Written by 
Building permits and fees are on the agenda at Wednesday’s Hastings Highlands council meeting.
A building department report recommends council implement several cost increases related to building.
Increases include introducing a $250 fee for change of use permits and doubling the standard permit fee if construction begins without a permit (for example, a $1,200 permit becomes a $2,400 fee if construction begins before approval) and a $75 per hour fee to review revised drawings.
Other changes include adding a renovation fee of 50 cents per square foot of renovated areas, charging $200 for residential building compliance letters and charging $100 for entering permits into a new ‘epermitting’ system.
The report also adds a $1,400 fee to ‘register and discharge (remove) a Building Code Act Order with the Land Registry Office – one-time fee for both actions’.
The report concludes that the proposed increase in building permit fees for 2025 is a “necessary and reasonable adjustment aimed at ensuring the building department can work towards operating sustainably while covering the costs of modernization (e-permitting) and addressing inflationary pressures.”
Estimated cost of the cloud-based permit system that the municipality is implementing is $17,000.
The report goes on to state that the increase is “minor relative to overall construction costs and will help Hastings Highlands align with other Hastings County municipalities while avoiding an undue burden on the general tax levy.”
The proposed fees would come into effect January, 2025.