Allen County approves $100 verification fee for business alcohol-location sign-off

Allen County commissioners on Jan. 17 approved an ordinance allowing the county surveyor to charge a $100 verification fee when signing off on business locations required for state alcohol permits.

The fee was proposed by Allen County Surveyor Mike Krucci, who told commissioners the office verifies locations for applicants as part of the state permitting process and handled roughly 60–80 such verifications last year. Krucci said repeating work when permits lapse or addresses are unclear consumes staff time and that larger Indiana counties charge a similar fee. "We think we should have a fee," Krucci said, adding that a $100 fee is "pretty standard" and typically goes to a section corner fund to support locating section corners.

Commissioners asked procedural questions about the process and whether the surveyor is being asked to validate other location-based restrictions; Krucci said his office is required to sign the verification but flagged cases such as proximity to schools or private preschools as situations that can raise additional questions. One commissioner asked county staff to check whether any recent state legislation changes affected the surveyor's responsibilities.

A motion to approve the ordinance (recorded in the meeting as approval under the ordinance number cited during the session) was made and seconded and carried. Commissioners discussed that the fee revenue would likely be modest (Krucci estimated roughly $8,000 if the office handled 80 verifications) and could help pay for locating a small number of section corners.

The ordinance passed by voice vote during the legislative session. The commissioners and Krucci concluded the item with a brief acknowledgement of the workload and the intent to funnel the fee into the section corner fund.