Owen County adopts revised building-permit fee schedule (Ordinance 2026-8)

The Owen County Commissioners voted June 4 to adopt ordinance 2026-8, revising the county building-permit fee schedule.

Chair opened the third reading and County Attorney (speaker 6) told the meeting, “It will be ordinance number 20 26 dash 8,” and summarized that the change is intended to bring fees in line with neighboring counties and make the building department more self-sufficient. The chair said several permit fees had not been updated in decades and that higher fees would partly offset revenue lost from storage-unit properties the county plans to sell to help fund a proposed jail.

The ordinance received no public objections during the invited comment period. County Attorney (speaker 6) said the ordinance must be published in the local newspaper within 30 days and will become effective according to statutory timing; he indicated he would confirm the exact effective-date timing. Auditor/finance discussion during the meeting noted that the change will lock the fee schedule for a statutory five-year period, per staff explanation.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the update is aimed at making the building department financially self-sustaining and reducing reliance on other county funds. Officials noted that higher, but regionally comparable, fees could help replace lost revenue streams tied to property sales and cover the building office’s operational costs.

The ordinance was adopted following the clerk’s motion and a commissioner vote. The county attorney will arrange the required publication and confirm the effective date under state law.

Next steps: Publication in the local paper, attorney confirmation of the effective date, and implementation of the revised fee schedule once statutory publishing and waiting-period requirements are satisfied.