(A) Building construction permit fees. Building permit fees for new buildings or structures or alterations/additions to existing buildings or structures, but excluding accessory structures, shall be collected by the Code Official in advance and forwarded to the City Treasurer. Accessory structures include, but are not limited to sheds, sidewalks, swimming pools, porches, patios, decks, driveways, windows, siding, interior remodeling and roofs. Building permit fees shall be nonrefundable. The architect for the project shall provide the Code Official with a written statement of estimated construction costs for the building or structure, and the basis on which such costs were determined. The Code Official shall have the right, in his or her discretion, to challenge the estimate provided, and the determination of the Code Official shall be final. Building permit and public hearing fees for projects proposed to be located within the common elements of a condominium development shall be paid by the association initiating the project. Building permit fees shall be as follows:
1.0% for all construction costs up to $5,000,000
0.5% for all construction costs above $5,000,000
(1) The minimum permit fee is established at $50.
(2) Occupancy permit fees are established at $25 per unit.
(B) Additional expenses. If the building construction permit fees listed in division (A) of this section are not sufficient to cover the costs of the inspections undertaken by the office of the city engineer or other consultant(s) hired by the city, the applicant shall pay such additional expenses within 30 days after the city issues an invoice therefor. The applicant shall sign a written agreement acknowledging responsibility to pay such additional expenses pursuant to this section as part of the city’s building permit application form.
(C) Cash bond. A cash bond in the amount of $5,000 shall be deposited with the Code Official and forwarded to the City Treasurer for all street, curb or grading work. The condition of such bond shall be that if the applicant clears all mud and debris resulting from the construction work from the streets and public ways, in the manner required from time to time by the city's Code Official and Public Services Director, and restores all the grade and all streets, curbs and public ways to specifications, then such cash bond shall be refunded upon the posting of a performance bond for the building construction or upon the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. If the applicant fails to provide such clean-up, restoration or grading, then such work shall be performed by the city, and the cost thereof shall be deducted from such bond, and the amount remaining, if any, shall be refunded to the applicant.
(D) Performance bond. In certain cases as prescribed in Chapter 152 (Floodplain Development) of this code, before issuance of the permit, a performance bond or letter of credit in a form acceptable to the office of the City Attorney and in an amount equal to 110% of the cost of construction, shall be deposited through the Community Development Department to the City Treasurer, to guarantee that all work will be completed within a prescribed time and in accordance with the approved plans.
(E) Building permits required. Building permits are required for the following types of construction:
General
• Any new building
• Any new addition to an existing building
• Any alteration to a structure
• New elevators
• Structural repairs due to fire or deterioration
• Scaffolding on public property
• Signs
• Tents/Trailers
Site Work
• Awnings and Canopies
• Demolition
• Landscaping and Tree Planting for new business/multiple-family sites and for additions to existing business/multiple-family sites
• Lawn sprinkler systems
• Parking lots, either reconstruction or new lots
• Patios
• Ramps (for wheelchairs, and the like)
• Sheds
• Sidewalks on private property
• Street openings
• Driveways
• Driveway Aprons
• Swimming pools
Concrete Work
• Footings, foundation walls, walls, slabs, and the like.
• Piers for decks
• Courts: tennis, shuffleboard, and the like.
• Driveways (Asphalt or brick as well)
Masonry
• Chimneys
• Grouted masonry
• Fireplaces and hearths (new)
• Hollow unit masonry
• Patios
• New walls
Equipment
• Central air conditioning
• Clothes dryer if piping or electric wiring changes
• Drain tile, exterior
• Ductwork
Electrical
• Breakers, circuits or lights, additional or new e Drop location changes Exterior lighting and receptacles
• Outlets, additional
• Panel changes
• Satellite dishes and wireless communication devices, (except those pre-empted from regulation by Federal Communications Commission)
• Underground or above ground services, new or upgrade
• Smoke detectors directly wired (new)
• Burglar and fire alarm systems (new)
Metals Structural Steel Beams
• Pre-fabricated fireplaces
• Flues
• Metal chimneys (new)
• Repair or replacement of existing siding (greater than or equal to 30%)
• New siding
Carpentry
• Beam and column supports (new)
• Carports
• Decks
• Doors (change in size or location)
• Garages
• Headers over doors & windows (new)
• Insulation (new)
• Joists
• Lintels (new)
• Partitions (new)
• Porches
• Pre-fabricated sheds not directly anchored to the ground and pre-fabricated sheds occupying an area in excess of 64 square feet
• Rafters (new or replacement)
• Skylights
• Stairways
• Windows (changing in size or type)
Fences
• Repair or replacement of existing fences (greater than or equal to 30%)
• New fences
Roofs
• Repair or replacement of existing roofs (greater than or equal to 30%)
• New roofs
Finishes
• Ceilings (new)
• Gypsum walls (new)
• Plaster (new)
• Wallboard (greater than or equal to 100 sq. ft., and if there is attendant electrical work)
(F) Individual building permits not required for a comprehensive construction project. With the exception of demolition, the installation of signs and landscaping and tree planting for new business/multiple-family sites and additions to existing business/multiple-family sites, individual building permits for items listed in division (E) of this section shall not be required for new buildings or structures or additions to buildings or structures, so long as the overall permit fee provided for in division (A) of this section includes fees for such items.
(G) Construction site signs. Excluding residential construction, any contractor who engages in new building construction, construction of an addition to an existing building, or construction of a new or reconstructed commercial parking lot on any site pursuant to a permit issued under the city's building code, shall be required to obtain a construction site sign, only from the city as required by § 105.9 of the city's building code, as amended. The fee for purchase of such sign shall be $60, and the contractor may use such sign for additional permitted work to be performed by such contractor, or may sell the sign back to the city for the sum of $40 if such sign is in reasonable condition in the judgment of the Director of Community and Economic Development. No contractor shall sell any such sign to any other contractor.
(Ord. 02-53, passed 12-18-02; Am. Ord. 03-58, passed 4-13-04; Am. Ord. 05-10, passed 6-28-05; Am. Ord. 06-38, passed 1-23-07; Am. Ord. 06-49, passed 2-27-07; Am. Ord. 07-08, passed 7-10-07; Am. Ord. 08-13, passed 8-12-08; Am. Ord. 19-6, passed 2-26-19; Am. Ord. 19-49, passed 10-22-19; Am. Ord. 22-24, passed 8-23-22)