16.04.280 Permits and inspection fees.
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A. Whenever any permit is required by the fire code, such permit shall be in addition to all other permits or licenses required by law or other ordinance.
B. Construction and land use permit fees for permits required under the IFC shall be established in Chapter 17.08 VMC, Fees Table V Fire Fees, and VMC 20.180.080, Fire Review Fees.
C. Fire-related permit and inspection fees shall be adjusted annually on January 1st pursuant to the methodology set forth in VMC 3.08.100. Each such newly adjusted fee shall be rounded to the next higher whole dollar.
D. The owner or occupant of buildings that have any of the existing occupancy types listed in this section shall pay a periodic inspection fee, according to the fee schedule listed in this section. For the purposes of this section, “periodic inspection” means an inspection of the existing occupancy types listed in this section, according to the fire code official’s preset inspection schedule. A “periodic inspection” under this section is not related to any inspection associated with a construction permit, required under Chapter 17.08 VMC. For the purposes of this section, “special inspection” means any inspection of the existing occupancy types listed in this section to ensure compliance with newly adopted rules or regulations, compliance with a manufacturer’s recall, or any inspection related to a fire code enforcement investigation. There shall be no special inspection fee if a fire code complaint does not result in identifying a fire code violation.
Effective 01/01/2022:
|
First Code-Compliance Inspection |
Occupancy Group Types B, M & R (Not Including R-3 Occupancies) & U |
Occupancy Group Types A, E & LC |
Occupancy Group Types F, H, I & S |
|---|---|---|---|
|
0 – 500 sq. ft. |
$44 (limited to type B & M occupancies only) |
$112 |
$140 |
|
501 – 3,000 sq. ft. |
$84 |
$112 |
$140 |
|
3,001 – 5,000 sq. ft. |
$132 |
$161 |
$189 |
|
5,001 – 7,500 sq. ft |
$175 |
$232 |
$300 |
|
7,501 – 10,000 sq. ft. |
$189 |
$287 |
$418 |
|
10,001 – 12,500 sq. ft. |
$211 |
$329 |
$446 |
|
12,501 – 15,000 sq. ft. |
$238 |
$384 |
$467 |
|
15,001 – 17,500 sq. ft. |
$251 |
$413 |
$489 |
|
17,501 – 20,000 sq. ft. |
$267 |
$435 |
$510 |
|
20,001 – 30,000 sq. ft. |
$287 |
$456 |
$531 |
|
30,001 – 40,000 sq. ft. |
$322 |
$510 |
$546 |
|
40,001 – 50,000 sq. ft. |
$343 |
$546 |
$565 |
|
50,001 – 60,000 sq. ft. |
$364 |
$580 |
$579 |
|
60,001 – 70,000 sq. ft. |
$384 |
$615 |
$615 |
|
70,001 – 100,000 sq. ft. |
$398 |
$643 |
$642 |
|
100,001 – 150,000 sq. ft. |
$426 |
$678 |
$678 |
|
150,001 – 200,000 sq. ft. |
$477 |
$720 |
$720 |
|
Over 200,000 sq. ft. |
$580 |
$755 |
$755 |
|
If the actual costs (including, but not limited to, preparation, administration and inspection time) exceed double the fee established in Section 1 of the fee table, an additional hourly rate may apply. |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
|
Where the inspectable portions of the building are less than 50% of the total building square footage, then an hourly rate may be applied in lieu of the fee established in Section 1 of the fee table. |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
|
Second and subsequent reinspections |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
|
Special inspections or other fire code inspections or fire code related activities |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
$91 per hour (actual costs, including, but not limited to, preparation, administrative, and inspection time) |
E. Second inspections are at no cost; all subsequent compliance inspections shall be charged an hourly rate per the table above. Where authorized by the fire code official, the affidavit process shall constitute a second inspection at no cost.
F. Inspection and Issuance of Operational permits required by IFC Section 105.5. An applicant for an operational permit, required under IFC Section 105.5, shall pay an inspection and issuance fee of $54.00 for each operational permit, except that the following subcategories of operational permits are hereby created:
1. Special Event Master Permit. Event producers shall obtain such permit for amusement buildings, organized carnivals and fairs (including festivals and concerts), exhibits and trade shows, etc. The fee for a special event master permit shall be $97.00 for single use and $197.00 for multi-use (includes fire permit and fire inspection).
2. Operational permits issued for the storage and use of LP gas in structures with an aggregate quantity less than 125 gallons (water capacity) shall not be charged a fee.
G. Inspection, Testing and Maintenance Report Processing. There shall be a review fee for reports submitted to the fire code official according to the schedule below.
H. Payment process for Technical Assistance Fire Review. A deposit fee is required prior to commencement of technical assistance review. A $900.00 deposit for senior fire protection engineer/technical consultation plans review and/or specialized consultation at $450.00 per hour. If additional fire protection engineering review and/or technical consultation time is required, the applicant may request additional time in two-plus-hour increments.
Effective 1/1/2022:
|
1. |
Each Commercial Cooking Maintenance (Includes Suppression Systems and Hood Cleaning Reports) |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
2. |
Each Fixed Chemical System (Fixed Chemical Systems Include All Systems Defined in the IFC and Paint Booths and Clean Rooms) |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
3. |
Fire Sprinkler |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
4. |
Fire Alarm |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
5. |
Fire Pump |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
6. |
Emergency Generator |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
7. |
Standpipes |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
|
8. |
All Other Fire Protection Systems |
$57 per initial fire protection system type and $6 per additional system of the same protection type |
(Ord. M-4485 § 40, 2024; Ord. M-4317 § 1, 2020; Ord. M-4247 § 2, 2018; Ord. M-4164 § 7, 2016; Ord. M-4138 § 26, 2015; Ord. M-3957 § 18, 2010; Ord. M-3882 § 1, 2008; Ord. M-3768 § 1, 2006; Ord. M-3659 § 1, 2004)