(Spirit Lake)– The cost of building in the unincorporated areas of Dickinson county is about to go up.
The board of supervisors voted two-to-one today (Tuesday) to approve a Planning and Zoning Committee recommendation to increase zoning compliance fees…referred to by many as building permits.
Zoning Administrator David Kolhaase says the new fee structure has additional classifications in it for projects that have higher valuations. For example, a permit for a project with a value from $50,001 to $100,000 will cost $200; for a project valued from $100,001 to $250,000 the cost will be $300; for a value of $250,001 to $500,000 the cost will be $400; and for a project with a valuation of $500,001 to $1,000,000 the cost will be $500.
County officials say just because they’re increasing the fees doesn’t mean they’ve taken a stance on the building code issue. They say this is the first time in many years an adjustment has been made in the fees. They say the increase is needed to compensate for administrative time.
The new fees go into effect this coming July 1st.
Supervisor David Gottsche cast the lone no vote. He wanted to see the fees based on square footage.
