Clark County Market Note · November 3, 2026

Clark County’s Growth Plan Is Adopted: New Impact Fees, Ridgefield and La Center Expansions, and What Buyers Should Check

Before the October 13 vote, the question was what Clark County might change. Now the 2025–2045 Comprehensive Plan is adopted, and several pieces have firm dates: general provisions took effect October 23, new school, fire and transportation impact fees take effect November 12, and approved urban growth area expansions follow later. For new-construction, land and estate clients, the details now matter more than the headline.

What is now final—and what is still pending

Dates and scope come from Clark County’s announcement, “Clark County adopts 20-year growth plan” (October 14), and the adopting ordinance posted by the county. The Columbian reported the unanimous vote. The plan anticipates county population growing from about 577,431 to 718,154 by 2045, with about 73,500 additional jobs.

Our October 12 pre-vote note covered how to verify development potential parcel by parcel. That checklist still applies; this update covers what the adopted ordinance actually set.

The plan is adopted, but it is not all in effect at once. Fees, expansions and appeals each run on their own clock.

Urban growth area decisions

The ordinance’s findings record these decisions on contested urban growth area (UGA) requests:

Under the ordinance, UGA expansions and resource-land de-designations take effect 60 days after publication of the notice of adoption—not on October 23. The Reflector reported earlier requests from Battle Ground, including about 450 acres near Dollars Corner; confirm the final status of any Battle Ground parcel directly with the county before relying on it.

Interpretation: inclusion in a UGA is a planning designation. It does not by itself rezone a parcel for urban density, extend sewer, or approve a plat. Farmland advocates have also argued that some expansions conflict with the Growth Management Act, and the council chair raised litigation concerns. Until the appeal period runs, expansion areas carry legal uncertainty.

The impact-fee changes, in numbers

Impact fees are one-time charges on new development, generally collected when a building permit is issued. The adopted ordinance raises the county’s transportation impact fees per average daily trip:

Hypothetical illustration. The 10-trip column simply multiplies the per-trip rate by ten for comparison; it is not a fee quote. A home’s actual charge depends on the county’s trip-generation figure for the use, the district, credits and the permit date.

The ordinance also sets new fire impact fees per single-family home—for example, $992 in Fire District 3, $791 in District 6, $654 for Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue, and $2,284.50 (sprinklered) or $1,987.50 in District 10—and updates school impact fees by district. Listed single-family school fees include $16,880 in Ridgefield, $15,174.54 in Hockinson, $10,760 in Battle Ground and $2,786.09 in Vancouver; Woodland’s fee phases in through 2028. These are county-administered fees for unincorporated areas; incorporated cities set their own.

What this means for new construction and land buyers

1. Ask who pays the fees. On a to-be-built or custom home, confirm whether impact fees are inside the contract price or passed through—and whether the price assumed pre- or post-November 12 rates.
2. Check permit timing. If a builder pulled permits before November 12, fees may differ from a similar home permitted later. Ask for the permit date.
3. Underwrite rural land with the new rate. In the rural traffic district, the per-trip rate more than triples. A buyer planning a custom estate home or an ADU should budget current fees, not an older pro forma.
4. Treat UGA expansion parcels as optionality, not entitlement. Wait for the effective date, the appeal period and any later zoning and utility decisions before paying for urban density.
5. Confirm jurisdiction. City and county fee schedules differ; a Vancouver or Ridgefield mailing address does not mean a parcel is inside city limits.

For a broader framework, see our Clark County New Construction Guide, the acreage due-diligence checklist, and our comparison of Ridgefield new construction vs. nearly-new resale.

What this means for sellers

Resale homes do not pay impact fees—but they compete with homes that do. Interpretation: when new construction absorbs higher fees, builders either raise prices, trim incentives or accept thinner margins. That can make a well-kept nearly-new resale home look comparatively stronger. It is a pressure worth watching, not a measured price effect.

Land and estate sellers should document, not speculate. If a parcel sits in or near an approved expansion area, cite the ordinance and effective date, and avoid implying that development is approved. The pricing framework for unique properties applies when land value is part of the story.