It might become more spendy for contractors seeking to build, reconstruct or renovate in Coeur d’Alene.

The city is slated to host an Aug. 4 hearing on a proposal to make at least 40 fee increases in multiple departments. One of those proposed increases includes charging more in building permit fees.

Anyone who seeks a building permit within Coeur d’Alene is currently charged a review fee of 15% of the entire building permit cost. If approved, that number will increase to 25%. 

According to the city, the extra funds collected from this proposed increase will be used to help purchase new permitting software that is more intuitive and user-friendly. In total, the city's building department looks to raise fees for 10 separate categories of service, city documents show. 

“These proposed fee updates are intended to recover the actual cost of providing permits, plan review, inspection, appeal, and abatement services while improving customer service through added staffing and modern permit software,” Municipal Services Director and Clerk Renata McLeod stated in a memo. 

The Coeur d'Alene Press could not reach the city's building department at press time.

A standard building permit in Coeur d’Alene is calculated on a sliding scale based on the total valuation of the project. Using an example provided by the North Idaho Building Contractors Association, a house, garage and deck being built in the city at $475,264 equates to a $3,095.23 building permit fee. A 15% review fee of that total building permit fee is about $464.28.

If the city increases the review fee to 25%, that number increases to $773.80.

In a statement to the Coeur d’Alene Press, the NIBCA said it has a strong partnership with the Coeur d’Alene building and planning departments and understands the importance of attainably priced housing for the community. 

NIBCA also said it understands the need for better software to improve processes and increase efficiency, saying, “We hope this change will bring faster permit timelines as intended.” 

“However, we also must acknowledge that this is one more fee increase, on top of a litany of other cost increases from all fronts, which make housing increasingly unaffordable in our area,” NIBCA said in the statement. “NIBCA supports efficient city planning processes, and we are also keenly aware of the impact on home buyers with every fee that is added to the cost to build homes.”  

Next Tuesday’s Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting and public hearing for the proposal to increase building permit fees is slated for 6 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library in downtown.