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Salem, OR Accessory Structures: ADU Impact Fees (2026)

Few Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

ADU SDC status
Fully exempt under SRC 41.150(a)(9)
Standard SDC trigger
Building permit issuance (SRC 41.140(a))
SDC categories
Water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation, parks
Fee-setting authority
Set by Council resolution, adjusted annually
Appeal window
10 days to challenge a calculation

Summary

Salem charges system development charges (SDCs), its impact fees for water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation, and parks capacity, on nearly every new development citywide, but SRC 41.150(a)(9) carves out a blanket exemption for 'any accessory dwelling unit.' A new ADU in Salem therefore owes no SDC at building permit issuance, unlike most other new residential construction, which pays the charge under SRC 41.110.

Sec. 41.110(a): "System development charges are hereby imposed upon all development within the City and on development outside the City where there is a connection to or use of a City capital improvement for which a methodology has been or is hereinafter adopted, except where development is exempt under the provisions of SRC 41.150." Sec. 41.150(a): "The charge imposed under this chapter shall not apply to the following:...(9)Any accessory dwelling unit."

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

140(a). 100). 150(a) lists twelve categories of development the charge does not apply to, and subsection (9) states simply: any accessory dwelling unit. 150(a)(5), which requires the unit to serve households at or below 80 percent of area median income and record a deed restriction for 5 to 30 years. 150(a)(9) itself; the Building and Safety Division applies it when calculating fees due with the building permit. 170(e)), so the dollar value of the exemption an ADU receives changes each year with the underlying fee schedule, even though the exemption itself is fixed in the code.

Violations & Fines

There is no penalty specific to the ADU exemption itself since no charge is owed. But if a permit is later found to be misclassified, for example an accessory structure that does not qualify as an accessory dwelling unit, the City may recalculate and bill the omitted system development charge, and a person who disputes that calculation must file a written challenge with the Director within ten days of receiving it (SRC 41.180(a)).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do accessory dwelling units pay system development charges in Salem?
No. SRC 41.150(a)(9) exempts 'any accessory dwelling unit' from the system development charge that SRC 41.110 otherwise imposes on new development citywide. The exemption covers all of the water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation, and parks SDC categories and applies automatically when the Building and Safety Division processes the ADU's building permit.
Does the ADU SDC exemption require income limits or a deed restriction?
No. Unlike the chapter's affordable-housing exemptions in SRC 41.150(a)(5) and (6), which require income qualification and, in some cases, a recorded deed restriction, the accessory dwelling unit exemption in SRC 41.150(a)(9) is unconditional: it applies to any ADU regardless of the owner's income or the unit's rent.
When are system development charges normally due in Salem?
SRC 41.140(a) makes the charge due at the earliest of several triggers, most often issuance of a building permit, but also permits to connect to water, stormwater, or wastewater systems, or a right-of-way access permit. Because ADUs are exempt under SRC 41.150(a)(9), none of those triggers generate an SDC bill for an ADU.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Salem

Parking Rules: Overnight ParkingSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Street Parking LimitsSome RestrictionsADU RulesSome RestrictionsShed & Carport RulesSome RestrictionsADU Rental RestrictionsSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Preferential Parking DistrictsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Commercial & Oversized VehiclesSome Restrictions

All Salem rules

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