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LaSalle County committee backs building-permit fee overhaul and SafeBuilt inspection contract for county board
Summary
The land use committee recommended sending updates to the building permit ordinance and a SafeBuilt inspection contract to the county board after staff described new fee structures for energy projects, a 10% county administrative add-on, and a corrected wind-speed standard.
LaSalle County’s Land Use Committee on Dec. 3 recommended that the county board consider coordinated updates to the building permit ordinance and a contract with SafeBuilt (a private inspection provider) after staff outlined several fee and technical changes.
County staff said the updates align local fees and requirements to recent state statutory changes for energy projects and to correct an unclear wind-speed reference in the county code. Staff described how large energy projects will be handled under the new fee structure: building permits for energy projects generally will be calculated at $5,000 per megawatt of nameplate capacity (rounded up) with a cap described in staff examples, and standalone energy-storage facilities would be charged the lesser of $5,000 per megawatt or $50,000. Staff also said some previously applied maximums (for example, a prior $20,000 cap for certain solar permit calculations) will change under the new approach.
Brent, a county staff member, summarized the SafeBuilt contract and the fee-transfer arrangement: SafeBuilt would receive the permit fees it collects and the county would add a 10% administrative charge when collecting those permits. He also described a new $250 flat residential solar plan-review fee and said SafeBuilt requested some fee increases to reflect higher costs. On a separate technical point, staff proposed adjusting a wind-speed value referenced in the county code from 107 mph to 105 mph to match engineering chart interpretations.
Committee members discussed whether battery storage would be permitted and inspected as part of an overall solar or wind project (staff said battery storage included in a solar/wind project would be permitted as part of that project and not charged a separate fee; standalone storage would follow the new standalone fee). Members also raised contractor registration as a topic for a future agenda and asked staff to provide sample language and fee estimates.
The committee moved and approved forwarding the building permit ordinance amendments and the SafeBuilt contract to the county board for final action. The packet includes the proposed ordinance text, fee tables and related draft contract language.
