Belmont looking at bringing back building permit fees

Town officials are considering re-instituting building permit fees. Town Planner Candace Daigle said last week the town had permit fees years ago, but did away with them because officials felt that many people were ignoring them, creating a problem in the community.

Daigle said that Code Enforcement Officer Gary Boisvert had researched the issue and found that Belmont could be the only town in the Lakes Region that does not charge building permit fees.

The fees are intended to cover the costs of inspection of building projects by town officials. (Inspections by the Fire Department are not covered in the fee schedule.)

The proposed new fee structure could add $225 to $380 to the cost of an average single-family home in town, Boisvert told the board of selectmen at a recent meeting. “I represent to you that that is low,” he said.

Most builders easily absorb the fees into their construction costs, town officials said.

Daigle said that Boisvert “looked at a two-floor, two-bath cape, 28’-by-36’ that would sell for $175,000. . .our fee schedule would charge building permit costs of $202. By way of comparison, Gilford is $130, Gilmanton $360, Laconia $302 and Northfield $150. So our fee would come right in the middle of what surrounding towns are charging.”

Boisvert told the board that if the fee schedule as proposed was already in place the town would have collected $18,024 by the end of July. One particular six-unit retail project on Route 106 could have brought in $1,000, he said.

The Planning Board evaluated re-instituting the fees about two years ago and recommended the selectmen do so, but the measure did not move forward at that time.

This year, the selectmen wanted to look at the issue again. The board voiced its support of Boisvert’s schedule and will be holding a public hearing on the issue at its next meeting, Monday, Aug. 29. At that time, the board could officially institute the fees.

Planner Daigle said she’s not heard any negative response from builders in town at this time. “I guess the only comments I’ve heard were at the public hearings for the Growth Management Ordinance which were a lot of comments like, ‘Please don’t limit how much we can build. Go ahead and charge us for the buildings if you need to,’” she said. “But I don’t know if that’s going to hold over at this public hearing.”