The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of George Sheetz, who was charged a $23,000 fee to build on his own land in El Dorado County, California. The case is bound to affect governments, builders, and homebuyers across the state and nation.

In 2016, Sheetz and his wife bought 10 acres near Placerville as the site for a manufactured home of 1,800 square feet. The installation required a building permit and El Dorado County tacked on a fee of $23,000 for “traffic impact mitigation.”

Sheetz paid the fee under protest and sued El Dorado County on the grounds that the $23,000 was not tied to any estimate of the actual impact his single-family dwelling would have on local traffic. In effect, his home was treated as an entire subdivision or shopping mall.

Sheetz lost in trial court and the state appeals court. When the California Supreme Court declined to review the case, Sheetz took it to the U.S. Supreme Court. On April 12, the high court found in his favor.

“Conditions on building permits are not........

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