Ada County updates Development Services fee schedule after 2008 review

Ada County commissioners on Nov. 21 approved Resolution 3149, updating the county Development Services fee schedule for the first time since 2008. Richard Beck, Development Services, told the board he presented conservative adjustments after meeting with the Building Contractors Association and reviewing comparable jurisdictions.

The fee schedule revision matters because the county uses those fees to recover the cost of building-permit services rather than spreading them across all taxpayers. Beck said the county’s building fees are generally still lower than most neighboring jurisdictions, with the exception of Meridian, and that staff aimed to avoid pricing contractors out of the market. Commissioners emphasized the update was timed to inform the county’s budget deliberations.

During discussion, commissioners noted they asked Development Services to do the review while the board worked on the budget; one commissioner characterized the proposed changes as “fair” and not “unreasonable” compared with the 2008 schedule. The changes followed outreach: Beck said he had introduced the draft to the Building Contractors Association and received no initial objections from that group.

The board approved the resolution by voice vote and directed staff to incorporate the fee schedule in upcoming budget work. The decision does not itself change any city ordinances; several speakers noted cities must adopt any impact-fee ordinances for development in their jurisdictions.

What’s next: staff will finalize fee tables and include them in budget materials for commissioners’ review ahead of formal implementation.