Starting April 4, a new — and sometimes more expensive — structure for building fees will take effect in Peachtree City.
Gone will be a rate that calculates new building construction fees based on their square footage. Instead, the new fees take into account the total valuation of the project, based on either the contract for the work or a valuation table adopted twice a year by the International Code Council.
This will eliminate the difference between how a commercial project is valued and how residential construction is valued, city officials said.
The result is that while some fees will be higher, some other fees will also be lower than previously set, officials said.
“The new fee structure for building permits is a complete revision of how the fee is calculated,” said Community Development Director David Rast. “Previously, the rate was based on project square footage, and now it is based on total project valuation.”
Peachtree City requires a building permit to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure. Also, individual building permits are required when changing any electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system or replacing siding or roofs, or building a fence or swimming pool.
The new fees in part recognize that “economies of scale for larger projects should result in a lower fee per $1,000 as projects grow in value,” officials said in a news release.
The new rate structure also provides a significant penalty for those who perform any construction work without obtaining the proper permit. The new fees call for such instances to require a permit fee of “double the standard fee amount” so as to “encourage people to obtain permits at the correct time,” officials said.
Last year, the city outsourced nearly all of its building department to the private company SAFEbuilt, a nod to the city nearing its build-out.
Residents and contractors can view the new permit fee schedule on Peachtree City’s web site at www.peachtree-city.org/index.aspx?NID=918.
