June 27, 2008

Building fees set to rise

By ED COX
of The Dalles Chronicle

     Builders in northern Wasco County will pay more for permits starting July 1, and those throughout the county and neighboring ones will pay almost a third more starting sometime early next year.
     That’s the result, first, of an excise tax on new construction recently imposed by North Wasco County School District and, second, of two decisions this month by the Mid-Columbia Coucil of Governments (MCCOG) board following two public hearings on the subject.
     The first of those decisions adjusts plumbing and mechanical permit fees; the other adopts a statewide method for assessing structural permit fees.
     While he has full board authority to implement both of those changes next month, MCCOG director John Arens said in practice they will have to await the installation of new Eden computer software, which should be ready around the end of this calendar year.
     But MCCOG, which provides building codes services for Wasco, Hood River, Sherman, Gilliam and Wheeler counties, will begin collecting the excise tax for the school district on July 1.
     As previously reported, the tax will add $1 per square foot (up to $25,000) to the permit cost for all new residential construction that adds living space. The charge for new commercial construction will be 50 cents per square foot.
     Meanwhile, the decision to eventually adjust the plumbing and mechanical fees was motivated by the assessment that they are “very outdated and in several cases did not provide rates for specific types of installations,” according to a MCCOG press release.
     For example, Arens explained, the fee for plumbing is currently based on the square footage of a building — with 20 cents being added to a base fee of $210 for every square foot over 1,800.
     But as of early next year, fees will be assessed according to the number of bathrooms the building contains: $210 for one, $285 for two, $360 for three and $435 for four — all assuming just one kitchen.
     An additional bathroom will cost $75 and an additional kitchen $50, while the permit fee for a detached accessory structure will be $20.
     And a permit for a residential fire sprinkler, formerly $46, will now start at $100 and rise to $250 depending on the square footage of the building.
     Existing mechanical permit fees will see only modest hikes but also the inclusion of many specific items not currently charged for, such as furnaces, add-on air conditioners, duct work, a heat pump, a log lighter and a ventilation system.
     All those installations will cost $10, while a hydronic hot water system will carry a $20 charge.
     The decision to adopt the state’s new “Consistent Form & Fee Methodology Rules” for structural fees is part of an effort to standardize fee methodology for all jurisdictions across the state.
     According to that rule, a valuation will be calculated using the most current International Code Council (ICC) Building Valuation Data Table, multiplied by the square footage of the dwelling. That valuation will then be applied to the municipality’s fee schedule to determine the permit fee.
     In practical terms, Arens said, applicants can expect structural permit fees to rise 29 percent when the new methodology is finally implemented.
     More information can be obtained from Mid-Columbia Building Codes Services at 312 Court St. Suite 415 in The Dalles or by calling (541) 298-4461.