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<section article="glg" article_name="Local Government" number="20-805" title_number="20" title_name="Taxes and Development Impact Fees" subtitle_number="8" subtitle_name="Development Excise Taxes">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>By ordinance, the County Council of Dorchester County may impose a building excise tax on any building construction in Dorchester County.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The tax may be imposed throughout the county, including within municipalities.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The County Council of Dorchester County shall specify in the ordinance:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the types of building construction that are subject to the tax;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the criteria and formulas used to assess the tax; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>the tax rates.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The County Council of Dorchester County may impose different tax rates on different types of building construction.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The tax rates shall relate to the development or growth–related infrastructure needs in the county.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The tax rates may not exceed:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>for residential development, $5,000 per unit; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>for nonresidential development, the lesser of:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>$1 per square foot; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>$5,000 per lot or parcel.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The revenues from the tax shall be deposited in a special fund.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The special fund may be used only for the capital costs of additional or expanded public works, improvements, and facilities required to accommodate new construction or development, including emergency services, sheriff’s offices, and schools.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If the tax is imposed within a municipality, the municipality shall assist the county in the collection of the tax by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>collecting and remitting the tax to the county; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>requiring the tax be paid to the county in accordance with the county ordinance.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>A municipality that collects the tax and remits the tax to the county may deduct a fee for administrative costs from the revenues collected.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The fee deducted under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph may not exceed 2% of the revenues collected by the municipality.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
