A. Code Adopted By Reference: The Minnesota building code, as adopted by the commissioner of labor and industry, pursuant to Minnesota statutes chapter 326B, including all amendments, rules and regulations established, adopted and published from time to time by the Minnesota commissioner of labor and industry, through the building codes and standards unit, is hereby adopted by reference with the exception of the optional chapters unless specifically adopted in this section. The Minnesota state building code is hereby incorporated in this section as if fully set out herein.
B. Application, Administration And Enforcement: The application, administration and enforcement of the code shall be in accordance with the Minnesota state building code. The code shall be enforced within the extraterritorial limits permitted by Minnesota statutes chapter 326B.121, subdivision 2(d), when so established by this section.
The code enforcement agency of this municipality is called the building department. This code shall be enforced by the Minnesota certified building official designated by this city of Little Falls to administer the code under Minnesota statutes chapter 326B.133, subdivision 1.
C. Permits And Fees: The issuance of permits and the collection of fees shall be as authorized in Minnesota rules chapter 1300. Permit fees shall be assessed for work governed by this code in such amounts as the city council may set by resolution. In addition, a surcharge fee shall be collected on all permits issued for work governed by this code in accordance with Minnesota statutes chapter 326B.148.
1. Fees For Work Without Permit: If work for which a permit is required per section 5.02 of this chapter has been commenced without first obtaining a permit, a special investigation shall be made before a permit may be issued for the work. An investigation fee shall be collected and is in addition to the required permit fees, but it may not exceed the permit fee.
2. Refunds: The building official may authorize refunding of fees paid for a building permit if the permit's scope of work has not commenced prior to the refund, based on the following guidelines:
a. No refund can be made for maintaining permits for roofing, siding, windows, doors, or other minor projects that are charged a fixed fee.
b. Not more than seventy five percent (75%) of the permit fee paid will be refunded when no work has been done under a permit issued in accordance with the Minnesota state building code. The plan review fee will not be refunded after the building official has completed the plan review.
c. Not more than ninety percent (90%) of a plan review fee paid will be refunded when an application for permit is withdrawn or canceled before any plan review is started.
d. State surcharge fees will not be refunded.
e. Refunds may be authorized by the building official upon written application filed by the original applicant no later than one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of the payment.
3. Expired Permits: Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work authorized by the permit is commenced within one hundred eighty (180) days after its issuance, or if the work authorized by the permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days after the time work is commenced. Before work can be continued on any expired permit, a new permit shall first be obtained, based on the following guidelines:
a. All permit renewals ("reactivation" and "reissues") will be charged one hundred percent (100%) of the surcharge fees and shall use the current fee schedule to calculate surcharge fees.
b. Renewal is fifty percent (50%) of the building permit portion of the fee, provided no changes have been made or will be made in the original approved construction documents. This includes plumbing and mechanical portions of the building permit.
c. Plan review submittals can be renewed ("reactivated") at twenty five percent (25%) of the fee.
d. When only a final inspection remains on an expired permit and the permit applicant provides a written justification, the building official may further reduce permit renewal ("reissue") fee to twenty five percent (25%) of the building permit portion of the fee and no plan review fee.
e. The renewed building permit has the same duration limits of expiration as the original building permit.
D. Organization And Enforcement: The organization of the building department and enforcement of the code is established by subsection 2.03A and section 1.03 of this code. (Ord. 18, 6th Series, eff. 11-16-2009)