Benton Co. raises housing permit fees. How do they compare to other counties?
Benton County has some of the lowest permitting fees for building a new home in central Washington, but due to a surge in costs since 2021, they’re going to have to raise them a bit.
County commissioners voted Tuesday to adjust their fees on all residential permit reviews and add in fees for the inspecting growing solar panel use.
The fees would apply to new construction and renovations. The changes are effective immediately.
On a new 2,400-square-foot home with a garage, natural gas connections and a fireplace, the estimated plan review costs would increase from about $3,200 to $3,670.
That’s based on the current fee of 5% increasing to 20%. The fees would apply only in county-managed areas, not within the city limits of Kennewick and Richland.
Builders would likely pay the fees and absorb them into the larger cost of the home. A homeowner could see a direct impact if they were planning a major renovation though.
Of the eight counties in central Washington, Benton County would move from the 7th most expensive to sixth, switching places with Franklin County.
Only Kittitas County is cheaper, at about $2 below Benton’s current rate.
Walla Walla County is the most expensive at more than double Benton County’s cost, or nearly $7,760 for the same size home.
Benton County’s changes should produce $70,000 to $80,000 a year in additional revenue, according to information presented at the meeting. The Protective Inspection Services Fund is self-supporting, meaning fees pay for the cost of running the program.
The county said the Tri-Cities Home Builders Association reviewed the proposal and said “while they are generally against fee increases, they do understand the increased cost of conducting business that has happened since our last fee increase in 2021 and the need to cover reasonable costs.”
They did not oppose the proposed fee change, according to the county.
Statewide, staffing has been the primary driver of budget increases for cities and counties in recent years. Many county budgets have more than doubled over the past decade, largely because of staff costs.
