Building fees to increase 14 percent

A 14-percent Community Development fee increase was approved by Douglas County commissioners in order to keep up with inflation.

The new fees approved on June 6 will go into effect on July 1.

According to the department that handles building, planning and building applications, vacation home rentals and building inspections, fees haven’t been increased since 2021.

In the interim, the Western urban Consumer Price Index has increased by 14 percent and salaries have also increased.

“Unprecedented inflation has taken its toll on services and supplies needed to keep up with the demand for the department-managed plan updates and the number of permits being issued by the department,” officials said.

The department lists 19,030 building inspections, 2,682 building applications during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023.

Not all building permits issued are for new homes.

East Fork Township had 253 new single family home permits issued last year.

Around 160 single family home building permits have been issued across the county in the first five months of 2024, which is a handful of homes more than the around 150 issued during the same period in 2023, according to an R-C review of building permit records.

Data released by the Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors indicated 45 sales of existing single-family homes in May down 26.2 percent from April and down 29.7 percent from May 2023.

According to the association, the median sales price for an existing single-family residence was $615,000, a decrease of 7 percent from April and an increase of 16.6 percent from May 2023.