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Written comments taken until July 1 on proposed new building site visit fee

The comment period on a proposed “after-the-fact” building site visit fee related to short-term rentals and new permit submittals has been extended through this week.

Written comments will be taken until 5 p.m. on Friday, July 1. Comments must be submitted to Chelan County Community Development at CD.director@co.chelan.wa.us. The proposed amendment is available online.

The Board of County Commissioners is expected to review any written comments and potentially take action on the proposed new fee at the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, July 5.

Community Development has asked commissioners to consider implementing a new After-the-Fact Building Site Visit Fee. The $250 fee would cover costs incurred when Community Development receives a call from a property owner, asking that an inspector visit the site to determine if a building is eligible for a short-term rental permit.

A public hearing was held on Tuesday to take public comments about the proposed fee. Commissioners decided to extend only the written comment period and asked Community Development staff to clarify language in the proposed code amendment (Chapter 3.24.020) about when the new fee would apply. If approved, the new fee would be put into effect on July 5.

The site visit fee is not a code enforcement issue, but rather an inspection fee related specifically to short-term rentals in Chelan County, stressed Deanna Walter, interim director of Community Development. The department will not send someone to a property unless the property owner initiates a call, requesting that an inspection be made of a building that is already built, Walter explained.

“The constituents are coming to us with this inspection request; we aren’t using it as a code enforcement tool,” she said. “Until we do the inspection, we don’t know if the property owner is eligible for a short-term rental permit. This fee covers our inspection costs, including staff time and travel costs.”

Proposed Amendment

Last Updated: 06/28/2022 02:03 PM

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