EveryCalc

Finance category

Mortgage, loan, investing, tax, and money calculators.

Browse finance

Entitlement Holding Cost Calculator

Land purchase before entitlement creates holding cost burden until approval.

$
%
$
$
$

Total holding cost

$2,197,500

Holding % of land

0.22%

Monthly holding cost

$122,083

How the math works

Financing = land × rate × (months/12). Total = financing + tax/ins + consulting.

$10M × 10% × 1.5 + $165k × 1.5 + $450k = $1.5M + $247.5k + $450k = $2.2M (22% of land).

How to Use

  1. Enter land purchase cost.
  2. Enter entitlement duration months.
  3. Enter financing rate %.
  4. Enter annual property tax.
  5. Enter insurance.
  6. Enter consulting + legal.
  7. Read total holding cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Typical entitlement timeline?

Simple rezoning: 6-12 months. Complex multifamily/mixed-use: 12-24 months. Major mixed-use or PUD: 18-36 months. Litigation/delays: adds 12-36 months. Environmental review (CEQA, NEPA): 12-24 months independently. Public hearing process: 6-18 months. Appeals: 6-24 months. Plan for: 24 months baseline + contingency.

Holding cost components?

Financing (land loan at 8-12% or equity opportunity cost at 10-15%): dominant. Property tax: 1-3% of land value annually. Insurance (general liability): $3-15k/year. Legal + consulting (entitlement attorneys, land use consultants): $100k-1M for multi-year process. Site maintenance: $5-25k/year. Total: 10-18% of land value/year typical.

Pre-entitlement land purchase?

Buying land pre-entitled: at discount (30-60% below entitled value) but with risk. Buying land entitled: premium (no entitlement risk). Speculative purchase: land basis + holding cost must fit post-entitlement economics. Option agreements: pay 1-3% of land value to control without buying, then exercise when entitled. Best tool for managing entitlement risk.

Deal kill risk?

20-40% of entitlement requests fail or take 2-3× longer than planned. Public opposition (NIMBY), environmental issues, political change: common causes. Land banking requires: multiple parallel projects, experienced entitlement consultants, deep pockets, local political relationships. Institutional developers (Lennar, Toll Brothers, Greystar) have: entitlement staff, GC relationships, track record. Smaller developers: option agreements reduce risk.

Related Calculators

More Finance Calculators

Browse all finance

Keep exploring

Next steps in Finance

View finance hub →