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Council updates Fire Prevention Bureau fees; staff to consider clearer waiver notice for residential applicants
Summary
The committee approved updates to the Fire Prevention Bureau fee schedule, which staff said had not been updated since 2008. Council members asked staff to ensure fee‑waiver options for modest residential projects are clearly noted on applications.
Deputy Chief (Fire Prevention) told the committee that many fees for plan reviews, inspections and acceptance testing have not been updated since 2008 and no longer cover the cost of providing services or match neighboring municipalities. "Many of the fees associated with these services have not been updated since 2008," the deputy chief said, explaining the proposal would align fees with current market rates and delivery costs while preserving fire and life‑safety services.
An alderman asked how applicants — especially low‑income homeowners seeking small residential waivers — would learn about the waiver option in the ordinance. The deputy chief said the Fire Prevention Bureau handles commercial inspections and that the building department would be responsible for residential waiver outreach; city staff agreed to explore attaching waiver information to applications for transparency. Following that clarification, the committee moved and approved the ordinance amendment updating Chapter 15‑101 enforcement fees and penalties.
