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Barry County planning department reports 1,002 building permits in 2024, cites housing affordability and measured growth
Summary
The county planning and zoning department reported 1,002 building permits, roughly 2,500 trade permits and $49,397 in revenue for 2024, and said housing availability and affordability remain concerns; commissioners asked for clarification on land divisions, address assignments and minimum parcel sizes.
Barry County — At the Jan. 28 meeting of the Barry County Board of Commissioners, a planning and zoning staff member identified as Jeff presented the department’s 2024 year‑end report, telling commissioners that overall permit activity was similar to prior years but that housing affordability and availability remain ongoing concerns.
Jeff reported 1,002 building permits issued in 2024 and a total of about 2,500 electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. The department generated $49,397 in revenue in 2024, a figure staff said is close to the prior year. Jeff said zoning permit activity was highest in the county’s growth areas, while soil erosion permits were concentrated along lake and riverfront properties.
Commissioners pressed for clarifications. Commissioner Schulker asked about the relationship between land division requests and new parcels; Jeff explained that the 74 land division requests resulted in the creation of 120 new parcels. Commissioners also sought detail on the county’s new‑address process: Jeff said the department issued 138 new addresses in 2024 to document new houses and structures and maintain the county’s address and road system.
Jeff explained common code enforcement language: "Closeouts... that's our code enforcement, and unfortunately, that's that's not really my — I don't handle the code enforcement. That's Chris Mannell. But these would be issues that we addressed and then closed out those issues so they were handled," he said.
On minimum lot sizes, Jeff said most of the county is zoned for a 1‑acre minimum lot size. In recreational lakes districts the minimum can be as small as 8,500 square feet (about one‑third of an acre) depending on sewer or septic availability, he said. Commissioners noted the overall trend in permits has been relatively stable over recent years with measured growth rather than large developments.
Ending: Commissioners thanked planning staff for the report and asked Jeff to bring a year‑to‑year comparison table in a future meeting to show trends across 2022–2024.
