Livingston is making changes to its building permit process by setting a minimum charge of $75 for a building permit application.
The previous ordinance stated that the application charged one-half of one percent of the total project cost. City Attorney Andre Greppin said in some cases, the previous charge was not worth the inspection.
“Because we require permits for things like roofs or decks, there’s people coming in and paying $2 for a building permit, and we have to go out there and inspect that, so the administrative cost of inspecting something that we only get $2 back for is just not efficient,” Greppin said.
Greppin said the new ordinance will now will state the charge would be one-half of one percent or $75, whichever option is higher. Alderman David Langford said that with the previous ordinance, most projects would not meet the $75 threshold.
“It would have to be a $15,000 project in order to come up to $75,” Langford said. “What I’m getting at is there are a lot of projects that we do here in town that don’t amount to $15,000.”
Alderman Arno Proctor said he believes that $75 is not unreasonable.
Livingston’s Codes Officer Walter Rutherford said the city has issued 28 permits this year. Rutherford said a roof permit, if done correctly, requires two inspections.
“There will be one after they get everything ripped off, and then I go out and inspect to make sure that they are doing the ice shield and the drip edge like they should be,” Rutherford said. “Then there’s a final inspection that I go back out after the job is completed.”
The Board of Aldermen approved the ordinance change during Monday night’s aldermen meeting.
