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Shawnee County planning director signals enforcement change: building permit fees may include labor starting 2026
Summary
Planning Director Joni Tanani said the county will enforce existing permit-fee language that includes labor in the valuation formula and plans to publish updated procedures; she said fees have not been revised since 2003 and that the change could materially increase permit revenue.
Joni Tanani, director of the Shawnee County Planning Department, told commissioners she intends to enforce the county’s existing building-permit resolution by including labor in permit valuations starting in 2026 and to update the department’s fee procedures and online permitting portal.
Tanani said Shawnee County has not revised building-permit fees since the planning office was created in 2003 and that the current resolution already permits assessment based on the entire construction value, which the department historically treated as materials-only. She said the change would not be a new fee but would enforce how the fee is calculated.
She reported year-to-date building-permit fees of about $93,000 and total valuation of roughly $28,000,006 as of June; those figures reflect fewer high-value permits compared with prior peak years. Tanani said she expects to finalize updated permit procedures and launch an internal permitting portal in August, then make public-facing online permit tools available after testing.
Why it matters: Including labor in the valuation base could increase permit-fee revenue and reduce the portion of planning costs covered by the general fund. Tanani said she will notify regular builders and contractors by mail, public notice and portal messaging and that the planning office will provide guidance and documentation requests (for example, builders’ contracts) when valuations are questioned.
Commissioners asked about likely revenue impact and public reaction. Tanani said she could not estimate exact revenue but that fees could rise substantially for some projects — “I would anticipate that labor probably does eat up a large chunk of the cost of building a house,” she said — and that the department would give notice and outreach well before implementation.
Next steps: Tanani said she will bring proposed building-permit procedure changes to the commission for consideration and will publicize the enforcement change and the new permitting portal before implementation on Jan. 1, 2026.
