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Teton County adopts updated engineering permit fees effective July 21, 2025
Summary
The Teton County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt revised engineering permit fees for fiscal year 2026, citing increased administrative costs and new permitting software; fees had not been updated since July 2020.
The Teton County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously July 15 to adopt revised engineering permit fees for fiscal year 2026, which the county said would take effect July 21.
County Public Works Director Heather Overholser told the board the update covers permits including small wastewater facility permits, grading and erosion-control, bridge, right-of-way, driveway access and floodplain permits. Overholser said the county has not increased these fees since July 2020 and cited higher operating costs and recent adoption of permitting software as reasons for the change.
"These have not been increased since July of 2020," Overholser said, adding the county began using a permitting software for septic permits in fiscal year 2025 and sometimes uses consultants when permit volume or conflicts require outside help.
A staff chart included with the report compared current and proposed fees, and the county held a 45-day public comment period that began May 14. Overholser said the new fee schedule is intended to reflect the county’s cost of doing business while permitting staff work to reduce application friction where possible.
Commissioner Probst raised a question about whether higher septic permit fees might deter residents from addressing failing systems. Overholser said the county does not have evidence that permit fees themselves cause residents to delay repairs and said the cost of the system, not the permit, is typically the primary barrier. She added the Water Quality Advisory Board is discussing programs to incentivize remediation of failing systems and that the county’s engineering staff will update small-wastewater facility permit requirements.
Commissioner Gardner noted that permitting costs are usually a small portion of total project cost, while Commissioner MacKer emphasized timeline implications when permit queues lengthen. No public comment was recorded on the item.
Motion to adopt the fee schedule was made by Commissioner Probst, seconded by Commissioner Gardner, and carried unanimously.
