10/24/2007: "Owner Builder Program Targeted In Budget"

The Director of the building department has recommended new fees for exempt structures, and a large fee increase for Owner-Builder permits.

Last year, Ron Hendrickson, the director of the CD&PD (Community Development & Planning Department) told the County Council he planned to "Abolish The Owner Builder Permit!". The statement was met with a resounding lack of enthusiasm from the council members and the public, and went nowhere.

This year, Hendrickson has returned with a new plan. At the Tuesday council meeting he informed the council that he is proposing to “change (the) fee structure for owner/builder permits from flat fee to 70% of regular permit fees..”, and to also start charging “40% of regular permit fees” for structures that are now exempt from fees and permits.

The proposal raised eyebrows, and some aside comments from some of the council members, and it was pointed out by Councilman Rich Peterson that such a change would be a legislative policy change that would require a public hearing. and a vote of the council, to change the Owner-Builder ordinance.

The Owner Builder permit (OB) is often confused with the term Owner Contractor, which simply means the owner of a property will act as his own contractor. and is responsible for all aspects of construction. The Owner Builder permit is not the same. The OB is intended for those who wish to build in a manner that can be outside of some of the building codes, and is not inspected to the same degree as normal permits.

The OB program has been seen as a way to produce more affordable housing for the county, and while there have been some abuses of the program, in general it has been very successful. Many families with few assets, and limited incomes, have been able to slowly construct a home on their own property by use of the OB permit.

It was one of the programs that Commissioner Rhea Miller cited when she left office as important to “keep our communities healthy by supporting our working people… through resources for childcare and families, (and) the owner-builder code...” Miller was not alone: Commissioner John Evans was able to build his house by using the OB permit (well, wife Wanda did most of the work) to allow the use of re-cycled building materials and wood cut from storm-downed trees.

The OB was originally passed by the County Commissioners to assist home owners who wish to build their own home without hiring contractors or sub-contractors (except in a very limited way); to use re-cycled building materials (or locally un-graded milled wood); to do so without meeting all of the requirements and inspections of the building codes, and without having to pay a building permit fee based on the value of the home, and to obtain a building permit without having to submit all of the drawing details that are required for standard permits All of which can amount to a savings of tens of thousands of dollars.