Fees change for permits

By Chris Loeffler
Zoning Administrator

I can’t remember a nicer spring season. The birds are happy, the lilacs are blooming, and the farmers are buzzing like bees with their spring work. The Planning Commission has been busy, too, and I thought I’d outline just a couple of the many things that are in the air in the world of Planning and Zoning .
There has been a change to the fee schedule for permit applications. This is the fee you pay when you bring in an application. The Commissioners changed the schedule at the recommendation of the Planning Commission. The most important aspect of the change is a penalty fee for not filing ahead of construction. All penalty fees are two times the application fee.
For instance, if you fail to submit a zoning permit application it would be $25 for the penalty, and $25 for the application, for a total of $50.
Not only that, but if you have constructed something that doesn’t meet the regulations, you could face either moving or tearing down the new construction. This could cost you far more than the penalty fee.
Homeowners need to remember that it’s their responsibility to file, not a contractor’s. Any addition to your square footage requires a zoning permit.
There’s also confusion about farm buildings. If you qualify as a farmer, (own more than 20 acres, and receive more than $1,000 a year income from farming), and you desire to put up a building for strictly farming purposes, you are currently exempt from having to obtain a zoning permit.
You still need to let the assessor know you have built a building like this, though. And just because you’re a farmer, you still have to get a permit to add on to your residence, or to add a garage, for example.
I’ve received some calls about wind generation regulations. Currently, the Planning Commission is looking at a draft that will allow both small residential, or on-farm generators, and large commercial wind generators.
Until the regulations are adopted, however, they are not allowed. For small wind generation, it’s the landowner’s responsibility to obtain the proper permits before construction. If a large wind farm would want to come to Perkins County, it would need a Conditional Use permit, and the company itself would apply for this permit.
If you have any questions about Planning and Zoning, please don’t hesitate to call or stop in at my office in the second floor of the Perkins County Courthouse. My phone number is: 308-352-2703.

ZONING REGULATION FEES
PERKINS COUNTY, NEBRASKA
MIT
Zoning permit …..................................................................……..$25 Application for conditional use, under 50,000 Sq. Ft...........…$100
Application for conditional use, over 50,000 Sq. Ft..............…$300
Application for conditional use, livestock facility
Class I livestock…................................................................…$250
Class II livestock......................................................................$500
Class III livestock....................................................................$750
Class IV livestock..................................................................$1,000
Filing of appeal of decision of zoning administrator.........…$200
Application for rezoning or amendment to
zoning regulation text...........................................................$100
Application for variance.........................................................…$200
Penalty for non-filing…two times the application fee

Fees effective  March 5, 2012

Due when presenting application to:
Perkins County Zoning Administrator
PO Box 324
Grant,  NE  69140
308-352-2703
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