Board approves higher building-permit fees to fund permit technician, 3–2

The Nottoway County Board of Supervisors on July 17 approved an increase in building-permit fees aimed at shifting the cost of permits to end users and funding a full-time permit technician.

Planning and building staff told the board the fee changes were developed by surveying surrounding counties and are intended to bring Nottoway’s fees closer to regional averages while covering the administrative cost of monitoring unpermitted work. "We looked at the surrounding counties...we used that number to come up with our average," said Nick Boles, the county’s building department representative, explaining the basis for the proposal.

During the public hearing, resident Sean Haneyberg questioned whether higher fees alone would prevent poor workmanship or unlicensed labor and suggested enforcement capacity and inspector follow-through are the primary remedies; staff pointed to a proposed $250 administrative fee for work begun without a permit as an incentive to comply. Boles told the board the department expects the fees to cover roughly $36,000 in salary costs for the technician.

The board adopted the fee schedule after discussion about projected revenue and workload. Supervisor Toth voted no in the roll call; the motion to accept the increases passed on a 3–2 vote.

The fee change is effective as posted and staff said a printed schedule is available at county administration for public inspection. The board also noted the difficulty of projecting exact revenue because building activity depends on market conditions; the county cited $19 million in new construction in the previous 24 months as context for permit activity.