Berkeley To Require Building Permit For Construction

From Berkeley Schools: Any construction projects that add commercial, industrial or 500 square feet of residential square footage now require fees paid directly to the Berkeley Unified School District.

These fees, which were imposed by the Berkeley Unified School District board, require payment before the City of Berkeley will issue building permits.
The school district published a fee justification analysis to explain the rationale, which is required by state law. The fees are as follows:

• $3.48 per square foot of new Residential space, and for additions to existing buildings which create 500 square feet or more of new space.
• $0.56 per square foot of new Commercial or Industrial space and for additions of any size.

These fees are not assessed or collected by the City of Berkeley. However, those applicants proposing residential, commercial or industrial projects seeking a building permit in Berkeley must provide the City with a Certificate of Compliance from the Berkeley Unified School District that confirms payment.

Projects that submitted building permit applications and plans prior to June 8 do not fall under the requirements of this fee. In addition, many common alteration projects such as roofing, decks, plumbing, and electrical repairs are also not required to pay this fee.

Applicants will still need to visit the City of Berkeley's Permit Service Center at 1947 Center Street as the first step in submitting a building permit application for a proposed project. PSC staff will accept complete applications, then refer applicants to the BUSD facilities office to comply with the new Facilities Fee requirement. Once BUSD has verified the project's square footage, calculated fees due and received payment, they will issue a Certificate of Compliance. Once the applicant returns to the PSC with that proof of payment, the City will issue building permits for projects which have completed the plan check review process and met the usual development application requirements.

BUSD has prepared a flowchart explaining the process for securing proof of fee payment, and a set of answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding the new fee. For more information, contact BUSD by email at developerfees@berkeley.net, or by telephone at (510) 644-6066.

Image Via Pixabay