Elbert County staff propose cuts to accessory-structure and other permit fees; commissioners weigh budget impact

Elbert County staff recommended several changes to the county building permit fee schedule, including a 25% reduction for Group U (accessory structures) and updates to the International Residential Code (IRC) and International Code Council (ICC) fee tables.

The recommendations, given during a work study discussion, would lower the current ICC Group U price per square foot (presently $66.48 under the county's table) to about $49.86 if a 25% modifier is applied, staff said. Staff also proposed moving the county's formulas for residential permits from an older Universal Building Code-based table to a more recent IRC permit-fee schedule (the county could adopt the 2024 IRC fee schedule now or transition on a rolling January 1 schedule), and applying a similar Group U modifier to that table.

County staff described how the 25% reduction would apply directly to the fee formula: for example, a valuation band that currently charges $993.75 for the first $100,000 would drop to roughly $745.31 under the reduced formula, with proportional decreases to the per-$1,000 line item.

Why it matters: Staff framed the…