On September 13, 2022, Orange County Mayor Demings and the Board of County Commissioners approved reductions for building permitting fees and approved the creation of an incentive fund to encourage affordable housing projects.
3 fees receive assessment amendments and 8 fees are temporarily reduced by 25% including the 3 that were amended.
Assessments for Residential Building Permit Fee, Commercial Plan Review Fee and Electrical Permit Fee were amended effective October 1, 2022 resulting in reductions to these three fees. A 25% temporary reduction will be applied to all 8 fees listed above including the 3 which received amended assessments. Temporary fee reductions are approved from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023 and may be renewed for two (2) additional years.
These fee changes, which became effective on October 1, 2022, are certainly good news for our residents and the development community and serve to encourage business in Orange County. These fee reductions are expected to save Orange County Division of Building Safety customers around $10M per year for the next three years.
Customers do not need to apply for these fees reductions, they will be automatically applied on Fast Track.
Affordable Housing Incentive Fund Created
In addition to the reduction in permitting fees for all customers applying for applicable permit types, a $3M incentive fund has been approved to offset most building permit and inspection fees for Orange County certified affordable housing projects - until the fund is depleted. Orange County Certified affordable housing projects may benefit by having a 100% reduction in most permitting and inspection fees. With rapidly rising material and labor costs, this fund will serve as an additional tool Orange County can offer to incentivize affordable housing projects in our community.
