact unit, the exemption does not apply and a fee is calculated.
(a)The following conditions are exempt from payment of the impact fees required under this chapter:(1)Alterations or expansion of an existing residential building where no additional impact units are created and where the use is not changed;(2)The construction of buildings or structures that are accessory to a residential building, where no additional impact units are created;
Full Breakdown
Putnam County's impact fee chapter (Code ch. 24, adopted by Ord. No. 2025-015) charges fire rescue, law enforcement, government buildings, parks and recreation, transportation, water and wastewater impact fees on impact-generating land development, calculated under Sec. 24-8 from the Table 24-1 schedule tied to the county's April 2025 impact fee studies. Sec. 24-9(a) lists exemptions from that fee, and subsection (a)(2) exempts 'the construction of buildings or structures that are accessory to a residential building, where no additional impact units are created,' which covers a garage, workshop, shed or accessory dwelling unit built on a lot that already carries a residential impact fee.
Sec. 24-9(b) requires the feepayer to claim the exemption before the fee is paid and the building permit issued, or it is deemed waived. Sec. 24-9(c) and (d) bar the county from raising other rates to cover the lost revenue and require it to keep service levels funded despite the exemption. If the accessory structure does add impact units, for example converting a garage into a rented dwelling unit, the county coordinator calculates a fee under Sec. 24-8 using the applicable land-use category in Table 24-1, and a feepayer who thinks that calculation overstates the impact can request an individual assessment under Sec.
24-11 before the permit issues. Appeals of a coordinator decision go to the Board of County Commissioners within 30 days under Sec. 24-17, and unpaid fees become a lien enforceable under Sec. 24-16.
Violations & Fines
Building an accessory structure or ADU without claiming the Sec. 24-9(b) exemption before the building permit issues waives it, so the coordinator bills the impact fee anyway. Failing to pay an assessed impact fee is a misdemeanor under Sec. 24-16, punishable as provided in Sec. 1-6, and unpaid fees become a lien on the property, foreclosable the same way as a special assessment lien.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are accessory dwelling units exempt from Putnam County impact fees?
When must I claim the accessory-structure impact fee exemption?
What happens if my accessory structure does add impact units?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Putnam County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Putnam County to another location·View the Florida accessory structures overview
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