Development charges decoder: the jargon and the official links

Council reports about growth money are written for people who already know the words. This page is for everyone else. Terms first, then the links.

The terms

ACC, amenity cost charge. A fixed charge on new development, set by municipal bylaw under the Local Government Act (Division 19.1), to pay for amenities such as community centres, arenas, libraries and daycares. Created by the Province in 2023. Needs public consultation before adoption and a public report every year. The Township’s is Bylaw No. 6115.

Assist factor. The slice of a project’s growth-related cost the municipality agrees to pay itself instead of charging developers. One per cent in the Township’s ACC bylaw. Metro Vancouver’s DCCs use the same idea; its assist factor for liquid waste moved between 8 and 16 per cent in 2026 and 2027.

Bill 46. The Housing Statutes (Development Financing) Amendment Act, 2023. Created ACCs and let DCCs fund fire, police and solid-waste facilities and some highway work.

CAC, community amenity contribution. A contribution a developer offers, or is asked for, during a rezoning, toward amenities. Not a charge the Act authorizes, so it must be voluntary in substance, not just in name. The Township’s CAC policy was declared invalid in 2025 for working as a mandatory fee; see the court case timeline. The City of Langley still has a CAC policy (CO-80).

Capital cost / capital plan. One-time costs of building or buying something (a road, a rec centre, land), as opposed to running it. DCCs and ACCs can only pay for capital costs.

DCC, development cost charge. A fixed charge on new development, set by municipal bylaw under the Act (Division 19), for roads, water, sewer, drainage and parkland made necessary by growth. The oldest and largest growth charge. The Township’s is Bylaw No. 5897; the City’s is No. 3256. The bylaw needs approval from the provincial Inspector of Municipalities.

Density bonus. A zoning rule that lets a project build more (height, floor area, units) in exchange for providing a named amenity or paying a set amount. Written into the zoning bylaw itself, so it is lawful in a way a negotiated CAC may not be.

Fourth reading / final adoption. The council vote that makes a bylaw law. A rezoning bylaw passes first, second and third reading, then the developer meets conditions, then council adopts it. Growth charges tied to “prior to fourth reading” are due before that last vote.

Growth share. The portion of an amenity’s cost assigned to future residents rather than current ones. The Township’s ACC bylaw assigns 45 to 75 per cent, depending on the project.

In-stream protection. The rule that an application already filed when a bylaw changes is charged at the old rates, usually for a fixed period. Township DCC applications in stream when Bylaw No. 5897 was adopted keep the old Bylaw No. 5555 rates until November 2, 2026. Applications filed before March 23, 2026 are outside the ACC bylaw.

Letter of credit. A bank guarantee a developer posts so the municipality is covered if work or payments are not completed. Used to secure DCC instalments over $50,000.

MPI, Municipal Price Index. An inflation measure for the things municipalities buy. The Township’s ACC rates are adjusted by it each year.

OCP, Official Community Plan. The municipality’s long-range land-use plan. A project that fits the OCP follows a shorter approval path; one that doesn’t needs an OCP amendment and a public hearing. See how a development gets approved.

Phased development agreement. A contract between a council and a developer for a large multi-year project that locks in zoning and spells out amenities. Another lawful tool for amenities, used for big sites.

Reserve fund. A separate account where DCC or ACC money sits until it is spent on an eligible project. The Act forbids using it for anything else.

School site acquisition charge. A per-home charge, collected with DCCs and passed to the Langley School District, for buying land for new schools. $600 to $1,000 per home depending on density.

Sewerage area. Metro Vancouver’s DCCs differ by which treatment plant serves you. All of Langley is in the Fraser Sewerage Area.

Servicing agreement. The contract setting out the roads, pipes and other works a developer must build and hand over to the municipality.

The official links

Township of Langley

• Development Cost Charges: current rates, the proposed 2026 rates, payment timing, Metro, TransLink and school charges on one page
• DCC Bylaw No. 5897 (PDF)
• DCC Program 2024 (PDF): the project list behind the rates
• Amenity Cost Charges: adopted rates, the seven funded projects, in-stream rule
• ACC Bylaw No. 6115 (PDF)
• ACC report to Council, July 21, 2025 (PDF): the full arithmetic
• ACC report to Council, December 15, 2025 (PDF): consultation results
• Budget and Financial Plan 2026: where the charges show up on the spending side
• Council meetings and agendas and how to attend

City of Langley

• Development Costs: DCCs and the amenity policy on one page
• DCC Bylaw No. 3256 (PDF)
• DCC Fee Schedule, July 2026 (PDF)
• Amenity Contributions Policy CO-80 (PDF)

Region and Province

• Metro Vancouver: Development Cost Charges: rate tables by sewerage area, 2026 and 2027
• Metro Vancouver: DCC Program Update: the review that sets 2028 rates
• TransLink: Development Cost Charges
• Langley School District: school site acquisition charge
• Province: Local government development financing: the hub page for DCCs, ACCs and density bonus
• Province: Amenity cost charges
• Province: ACC Best Practices Guide 2025 (PDF)
• Province: ACC Guide for Elected Officials (PDF)
• Province: Development Finance Tools Update, interim guidance (PDF): Bill 46 in plain terms
• Local Government Act, Part 14: Division 19 (DCCs) and Division 19.1 (ACCs)

The court case

• Lorval Developments Ltd. v. Langley (Township), 2025 BCSC 1148 on CanLII
• Our timeline of the case

Who argues what

• HAVAN, the Homebuilders Association Vancouver: the industry’s position on charges
• UDI, the Urban Development Institute: developers’ association
• UBCM, the Union of BC Municipalities: the municipalities’ position

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