Templestowe Revises Building Permit Fee Schedule to Match Regional Benchmarks

The Templestowe City Council approved Ordinance 2026-14 on July 7, revising the building permit fee schedule that applies to all residential and commercial projects submitted to the Department of Building and Safety. The measure passed by a 5-2 vote and takes effect September 1.

Council records show the update responds to a 14 percent rise in plan review hours logged by staff in the first half of 2026. The legislation states that fees must now cover 85 percent of direct administrative costs rather than the previous 70 percent target.

Regional Comparisons

Under the new schedule, a permit for a 400-square-foot residential addition carries a base fee of 425 dollars. Five municipalities of comparable population size charge between 410 and 460 dollars for the same category, according to data compiled by the regional planning consortium and cited in the council packet. Commercial tenant improvement permits will rise to 1,850 dollars, falling inside the 1,700-to-2,100-dollar range recorded by those same jurisdictions.

Residents planning kitchen expansions or garage conversions will pay the revised amounts at application intake. The change also introduces a flat 75-dollar technology surcharge already collected in three of the five peer cities to cover electronic plan-submission software.

Revenue and Implementation

City budget documents project the revised fees will generate 465,000 dollars in the final quarter of 2026, compared with 312,000 dollars collected in the same period last year. The additional revenue is allocated to the Building Department operating fund for staff training and software maintenance.

Staff will mail notices to contractors registered with the city by August 15 and post updated fee tables on the municipal website. Applications received before September 1 remain under the prior fee structure.