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Council approves first reading to update building, trade and permit fees; credit-card convenience fee to rise to 3%
Summary
On first reading council approved amendments to Appendix D of the city code to change building/trade permit fees (including flat-rate trade permits), increase issuance and reinspection fees, add same-day inspection fees and raise credit‑card convenience charges to 3 percent; staff said many fee formulas dated to 1995 and needed updating.
The Friendswood City Council on Monday approved on first reading an ordinance amending Appendix D (Schedule of Fees) to update building, trade and related fees, increase solicitor and towing fees, and pass through higher credit-card processing costs.
Planning and permitting staff presented a broad overhaul that moves many trade permits from itemized counts to flat-rate fees and updates a permit-fee formula originally adopted in 1995. Aubrey Harvin said the proposed changes aim to streamline online permitting, cover inspection and administrative costs, and align Friendswood’s charges more closely with peer cities.
Major highlights presented by staff include: - Residential trade permits (example: houses under 5,000 sq. ft.): electrical, plumbing and mechanical trade permits proposed at $200 each (proposed tiered increases for larger sizes). - Commercial trade permits: proposed flat amounts by size bands (e.g., $250 for 5,000–11,999 sq. ft.; $300 for 12,000–40,000 sq. ft.; higher bands up to $500 for very large buildings). - Change to the base fee formula for commercial building permits (proposed base increase from $15 to $40) and a higher issuance fee ($40 instead of $10). - Reinspection fee increase to $100 and an optional same-day inspection fee; current reinspection fee of $35 had not been updated for many years. - Permits for pools, generators and certain other trade work revised to flat rates. - Solicitor/itinerant vendor application fee increased to $50; ID card fee $15; replacement registration $15 (staff noted prior fees dated to 1984). - Credit-card convenience/processing fees will be passed through to consumers and will increase from 2.5% to 3% due to a vendor change required by the city’s enterprise software vendor.
Council members asked about inspection trip frequency, whether flat fees properly reflect inspector workload, and the rationale for making some trade fees identical for ease of public inquiry. Staff said inspection frequency varies by project size and scope and that the proposed commercial formula change (and increased issuance fee) also helps cover the city’s digital plan-review software costs and staff time.
After discussion the council moved, seconded and voted to approve the ordinance on first reading; the motion passed unanimously (specific vote counts were not provided in the meeting record). Staff said additional detail and final ordinance language will return for second reading as required.
Clarifying details: staff used sample residential and commercial examples (a 4,578 sq. ft. house and a 15,201 sq. ft. commercial building) to show how new flat rates compare to current itemized fees and peer cities. Harvin noted several fee schedules had not been updated since the 1990s.
Ending: Council approved the first reading to modernize fee schedules and recover administrative costs; the ordinance will return for second reading and final adoption.
