ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — While the town of Conception Bay South announced Wednesday it will waive permit fees for residents doing home improvements beginning June 1, other metro municipalities aren’t doing the same.
In Conception Bay South, the town is waiving all permit fees for decks, fences, general repairs and accessory buildings beginning June 1 for the remainder of the year.
While residents will still be required to make a permit application and comply with development regulations, there will be no charge.
The Telegram asked spokespeople with Mount Pearl, St. John’s and Paradise about waiving permit fees, and all three said this is not something that is currently offered in those municipalities.
However, the Mount Pearl spokesperson told The Telegram to check back again after the next council meeting, possibly hinting that there may be changes to come.
St. John’s offered the following emailed statement: “St. John’s city council and staff are assessing the situation and the impact the pandemic is having on residents and businesses. If any adjustments to fees are going to be made, a formal announcement will be released.”
A Paradise spokesperson said there is no change to residential permit fees in that community, but in its business support plan announced on Thursday the town decreased the infrastructure improvement fee by $500 to $2,000. That fee is charged on all new construction, whether residential, commercial or industrial. Therefore, the decreased fee will benefit both developers and anyone building a new home on vacant land, for example.
