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Council amends building-permit ordinance, adds $50 inspection fee amid debate over transparency
Summary
Council consolidated building permit fee schedules into a simplified chart and approved adding a $50-per-inspection fee to the codified ordinance after aldermen requested clearer language on inspection and consultant review charges; some members had pushed for more visible listing of inspection costs before final passage.
Berwyn aldermen debated and ultimately amended the city’s building-related fee ordinance on Feb. 10, 2026, approving a consolidated permit-fee chart and inserting a $50 inspection fee into the codified ordinance.
Council members described the package as a consolidation of many line items into a shorter chart intended to make the permitting process easier for residents. Several aldermen said the aldermanic committee had spent multiple meetings analyzing percentage-based approaches and had settled on a 1.5% charge of project cost for some permit categories. During Committee of the Whole discussion, one alderman said the committee’s approval earlier was for concept only and asked that council review the drafted language before final adoption.
A recurring concern was transparency about inspection and outside-review fees. One alderman pressed staff to list inspection fees in the ordinance so permit applicants could better anticipate total costs; staff and other aldermen said inspection fees have long been set as flat amounts and that consultant review fees are billed as incurred. During discussion a member stated, “All inspection fees are set at a flat rate of $50,” and two aldermen proposed and passed a motion to amend the ordinance by inserting the inspection fee explicitly.
After a failed motion to defer for further changes, council voted to amend the ordinance (parts of Title 4, Chapter 14) to add the $50 inspection fee and to adopt the amended ordinance; the chair announced the motion carried with seven ayes. The item will be finalized by the City Attorney and signatures will be fixed as part of the ordinance process.
Council also discussed and said some permit fees were reduced in the consolidation; staff offered a redline for side-by-side comparison upon request.
