City Council approved wide-ranging updates to city fees last week, marking the first major revision to many building-related charges since 1995. The changes affect building permits, trade permits, solicitor fees, and credit card processing charges.
The most significant changes come to the city’s building permit structure, where officials are moving to streamline the process by implementing flat-rate fees based on square footage rather than itemized charges. Under the new system, residential electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits will each cost $200 for homes under 5,000 square feet and $275 for larger homes.
“Some of these fees were adopted in 1995 and have not been changed,” said Director of Community Development Aubrey Harbin during her presentation to the council. “It’s about time to get updated.”
