City considers general increases to permit fee schedule

Building codes are up dated every three years, taking into consideration the load dynamics of wind shear, water tables, environmental problems that have an affect on building any type of structure.

These codes are the guidelines for the official to use in making determinations for construction or repair.

For much of daily life in Sidney, these instructions generally go unnoticed. But Chief Building Official Bradley Rowan has been trying to bring Sidney’s building codes up to current standards.

“What happens is that it (the codes) affect the ISO (Insurance Service Organization) rating for the city that is what the home owners insurance rate is based on,” Rowan explained.

There are two different sides to the ISO: Fire and Building. The building portion is based upon current codes, the handling of complaints, demolition of building and dangerous buildings.

“Most plumbing permits here in Sidney are $80; if you go to Sterling they are around $300--that's a guesstament,” Rowan noted. “We’re trying to bring in more money to the city to do what we need to do, but we don’t want to discourage the developers. “We will be the most compliant code-wise as any city in the United States.”

Rowan will be working with the local construction and building community to prepare for bringing the building code current in the future around 2018.

“I talked with everyone of them (building contractors) and I told them here’s the agenda and no one showed up to challenge it,” he pointed out.

Some changes to the building codes and permit fee schedule includes regulation regarding building permits for new and existing structures, with a $15 increase, depending upon cost value of the project. Plumbing permits will also change, with rates proposed for fixtures, drainage, water heaters and private sewage disposal systems. In the event that a permit is not obtained prior to work being done the fees will triple.

Permit fees for furnace installation, compressor systems, ventilation and exhaust and other work would increase under the plan as well, from as little as 50 cents to a $7 jump for refrigeration compressors.

The building codes for Sidney have been up dated and submitted to the city council for approval