Why did YC fence fees jump?

Q: I inquired about a fence permit with the city of Yuba City a few months ago and was told it would be $29. Then we decided to wait until school got out to put up the 3-foot fence around our side yard. All of a sudden the permits cost $175. Is this legal? Can they change the prices so dramatically whenever they want and without notice? Are we paying extra because the city hasn’t been charging developers enough? Truly unbelievable.

A: Boy, did you pick the wrong time to wait. But you might want to wait a little longer if you haven’t already put up that fence.

Permit fees in general went up on May 21, including an increase in the fence permit fee from $29 to - yes - $175. The minimum fee for any type of building permit is now $174, said the city’s chief building official, Paul Klein.

The City Council adopted the increases early this year, so they really didn’t come without notice.

Klein said the city decided some time ago that fees should reflect the true cost of issuing permits. So a consultant was hired and figured the cost to the last penny, including the time it takes an inspector to go visit a property, as well as overhead costs like paper and electricity. You didn’t expect that permit to be prepared in the dark, did you?

To be fair, the cost of some permits, such as the one needed to add a room, went down as a result of the study, said Klein.

The reason it might pay to wait longer is that the city is expected to adopt a new building code in January - and fences less than 6 feet tall may be exempt from permits. Public meetings on the change will be held later this year, said Klein.

Remember the good old days when government services weren’t expected to pay for themselves?

Since You Asked is published Tuesdays. Send questions to reporter Rob Young at the Appeal-Democrat, P.O. Box 431, Marysville CA 95901, email him at ryoung@appealdemocrat or call 530-749-4710.