BROWNSTOWN

Building permitting fees are now in place for anyone in Brownstown doing new construction or additions or putting accessory structures or in-ground swimming pools on their property.

Conner Barnette, who serves as the town’s plan commissioner and the county’s building commissioner, set the town’s rates the same as the county.

“I anticipate a lot more permits this year, so just to kind of get everything on an even playing field, it’s going to make it easier for our office, as well, with all of the fees matching up with the county’s,” he recently told the Brownstown Town Council.

With the previous fee schedule, he said the town brought in a little more than $1,100. The fee was $100 for commercial and $75 for anything else.

With the new schedule, he estimates bringing in nearly $3,000.

For residential, the fee for new construction is 8 cents per square foot. That includes residences, duplexes and manufactured homes on permanent structures.

The fee is $75 for additions, accessory structures and agricultural buildings. Additions exclude cosmetic alterations, such as but not limited to new windows, drywall, reroofing, siding, etc. Accessory structures include storage buildings, garages, pole buildings or any structure greater than 200 square feet or on a permanent foundation.

For in-ground swimming pools, the fee is $50.

The fee for new commercial buildings is now $150 plus 8 cents per square foot, while it’s $100 plus 8 cents per square foot for additions to commercial buildings, remodeling of commercial buildings and institutional.

The fee for structures other than buildings is $75, while it’s $1,500 for a wireless communication tower or facility and $500 for a cell tower alteration.

“It’s relatively low compared to every county and town around us,” Barnette said of the building permitting fee schedule. “We’re low as a county and super-low at the town level.”

The permit fee for a sign of any type is $25.

Finally, the petition fee for a special exception or rezone is $300 and a variance or vacate is $150.

Barnette initially presented the fee schedule during the March 18 council meeting. Town attorney Travis Thompson then reviewed it, drafted a resolution and shared it with the council. The council unanimously then approved the resolution during its April 1 meeting.

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Brownstown building permitting fees

Residential

Type;Fee

New construction;8 cents per square foot

Addition;$75

Accessory structure;$75

Agricultural building;$75

In-ground swimming pool;$50

Commercial

Type;Fee

New construction;$150 plus 8 cents per square foot

Addition;$100 plus 8 cents per square foot

Remodel;$100 plus 8 cents per square foot

Institutional;$100 plus 8 cents per square foot

Structure other than buildings;$75

Wireless communication tower/facility;$1,500

Cell tower alteration;$500

Sign permit

Type;Fee

All;$25

Petition fees

Type;Fee

Special exception;$300

Variance;$150

Rezone;$300

Vacate;$150

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