Dewey discusses increasing threshold for building permits
Dewey Beach Town Council discussed recommendations from the charter and code review committee to establish new threshold building permit requirements for maintenance projects.
While council tabled its vote Nov. 21, its members seemed on board with most of the ideas.
“The main intent here is to [give] the resident the ability to easily have improvements, especially small maintenance things, done without going through a strenuous process,” Mayor Bill Stevens said.
The recommendations define maintenance and classify maintenance activities by total cost (for materials and labor): minor maintenance (less than $1,000); intermediate maintenance (between $1,000 and $10,000); and permit-threshold activity (greater than $10,000).
The recommendations propose the following: that minor maintenance would not require notification to the town or a building permit; that intermediate maintenance would require town notification, a substantiation of project cost and approval acknowledgement from the town of the proposed work but no permit fees; and that permit-threshold activity would be subject to the full permit process and to all current permit fees.
The recommendations also cover maintenance activities in a floodplain – a relevant topic because about two-thirds of properties in town are in a flood plain. The recommendations state that any maintenance activities in a floodplain must not increase the structure’s market value by 50% or more; involve expansion, elevation or enclosure of the structure; or compromise flood-resistant design or materials.
Currently, town code requires residents to obtain a permit for any construction – remodeling, repairs, demolitions and additions to any building, structure or parcel, as well as painting, drywalling, roofing, HVAC installations and so forth. A permit is not required for normal maintenance requiring less than $1,000 of materials. This $1,000 threshold, the committee found, is outdated.
Dewey resident Ed Klima expressed his agreement at the meeting, saying that $1,000 is way too low.
Klima urged the town moving forward to make supporting documents for recommendations like these available to the public ahead of time to ensure folks have enough time to read them before council makes any decisions.
Commissioner Gary Persinger, the charter and code commissioner liaison, spoke about the financial impacts of the recommendations.
The town can expect to lose about $20,000 in yearly revenue – the sum generated in a year from permit fees for maintenance projects costing less than $10,000. This amount is based on the revenue generated in the period from October 2024 to September 2025.
“I don’t think $20,000 is going to kill us from a budgetary perspective,” Stevens said.
While the town may see a loss financially, the proposed changes would ease the process for property owners, and save them money for minor maintenance projects.
View the proposed recommendations at tinyurl.com/3fxcmb2s.
