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Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS)

Impact Fees and Adequate Facilities Taxes

Reference Number: MTAS-542
Reviewed Date: 12/01/2022

Impact Fees

Municipalities incorporated under the general law mayor-aldermanic charter and the general law modified city manager-council charters have authority to levy impact fees. See T.C.A. § 6-2-201(15) and § 6-33-101(a). Private acts authorize some other municipalities to levy impact fees. The County Powers Relief Act of 2006 placed some restrictions on the assessing of impact fees for counties and metropolitan governments after June 30, 2006 however, these restrictions did not extend to cities.

Adequate Facilities Taxes

Several municipalities have levied adequate facilities taxes under authority of general law and/or private acts. A statute authorizing high-growth counties to levy adequate facilities taxes however, provides that it is "the exclusive authority for local governments to adopt any new or additional adequate facilities taxes on development." T.C.A. § 67-4-2913. A complication for municipalities wishing to levy adequate facilities taxes, which are privileges taxes, is that they should be aware of section T.C.A. § 67-4-503. This section prohibits a municipality from levying a privilege tax under authority of a private act if the county in which the municipality is located has previously levied a tax by private act on the same privilege. Although this statute apparently has never been used to invalidate a privilege tax, it is still on the books and could be used.