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Inspection Bureau Inc. seeks modest fee increases; public hearing set for board action next week
Summary
Inspection Bureau, Inc. (IBI) requested a $10 increase to its application fee (from $50 to $60) and a $5 increase to trip/job fees (from $35 to $40) during a Nov. 14 public hearing; IBI cited rising labor and contract costs and said the change would add roughly $16 on average to a construction project. A resolution is scheduled for the board's next meeting.
Inspection Bureau, Inc. asked Hamilton County commissioners on Nov. 14 to approve modest increases to its inspection-related fees, saying higher labor costs and other contract expenses have made an adjustment necessary.
James Noyes, county staff overseeing the hearing, said the request was advertised and that he had not received calls from the public about the change. IBI seeks to raise its application fee from $50 to $60 and increase trip and job fees from $35 to $40. Noyes told the board a resolution to adopt the change has been submitted for consideration at next week's meeting; if adopted, the change could become effective Jan. 1, 2025, after a 30-day period.
Gaylord Poe, representing IBI, told commissioners the company has served the county since 1888 and provided operational data: through October the firm completed 6,770 inspections and reviewed 538 electrical plans; Hamilton County accounts for about 35% of IBI's business. Poe said IBI is a union shop and cited four recent annual hourly wage increases negotiated through the IBEW (effective through June 3 of the current year). He characterized the average impact of the proposed increases as “about $16 a little over $16 to any construction remodeling project.”
Poe said residential do‑it‑yourself work is a very small portion of IBI's workload and described the firm's voluntary assistance to local fire and building departments for damage assessments at no charge. County staff said they will notify trade associations (Home Builder Association, AIA, ACI) and post fee changes on the county website rather than broad public advertising.
No members of the public spoke against the proposal during the hearing. The board voted to close the hearing and will consider the resolution the following week. If the board adopts the resolution, the fee adjustments would take effect about 30 days after adoption and could be active Jan. 1, 2025.
