Contra Costa To Pursue Building Fee Changes

Following the recommendations of a user fee study, Contra Costa County staff will propose later this summer the creation of two new rate categories along with existing rate and deposit adjustments. The most significant of the proposed changes is a new drainage plan review fee of $1,939.50 per new structure. The money is intended to reimburse the county for costs related to ensuring that new developments comply with stormwater drainage requirements. A second, smaller new fee of $172 per structure will cover the county’s costs to monitor construction debris disposal. Under the proposed fee changes, the county’s public works and planning departments estimate that building permit fees for a single-family residence with a construction valuation of $515,489 will pay an additional $2,878 per unit. However, building permit fees will drop for larger mixed use structures. In a meeting with BIA|Bay Area representatives in late April, county staff said the user study conducted by NBS showed that the county’s current building, plan check, electrical, plumbing and mechanical fees for commercial buildings — which includes mixed-use residential and multi-family structures — are too high. As a result, the permit fees for a commercial structure valued at $5.5 million will decline by an estimated $5,148 even after factoring the two new fees. In addition, the county plans to increase the required deposits on a range of time and material fees. Staff plans to bring the proposed rate changes to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in late summer or early fall. They will recommend the new fee schedule go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. All new developments in the unincorporated areas of the county will be subject to the updated rates. Click HERE to download and view the “Contra Costa County Draft User Fee Study for Departments of Public Works and Conservation Development” provided to BIA on April 29, 2019. For questions or comments, contact BIA’s East Bay Governmental Affairs Executive Director Lisa Vorderbrueggen at lvorderbrueggen@biabayarea.org.