Home-repair permit fees drop in Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach's city council on November 2 approved a drop in permit fees for a variety of repairs on single-family residences and duplexes. The fees relate to construction work ranging from replacing the roof and water heater to rewiring to add solar energy.

Fees for the work on the city's list are now among the lowest in South Bay.

"I've been out talking to people on the street and they talk about how they're not improving their homes because the permit is a big hassle," said mayor Serge Dedina.

The city will be asking for a $20 fee from homeowners and contractors who are working on owner-occupied homes and duplexes.

"This will encourage people to improve their homes — we'll probably see a net increase in [home] values," said councilman Ed Spriggs.

Victor Ramos, who works at the IB Home Depot on the Pro Desk, said it was welcome news.

"We'll definitely see more business because of a change like that, and it'll be easier to convince people to go through the permit process," he said. "A lot of people don't get permits because of the cost, and it's really important to make sure that these jobs are done right to keep people safe."

Ramos said replacing a natural gas water heater is a good example of a job that should be inspected — and often isn't.

"The water heater has to be vented correctly and it should be 16 to 18 inches above the ground and have at least two earthquake straps," he said. "Burning natural gas creates carbon monoxide and that stuff is deadly if its coming into your house....

"There's also the problem of if there's a fire and things aren't installed right, you could end up blowing up the firefighters who are trying to save your house," Ramos added. That's part of what council members were thinking about when they approved the reduction in fees.

Assistant city manager Steve Dush explained that he estimated the net loss for the city from reduced costs to be about $10,000.

"When there's a legitimate safety issue, we should be able to go in and inspect," he said.

The permit fees will be far lower — and much easier to figure out — than in other South Bay cities. For example, the City of San Diego charges $115 for a permit to replace a water heater, Chula Vista charges $117, and National City charges $50. A permit to replace a roof costs at least $260 in National City. (It appears to be higher in San Diego and Chula Vista, both of which did not return calls to answer that question.)

No one opposed the idea, and it passed on a unanimous vote.