The Berthoud Fire Protection District is weighing increases to its impact fee schedule to keep up with financial demands on the fire district.

Impact fees are charged on new development of residential and commercial buildings within the district’s boundaries at the time of construction.

BFPD contracted with BBC Research and Consulting to perform a study to determine increases using data from county assessor offices in the three counties where BFPD operates.

Stretching across 103 miles in Larimer, Boulder and Weld counties and serving around 22,000 residents, the fire district has two stations and has closed on land near U.S. 287 and Berthoud Parkway with plans of building a third to accommodate growth in the area.

The proposed increase in fees varies based on the type of building being constructed, but averages to around a 40% increase, according to Michael Valdone, a consultant with BBC who led the study.

Fees on retail and construction projects are increasing 38.5% for instance.

Single family homes saw the largest increases in fees, moving from a flat fee of $1,960 to a scaled fee based on the size of the dwelling. Single family homes at or below 1,200 square feet will see negligible increases, but the largest homes, 4,800 square feet and above, would see an increase from the flat rate of $1,960 to $14,014, according to the presentation.

According to Fire Chief Stephen Charles, this is due to the increased resources necessary to fight fires at larger structures.

The BFPD’s Board of Directors has heard two presentations about the fee increases, in April and May, and is expected to vote on the proposal next month. Because of changes to legislation last year, fire districts like BFPD can levy taxes without needing approval from municipal governments in its service area, like counties or cities.

If adopted by the board, the new fees will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

During an informational session for the Larimer County Commissioners on Monday, Verdone addressed a question he had previously received about significantly higher increases than those seen in the Poudre Fire Authority, which is in the midst of a similar process.

“It’s difficult for me to give you an explanation for that without seeing their study or knowing anything about it,” he told commissioners.

“In my experience, it may stem from fees being extremely outdated…they may have had a study like ours and said ‘We’re going to adopt fees at a lower level.’”

He added that the proposed fee increases were in line with other fire districts throughout the Front Range.

BFPD Chief of Staff Jill Wilson pointed to a recent study from Frederick-Firestone Fire District that recommended similar increases.

The increased revenue from the new impact fees would help construct the new station, which would reduce response times according to a study cited by Charles, but would require more funds to construct.

“We have the land now,” he said.

“Of course, we don’t have the funding at this point in time. Impact fees, because of the growth in that area, would assist us in building that.”