Drafter
Clerk 09/24/2024
Title
AN ORDINANCE related to plumbing permit fees and amending Ordinance 6746, Section 10, as amended, and Ordinance 16964, Section 6, as amended.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 6746, Section 10, as amended, and K.C.C. 16.32.080 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
Sections 104.3.2 and 104.5 of the Uniform Plumbing Code are not adopted and the following are substituted:
Fees (((UPC 104.5))). A. An applicant for a permit to do work under this ((code)) chapter shall pay ((for each plumbing permit and for each gas piping permit,)) at the time of permit issuance, ((a fee in accordance with)) the following ((schedule, and at the rate provided for each permit classification shown in)) fees according to the fee schedule:
((SCHEDULE OF FEES)) FEE SCHEDULE
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((Plumbing permit fees for fixtures or traps, including water, drainage, and vent piping, other than backflow devices and assemblies, for which a separate permit shall be obtained at the rates in this schedule: |
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One fixture or trap |
$140.00 |
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Two to three fixtures or traps |
$210.00 |
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Four to six fixtures or traps |
$298.00 |
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Seven to ten fixtures or traps |
$333.00 |
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More than ten fixtures or traps |
$333.00 base fee for ten fixtures or traps plus $8.00 for each additional fixture or trap |
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Plumbing permit fees for backflow devices or assemblies: |
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One device or assembly |
$140.00 |
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Two to three devices or assemblies |
$210.00 |
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Four to six devices or assemblies |
$298.00 |
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Seven to ten devices or assemblies |
$333.00 |
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More than ten devices or assemblies |
$333.00 base fee for ten fixtures or traps plus $8.00 for each additional fixture or trap |
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Gas piping permit fees for outlets: |
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One to four outlets |
$140.00 |
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Five to six outlets |
$175.00 |
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Seven to nine outlets |
$210.00 |
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Ten outlets |
$245.00 |
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More than ten outlets |
$245.00 base fee for ten outlets plus $10.00 for each additional outlet)) |
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Fee Type Note: The fees in this table may be adjusted annually in accordance with subsection D. of this section. Contact public health - Seattle & King County for the most current fee schedule. |
Cost |
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Base permit fee, which is for a plumbing, gas, or backflow permit |
$132.00 |
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Fixture fee, which is assessed per each plumbing, medical or dental gas, fuel gas, laboratory gas, or repipe fixture, or backflow assembly, or any combination thereof, in addition to the base permit fee |
$26.00 |
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Administrative fee, which is the fee assessed to modify a permit or issue a refund |
$40.00 |
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Permit renewal fee, which is the fee assessed to renew a permit |
$66.00 |
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Repipe permit fee, which is a project specific fee, and which is the base permit fee plus repipe fixture fee or fees plus the total number of anticipated inspections times the hourly operating rate, unless the number of actual inspections exceed the number of anticipated inspections, in which case the applicant will be charged the hourly operating rate for each additional inspection. Contact public health - Seattle & King County for fee estimate |
(Base permit fee + repipe fixture fee or fees) + (the number of anticipated inspections + additional inspections x hourly operating rate) |
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Plan review fee, which applies to plan reviewed projects only, and is invoiced at hourly operating rate based on actual time spent reviewing project |
$264.00/hr. |
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Hourly operating rate, which is used to determine fees for plan review, off-hour inspections and repipe projects |
$264.00/hr. |
B. The following definitions apply to ((For the purpose of)) this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
1. (("fixture" means an appliance that is connected with water, drain or vent pipe, but a sillcock faucet or hose bibb is not considered a fixture. A sanitary plumbing outlet on or to which a plumbing fixture or appliance may be set or attached is a fixture; and))
2. "outlet" means the point at which a fuel-gas appliance connects to the gas piping system, or a medical gas or medical vacuum connection is installed.)) "Backflow assembly" means any approved device or assembly installed within a water supply system to prevent health hazards associated with backflow or back-siphonage conditions;
2. "Fuel gas fixture" means an outlet point in a piped fuel gas supply system or connection to a piece of fuel gas using equipment;
3. "Laboratory gas fixture" means an inlet point in a piped nonsurgical vacuum collection system, or an outlet point in a nonmedical laboratory gas distribution system that connects to a piece of equipment, or that facilitates connections and disconnections to be made by a system operator for nonmedical research or process purposes;
4. "Medical or dental gas fixture" means an inlet point in a piped medical, surgical, or dental vacuum collection system or an outlet point in a medical or dental gas distribution system that connects to a piece of equipment, or that facilitates connections and disconnections to be made by a system operator;
5. "Plumbing fixture" means an approved type of installed receptacle, device, or appliance that is connected to a water supply or that receives liquid or liquid-borne wastes and discharges such wastes into a building drainage system directly or indirectly; and
6. "Repipe fixture" represents the water supply, drainage, or venting portion of a plumbing system within a building that is to be replaced or repaired. A repipe fixture represents the piping system only and does not include any specific device or fixture as defined elsewhere in this section.
C.1. Laboratory fixture fees may be collected for any appliance, equipment, appurtenance, alarm, or gas system inlet or outlet connected to or affiliated with a nonmedical vacuum collection system or nonmedical gas piping system that does not include fuel gas and is not required to be designed in accordance with NFPA 99.
2. Medical or gas fixture fees may be collected for any appliance, equipment, appurtenance, alarm, or gas system inlet or outlet connected to or affiliated with a medical, surgical, or dental vacuum collection system or medical or dental gas piping system designed in accordance with NFPA 99.
3. Plumbing fixture fees may be collected for any plumbing fixture, appliance, equipment, or appurtenance that is either regulated by the applicable plumbing or gas codes or impacts the design or operation of a plumbing or gas system within a building, or both. This includes industrial or commercial tanks, vats, and similar process equipment which may or may not be connected to or discharged into approved traps or plumbing fixtures.
D. The fee schedule referenced within this section may be reviewed and adjusted periodically in accordance with the following:
1. The director of public health - Seattle & King County shall annually review whether the fee schedule needs to be adjusted to reflect the projected subsequent year costs of providing services, taking into account the budget adopted by ordinance for the agency charged with providing such services; and
2. The director may annually adjust any or all fees up or down to reflect actual costs up to an amount that represents the most recently adopted Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton Area Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W, inflation forecast for the subsequent year prepared by the office of economic and financial analysis plus one percentage point, up to a maximum of five percent over the current fee, plus the cost of building rate reserves in accordance with any applicable county fund reserve policies.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 16964, Section 6, as amended, and K.C.C. 16.32.095 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. Fees for inspection services outside of regular plumbing and gas inspection working hours ((or for inspection service requested but not covered by a permit will be charged at a rate equal to the cost of performing the service)) and under an active permit shall be assessed equal to the cost of performing the requested service calculated at one-hundred fifty percent of the current plumbing program hourly operating rate.
B. Fees for inspection services requested and not covered by an active permit shall be assessed at a rate equal to the cost of performing the requested service at the current plumbing program hourly operating rate.
C. Any ((person)) building owner or owner's representative who commenced work or caused work to be commenced for which a permit is required by this code without first having obtained the permit shall upon subsequent application for the permit pay double the applicable base permit fee and fixture fee or fees under this code, unless it is proved to the satisfaction of the authority having jurisdiction that the work was urgently necessary, and that it was not practical to obtain a permit before the commencement of the work. In all such emergency cases, a permit shall be obtained as soon as it is practical to do so, and if there is an unreasonable delay in obtaining the permit then a double fee shall be charged as provided in this code.
((C.)) D. A reinspection fee ((of one hundred thirty dollars)) equaling the cost of the base permit fee only, which does not include fixtures, may be assessed for each ((inspection or)) reinspection if the portion of work under this code for which an inspection is called is ((or if corrections called for are not made)) found by the inspector to be in one or more of the following conditions:
1. Work is not complete;
2. Work is either not ready for inspection or not under test, or both;
3. Corrections have not been made from previous inspection;
4. Access denied or not provided;
5. Permit is not properly posted at the work site; or
6. Where applicable, work installed does not conform to approved drawings.
E. ((This s))Subsection D. of this section does not ((require)) allow a reinspection fee ((inspection fees)) to be applied at initial ((the first time)) plumbing or gas inspection ((a job is)) when rejected for failure to comply with this code. ((Reinspection fees may be assessed if the permit is not properly posted on the work site, if the work to be inspected is not under test, if the permit is for failure to provide access on the date for which inspection is requested or for failure to make required corrections. Requests for reinspection shall be made in writing upon forms furnished for that purpose and shall be accompanied by the reinspection fee in accordance with this section.)) If a reinspection fee((s have)) has been assessed, ((then)) additional inspections ((of the work)) shall not be performed until ((the required)) all reinspection fees have been paid.
((D.)) F. If the work for which a permit fee has been paid under this code is not started, and no plan review fees are pending or have been assessed, then the authority having jurisdiction, upon proper application for refund and surrender of the permit for
cancellation, shall issue a full refund less the administrative fee to cancel the permit.
G. A refund may not be made for an expired permit.