Building Development Services Fee Schedule

Permit Fee Notes

• The following schedule of permit fees is applicable to the Chapel Hill zoning jurisdiction.

• Building permit fees are based on the cost of construction unless otherwise indicated and are collected after permit approval for issuance and PRIOR to any work beginning.

• For all building permits, the General Contractor of record is responsible for paying all permit fees.

• All fees shall be paid in order to receive a Certificate of Occupancy and final power.

• Permit fees are broken down into 2 categories:  Residential and Commercial. Residential means 1 & 2 Family projects like single family homes, duplexes, townhomes. Commercial means all other projects not considered Residential.

• Cost of new construction projects will be evaluated against the most current ICC Valuation Table.

• Fees for all Town projects are waived.

• BDS staff collects permit and review fees on behalf of other Town departments as part of the permit process. These fees are subject to the policies, guidelines, and fee schedules of the Town departments for which they apply. 

Building Valuation Data Table

(For the current Building Valuation Data table, see www.iccsafe.org)

For Use in Determining Minimum Total Valuation for Building Permit Fee Calculations 

• The BVD table provides the “average” construction costs per square foot, which can be used in determining permit fees for a jurisdiction. Permit fee schedules are addressed in Section 109.2 of the most current International Building Code (IBC) whereas Section 109.3 addresses building permit valuations. The permit fees can be established by using the BVD table and a Permit Fee Multiplier, which is based on the total construction value within the jurisdiction for the past year. The Square Foot Construction Cost table presents factors that reflect relative value of one construction classification/occupancy group to another so that more expensive construction is assessed greater permit fees than less expensive construction. 

• The BVD is not intended to apply to alterations or repairs to existing buildings. Because the scope of alterations or repairs to an existing building varies so greatly, the Square Foot Construction Costs Table does not reflect accurate values for that purpose. However, the Square Foot Construction Costs Table can be used to determine the cost of an addition that is basically a stand-alone building which happens to be attached to an existing building. In the case of such additions, the only alterations to the existing building would involve the attachment of the addition to the existing building and the openings between the addition and the existing building.

• Determination of Total Valuation. For purposes of determining fees, total valuation shall be either the actual contract price or an applicable amount based on the total square footage of the structure to be built, multiplied by the square foot cost data prescribed on the attached Building Valuation Data Table which is a part of this fee schedule, whichever is greater.

Publicly Assisted Housing Units

• The Town agrees to waive certain development-related fees related only for the affordable units for projects that provide permanently affordable homeownership opportunities or provide rental housing that remains affordable for at least 20 years. Affordable is defined as being sold or rented to households earning less than 120% of the Area Median Income as determined and approved by the Town. In this case, otherwise applicable Town application fees, building permit fees, plan review fees, inspection fees, and such other development fees and costs which would otherwise be due shall be waived for the affordable dwelling units identified in the application. To qualify for the waiver for rental development, applicants and Town staff must agree on how affordability will be maintained for a 20-year period and an agreement may be required. 

• If application fees are paid for a proposed development that subsequently converts existing approved market rate units to affordable dwelling units in the development plan, a pro rata refund of any such fees that have already been paid shall be provided to the applicant upon approval of the development to reflect the conversion to affordable units. The refunded amount will be determined by the percentage of the affordable units within the development. In addition, any existing development that receives approval to construct new affordable units may have the fees waived for the new affordable units. This refund or waiver does not apply to any market rate units, or to any fees associated with water, wastewater, or stormwater.

• Town-assessed Planning and Building-related development fees are waived for service projects by approved non-profits, for a non-profit organization. However, fees required or assessed by the State (current Homeowner's Recovery Fee) and Orange County (current Recyclable Materials Fee) are still applicable.  

• Fees related to Additional Services and Re-Inspection fees are not considered development or permit fees and are not covered by this blanket fee waiver. Additional Services fees and Re-Inspection fees are required to be paid in accordance with the following fee schedule for projects that fall within this Publicly Assisted Housing category.

Re-Inspection and Additional Services Fees

• All additional inspections made necessary due to failure to comply with applicable code requirements, when projects are not ready for requested inspections, when recurring deficiencies exist, and/or when requested inspections are not cancelled on time, are all considered examples of and reasons for "re-inspections" each carrying a re-inspection fee.

• RESIDENTIAL:  Every permit for residential projects will be assessed a re-inspection fee of $60 for the first two rejected inspections per inspection type and then doubled for each subsequent rejected inspection. (Ex. of doubled fees - $60, $60, $120, $240 ...)

• COMMERCIAL:  Every permit for commercial projects will be assessed a re-inspection fee of $100 for the first two rejected inspections per inspection type and then doubled for each subsequent rejected inspection. (Ex. of doubled fees - $100, $100, $200, $400 ...)

• Any disputes must be received within 3 business days of the rejection for waiver consideration. 

• Re-inspection fees are not considered permit fees and are not eligible for blanket waivers.

• The Dept Director may require any re-inspection fees due totaling $500 or more per permit applicant/ contractor to be paid prior to moving forward with inspections.

Refunds

• Sub-permits are ineligible for refunds.

• Active building permits issued for one- and two-family dwellings may receive refunds of the permit cost (minus the non-refundable administrative review fee) after permit issuance, provided no inspections have occurred. Once inspections have begun on a site, no refunds will be granted for the permit.

• Refunds for zoning approvals/permits will be in accordance with the current refund policy on file with the Planning Dept.

• The minimum charge for processing one and two family permit refunds is $75.00.

• Active building permits for all projects other than one- and two-family dwellings may receive refunds of the permit cost (minus the non-refundable administrative review fee and any plan review fees) after permit issuance, provided no inspections have occurred and all original paperwork is returned to the Building Division.

• The minimum charge for processing other than one- and two-family permit refunds is $100.00.

• No refunds will be issued beyond six months from the date of permit issuance for any permit or if inspections have been completed.

• Fees for Additional Services are required to be paid upfront, before services are rendered, and are non-refundable after.

• Only BDS management can approve the waiver of fees.

Development Services Fees - Fire and Zoning and Planning

• Please refer to the Planning Department Fee Schedule for all fees related to zoning, wireless facilities, and planning.
• Please refer to the Fire Department Fee Schedule for all fees related to Fire and Life Safety systems.

Single Family Residential Zoning Review Fees

1. Tier 1 - $25

Projects that meet all of the criteria below:

• Less than 1500 sq ft of Land Disturbance
• Less than 500 sq ft of new Impervious Surface Area
• The property is not in a Neighborhood Conservation District
• The property is not near a Resource Conservation District (RCD Stream Buffer or Jordan Stream Buffer or floodplain)
• In more extreme cases, this category may be applicable for some Tradework Only Permits

2. Tier 2 - $125

Projects that have any of the following:

• Between 1500-5000 sq ft of Land Disturbance
• Between 500-1500 sq ft of new Impervious Surface Area
• The property is in a Neighborhood Conservation District
• The property is near a Resource Conservation District (RCD Stream Buffer or Jordan Stream Buffer or floodplain)

3. Tier 3 - $250

Projects that have any of the following:

• More than 5000 sq ft of Land Disturbance
• More than 1500 sq ft of new Impervious Surface Area

Penalty Fees

• After-the-Fact Work (without permits) - When any work on a building or service system commences before FIRST obtaining the required permit(s), a Stop Work Order will be issued and all associated permit fees (including those for zoning) for the work will be DOUBLED and due for payment prior to permit issuance.
• Violation Penalty -  Penalty fees assessed for violations of local ordinances and state codes are per the applicable section of code or ordinance.                 

Orange County Recyclable Materials Fee

As of July 1, 2008, an 8% Orange County recyclable materials fee shall be charged on all permits issued in Orange County. The 8% will be based on total permit fees.

Administrative Review Fee

This is an upfront non-refundable, non-transferable fee, due at the time of submission for each building permit application received. This fee is based upon the project's construction cost. It is applicable for all building permits and is applied towards final permit fees balance.

Commercial Plan Review Fees (For Projects other than One- and Two-Family)

Building Fees

Miscellaneous Building Fees

Electrical Fees

Mechanical Fees

Plumbing

*For multiple dwelling units, this fee is charged per dwelling unit

Additional Services - Fees are collected Prior to project progression and are non-refundable and non-transferable after service is delivered

***This inspection applies to permitted work only and can only be done when initiated or approved by Town Supervisory or Management Staff. Fee applies to each trade inspection.