Committee sends permitting-fee rewrite forward, formalizes $69 admin charge and 10% tech fee

The Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee voted to move CB-67-2026 forward with a favorable recommendation, endorsing a rewrite that replaces fee language in multiple sections of county code with references to a unified fee table.

Staff member Battle told the committee the bill and an accompanying resolution (CR-62-2026) together will "update the fee schedule" and move scattered fee language into one location. Lori Paris, chief of staff at the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE), said the change is intended as a cleanup that increases transparency for customers: "this cleanup is similar to the cleanup we did in 2021," she said, adding that consolidating fees makes it easier for customers to find and understand charges.

Paris and staff explained the proposal also formalizes fees that had previously been applied inconsistently. Under the proposal, a $69 administrative fee is added and a 10% technology fee is applied to permitting charges. Paris described the practical effect: "Then you add a $69 administrative fee ... and then a 10% technology fee." Committee members asked whether the change would slow permit processing; Paris said centralizing fee entries in DPIE's permitting system (Momentum) should make updates and payments quicker and reduce confusion about which fees apply.

Committee members also pressed staff for the projected fiscal impact. Paris and Battle said Office of Management and Budget staff were still calculating the revenue estimate and committed to provide a concrete number before the public hearing. The committee voted 5-0 to send the bill forward for consideration by the full council.

Next steps: CB-67-2026 will receive a public hearing at the council level and the administration said it will supply the OMB revenue estimate in advance of that hearing.