Permit fee proposal set by City Council

On Sept. 25, the Allen Planning and Zoning Commission will present a proposal at the Allen City Council’s regular meeting to update the city’s building and permit fees.

According to Bo Bass, director of Community Development, the time is right to make changes because the city has grown significantly since 2002, when the fees were last updated.

“We feel that the change is warranted, given the growth that has occurred in Allen over the last decade,� Bass said.

Since Allen’s permit fees were last updated in 2002, the city’s population has grown by over 50 percent, the number of housing units has grown by nearly 40 percent, the number of acres zoned for office or commercial use has nearly doubled, and the square footage of non-residential space has grown by 80 percent.

In addition, Bass said that updating the building and permit fees will help maintain the high level of service from city inspectors that builders and homeowners rely on.

“Builders have come to expect and deserve quick service,� Bass said.

Currently, different types of construction projects, such as new construction, commercial alterations and residential additions, are all billed at different rates. The new plan seeks to consolidate fee calculation by using a single table to determine permit fee cost, with the total valuation of the construction project the sole determining factor of the table.

The new proposed fee structure also includes incentive for Allen homeowners and businesses to expand by including a 30 percent reinvestment discount on all permit fees.

Some flat fees would also be altered under the proposal. The fee for a certificate of occupancy, currently $75, would be raised to a $100. The fee for re-roofing a structure, currently $25, would be raised to $100, and the fee for water heater installation, currently $25, would be $30 under the proposed changed. The fee for screening walls, which had previously been determined on a project-by-project basis by formula, would now be a flat $40 fee.

A number of fees would not be changed under the proposal. For residential projects, the fees for pools and spas, accessory structures, fences, irrigation and re-inspections would not change. For commercial projects, the fees for temporary uses, construction trailers, demolitions, signs and health permits would be unaffected.

The fee proposal would also seek to institute a $50 flat fee for the majority of all contractor work, including general contractors, master and journeyman electricians, roofers, irrigators, fence construction, concrete, HVAC, pool, moving, demolition and foundation work. The current fees range from nothing to $100.

Under the current fee structure, the city projects annual fee revenue of $576,769. The proposed fee structure would raise the annual fee revenue to an estimated $1,245,262 - an estimated difference of $668,493 annually.

Planning and Development will present the proposed new permit fee structure to the Allen City Council. If adopted, the city will begin a 60-day notification process to contractors and the community, beginning Oct. 1. The notification will include posting the new fee information on the city’s website, notifying contractors by mail and email, and posting an online tool which will allow contractors and residents to estimate fees on future projects. The new fee structure would then be implemented on Dec. 1.

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