BUILDING CODE;

You asked for background information on the education fee assessed on building permit applications. You also want to know the rate of compliance.

SUMMARY

Starting July 1, 1999, the law required the state building inspector and local building officials to levy an education assessment fee on state and local building permit applications, respectively. The fee, which is 16 cents per $ 1,000 of construction value declared on a building permit application, applies to any building for which a permit is required, including buildings constructed by state and municipal entities.

Fees go into the state’s General Fund and are credited to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) appropriation for building and fire safety code training and education programs, with the exception of a small percentage retained by towns for administrative expenses. Between July 1, 1999 through December 31, 2002, the amount of municipal remittance was $ 2,659,657. 66; the amount of the assessment on state permits was $ 245,547. 05. The combined total (municipal remittance plus state education fee) was $ 2,905,204. 71. During the same period, 19,306 officials (fire officials, building officials, and allied professionals) have received training under the various programs. (Figures for the first quarter of this year are not yet available. )

According to the State Building Inspector’s Office, all the municipalities are complying with the program.

EDUCATION FEE AND TRAINING PROGRAM

By law, the DPS commissioner must develop programs to sponsor and provide (1) training and education in the mechanics and application of the state building and fire safety codes for local and state code officials and candidates for such positions and (2) continuing education in the mechanics and application of the codes for architects, engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, builders, contractors, or superintendents of construction doing business in the state (CGS § 251c).

Starting July 1, 1999, the law required the state building inspector and local building officials to levy an education fee on state and local building permit applications to fund the programs. For FY 1999-00, the law set the fee at 16 cents per $ 1,000 of the construction value declared on an application. Except for 2% of the fees retained by local building officials for administrative costs, all fees go into the General Fund and are credited to the DPS appropriation for building and fire safety code training and education programs (CGS §§ 29-252a and 29-263).

Pursuant to law, DPS regulations contain an administrative process to adjust, as necessary, the (1) education assessment fees and (2) percent that local officials may retain for administrative costs. Fees may be adjusted once in any year to reflect actual program costs, but by no more than 4%; the percent retained for administrative costs may be adjusted, by 1% to 3%, once in any year to reflect actual costs. Both the assessment fee (16 cents per $ 1,000 of the construction value declared on an application) and percentage retained by towns (2%) have remained unchanged since the law took effect, according to the State Building Inspector’s Office.

Attachment 1 shows the amount of the assessment fees (1) on state projects and (2) remitted to the state by municipalities from July 1, 1999 through December 31, 2002. Attachment 2 shows the number of officials that have attended training and education programs funded by the education assessment fees during the same period.

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