Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disaster Recovery Permitting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Homeowners urge extension of storm-related permit waivers; county extends waiver through Dec. 31, 2025
Summary
A homeowner asked the Board of Commissioners to reopen and extend the county’s Hurricane Helene permit-fee waivers and improve public outreach. The board voted 5–0 to continue waiving storm-related permit fees through Dec. 31, 2025 and staff said they will track and refund any fees charged in January.
During the Feb. 17 meeting, Lauren Van Riper addressed commissioners during informal public comments and asked that Burke County reopen or extend the permit-fee waiver and fee-refund opportunity tied to storm-related repairs from Hurricane Helene.
Van Riper said she and other lakefront property owners remain unable to complete repairs because of insurance denials, contractor shortages, access problems and complications coordinating permits with Duke Energy and county processes. She told the board that permit outreach was unclear and that many homeowners missed the prior waiver window; she asked the county to extend the waiver period, improve notifications (county website and social media), and streamline processes to let homeowners rebuild.
Later in the meeting community development staff told the board they had issued more than 400 storm-related permits since the event and had surveyed peer jurisdictions, finding most were continuing waivers. Staff recommended the board continue to waive fees for storm repairs and to track and refund any fees already collected. The draft resolution in the packet contained a typographical date error; staff confirmed the intended extension date should be Dec. 31, 2025.
A motion to adopt the corrected resolution to continue storm-related permit fee waivers through Dec. 31, 2025 carried unanimously, 5–0. Commissioners asked staff to ensure refunds for fees collected in January would be processed.
Why it matters: allowing waived fees can reduce financial obstacles to homeowners completing repairs after a disaster and can expedite recovery. The public comment described ongoing access and contractor-supply issues that affected lakefront homeowners’ ability to rebuild.
