Chapter 112 Fees

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the Municipality of Murrysville 12-18-2002 by Ord. No. 624-02;[1] amended in its entirety 11-17-2021 by Ord. No. 1049-21. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Alarms — See Ch. 77.

Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 96.

Street and road construction — See Ch. 97.

Refuse hauling — See Ch. 120.

Grading, excavation and filling — See Ch. 124.

Parks and playground regulations — See Ch. 166.

Peddling and soliciting — See Ch. 169.

Sewers — See Ch. 193.

Subdivision and land development — See Ch. 201.

Zoning — See Ch. 220.

[1]

Editor's Note: This ordinance superseded former Ch. 112, Fees, adopted 12-5-2001 by Ord. No. 586-01.

§ 112-1 Building permits.

Fees listed below for building permits are based on costs associated for routine scheduled inspections during regular municipal working hours and review by the municipal staff. In the event that permitting and inspection activity requires the hiring of outside consultants and/or is conducted by contracted consultants, these additional costs shall be assessed based on an hourly rate of $200 per hour.

Fees are based on gross floor area. Gross floor area is defined as the total square footage of all floors within the perimeter of the outside walls, including basements, crawlspaces, covered patios, decks, garages and habitable attic area.

All building permits must be accompanied by a fee of $5 to be paid to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

When, in the course of enforcing or complying with the provisions of the Code for building permits, any costs that are incurred by the Municipality for inspection(s), testing and/or report(s), additional meetings or review beyond those that are normal business practice shall be invoiced to the applicant for the same, and the amount shall be rendered within 30 days of receipt of such invoice.

The applicant shall be charged for any required inspection requested by the applicant on days and hours other than Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The fee charged to the applicant in this case shall be the actual costs to the Municipality including the hourly rate for overtime and benefits for the inspector(s) performing such duties.

Required inspections in which less than 24 hours' notice is provided to the Municipality. These inspections shall be surcharged $100 in addition to any other required fees and surcharges.

If the Municipality determines that the permitted work is of sufficient magnitude to warrant assignment of one or more employees or contracted specialists to inspect the work on a more than spot basis, or they need to perform additional field work or testing, the permittee shall be charged for all salary, overhead and expenses incurred by each assigned inspector of the Municipality or the actual billable costs of the contracted specialist(s).

Use	Fee Type	Fee
Residential, single-family and multifamily classified as R-3 one- and two-family use group	Building permit -New -Structural alterations not involving expansion of gross floor area	$0.30/gross floor area $8/$1,000 of construction cost
	Administrative fee
	-New -Additions	$100 $10
Residential, accessory buildings >500 square feet	Building permit
	-New	0.12/square feet
	Administrative fee	$10
	Plan review fee	$75
Farm accessory structure	Filing fee	$25
Telecommunication towers and antennas	Building permit	$8/$1,000 of construction contract
Commercial, nonresidential structures and all R groups other than R-3	Building permit -New, remodel, change of use and additions	$400 minimum fee 0.20/square feet up to 2,000 square feet 0.15/square feet 2,001 square feet to 5,000 0.10/square feet 5,001 square feet to 10,000 square feet 0.05/square feet 10,001 square feet to 20,000 square feet 0.035/square feet >20,000 square feet
Accessibility review <5,000 square feet >5,000 square feet	Administrative fee	$400 $400 plus 0.03/square feet over 5,000 square feet
Commercial cooking Suppression	Plan review	$150
Fire suppression-key box	License	$300
Residential fire protection review	Plan review	$250
Residential occupancy	Permit	$25
Residential occupancy	Administrative fee	$5
Commercial occupancy	Permit	$100
Commercial occupancy	Administrative fee	$5

§ 112-2 Zoning and land development fees.

If, during the course of a review of a submitted application for subdivision, land development, zoning map amendment or conditional use application, additional meetings (more than two Planning Commission and/or two Council meetings) are needed or requested, the applicant shall be required to pay an additional $150 per meeting, plus any other invoiced costs, such as required newspaper legal notices, solicitor fees and court stenographers.

The Municipality of Murrysville requires that applicants for subdivision and/or land development establish an escrow account with the Municipality. This escrow account shall be used for actual costs incurred by the Municipality for application/plan review and inspection (e.g., engineering, stormwater, landscaping environmental, legal, and planning, etc.) by any of its professional consultants or staff. Upon initial submission of any qualified application, in addition to the application fee, the applicant shall establish an escrow account with the Municipality of Murrysville. Initial escrow amounts shall be established and renewed when the account falls below the limit to renew the initial amount. At the completion of any project and after the final bond release has been granted by the Municipality of Murrysville Council, any of the funds remaining on deposit with the Municipality, after all fees are deducted, shall be returned to the applicant.

Where any land development or subdivision has improvements required as part of the approval process, the Municipal Engineer shall inspect these improvements for acceptability and bond release. Inspection fees shall be assessed against the escrow amount provided at the time of application. The Developer will be responsible to pay for all inspection fees incurred on the project, whether such fees are by the Municipal Engineer or other parties as required by the Municipality.

In the event that the applicant disputes the amount of any such review fees, the applicant shall, within 10 days of the billing date, notify the Municipality that such fees are disputed, in which case the Municipality shall not delay or disapprove a subdivision or land development application due to the applicant's notification of disputed review fees. In the event that the Municipality and the applicant cannot agree on the amount of the review fees which are reasonable and necessary, then the applicant and the Municipality shall follow the procedure for dispute resolution set forth in § 5/0(g) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247, as amended.

Escrow fees.

Application	Initial Escrow Amount	Balance to Renew Account
Administrative and abbreviated subdivision and land development approvals	$500	$200
Two-lot subdivision, conditional use application, land development or zoning application when submitted without concurrent subdivision or site plan application	$1,500	$500
More than two-lot and/or less than 10-acre subdivision	$2,500	$500
Subdivision of 10 acres or more	$4,000	$1,000
Site plan of less than 10 acres	$4,000	$1,000
Site plan of two to five acres	$5,000	$1,000
Site plan of five acres or more	$7,000	$2,000

Application fees.

Application	Application Fee
Zoning
Zoning district change	$1,000 Plus $25 administrative fee and required escrow
Zoning text change	$1,000 Plus $25 administrative fee and required escrow
Curative amendment	$1,000 Plus $25 administrative fee and required escrow
Zoning Hearing Board
Change in nonconforming use	$750
Construction of an accessory structure	$750
Addition to an existing residential unit	$750
Construction of residential unit	$750
Other residential variances	$750
Home occupations	$750
Use variance	$1,000
Commercial property variance	$1,000
Appeal of the Zoning Officer	$750
Other variance	$750
Continuation of hearing at the request of the applicant	$150
Uniform Construction Code Appeal	$500
Property Maintenance Code Appeal	$500
Conditional Use
Major excavation, or mineral removal or steep slope or poor soils	$750
Major excavation and mineral removal and steep slope or poor soils	$1,000
Other conditional uses	$750
Land Development/Site Plans
Administrative land development plan	$500, plus escrow
Abbreviated land development plan	$750, plus escrow
Land development plan
Less than two acres	$1,500, plus $500 per each principle building, plus escrow
Greater than two acres	$1,500, plus $175/acre over three acres, plus $500 per each principle building, plus escrow
Subdivision and Planned Residential Developments
Administrative subdivision approval	$750, plus escrow
Abbreviated subdivision approval	$750, plus escrow
Two-lot to five-lot subdivision	$1,000, plus escrow
Greater than five lot subdivision and planned residential development
Preliminary approval	$1,500, plus $100/lot, plus escrow
Final approval for plans that received preliminary approval	$750, plus escrow
Simultaneous preliminary and final approval	$2,000, plus escrow

§ 112-3 Land operations.

The permit fee shall be paid based upon quantity of material handled or land area involved for each job site, even though the same material may be handled in more than one type of operation. Fees listed below for these permits are based on costs associated for routine scheduled inspections during regular municipal working hours and review by the municipal staff. In the event that permitting and inspection activity requires the hiring of outside consultants and/or is conducted by contracted consultants, those additional costs shall be assessed based on an hourly rate of $200 per hour.

When, in the course of enforcing or complying with the provisions of the requirements of the Code for land operations permits, any costs incurred by the Municipality for inspection(s), testing and/or report(s), additional meetings or review beyond normal practice shall be invoiced to the applicant for the same, and the amount shall be rendered within 30 days of receipt of such invoice.

The applicant shall be charged for any required inspection requested by the applicant on days and hours other than Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The fee charged to the applicant in this case shall be the actual costs to the Municipality, including the hourly rate for overtime and benefits for the inspector(s) performing such duties.

Required inspections in which less than 24 hours' notice is provided to the Municipality. These inspections shall be surcharged $100 in addition to any other required fees and surcharges.

Use	Fee Type	Fee
Land reclamation project	Permit	$500
Earthmoving	Permit
	501 cubic yard to 1,000 cubic yard	$250
	Over 1,001 cubic yard	$250 plus $0.10/cubic yard
Logging	Permit
	One to 5 acres	$500
	More than 5 acres	$500 plus $25 for additional acres
Gas wells	Permit
	Conventional	$1,000/well, plus escrow
	Unconventional	$2,500/well, plus escrow
Pipelines	Permit	$75 plus $0.10/foot of overall length
Seismic testing	Permit	$500

§ 112-4 Road encroachment/highway occupancy fees.

To defray incurred municipal costs in reviewing and processing of the applications and plans, the Municipality has adopted the most current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Schedule of Fees.

Use	Fee Type	Fee
Utility	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule
Utility	Administrative Fee	$50
Driveways	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule
Minimum (single-family home)
Low volume (car washes)
Medium volume (restaurants)
High volume (office complexes)
Emergency permit card	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule

To defray incurred municipal cost in ongoing spot inspection(s) and subsequent inspection(s) after permitted work is completed to ensure compliance with municipal regulations, the Municipality has adopted the most current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Schedule of Fees.

Use	Fee Type	Fee
Driveways	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule
Driveways	Administrative fee	$50
Underground facilities	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule
Underground facilities	Administrative fee	$50
Aboveground facilities	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule
Aboveground facilities	Administrative fee	$50
Crossing, overhead conveyers or upgrade tunnels	Permit	PennDOT Fee Schedule
Crossing, overhead conveyers or upgrade tunnels	Administrative fee	$50

Exemptions. Permit issuance fees and general permit inspection fees are not payable by any of the following:

(1)

Any department of the state or federal government;

(2)

Other political subdivisions of this Commonwealth;

(3)

Municipal authorities or franchises for installation of facilities at the request of the Municipality or replacement or renewal of their facilities prior to a municipal resurfacing project after notice from the Municipality;

(4)

Above ground utility facility owners, cable television owners for removal of poles or attached appurtenances or moving of facilities at the request of the Municipality or State Department of Transportation;

(5)

Reconstructing or maintaining their facilities which occupy private rights-of-way; and/or

(6)

Public carriers (e.g., railroads) under the jurisdiction of the Public Utility Commission.

§ 112-5 Sewage facilities.

In the event that the Municipality is required to subcontract to a private firm to perform services and testing related to the issuance of a septic permit, the applicant shall be invoiced for the actual costs of those services performed by the Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) from that firm.

Use	Fee Type	Fee
New septic system	Permit	$500
Repair to existing septic system	Permit
	Without soil testing	$75
	With soil testing	$300

§ 112-6 Recreation fees.

Pavilions and gazebos.

[Amended 7-20-2022 by Ord. No. 1062-22]

(1)

All recreation facilities reservation cancellations must be received within 30 days of the event date. If the cancellation is received after 30 days, the fees will be retained by the Municipality of Murrysville. Reservation fees cannot be refunded due to inclement weather or other circumstances after 30 days.

(2)

An exemption from the pavilion fees is granted to the Franklin Regional School District, the Murrysville Community Library, Friends of Murrysville Parks, Murrysville Trail Alliance and the Westmoreland Conservancy.

(3)

Resident must provide proof of residency upon request.

(4)

A service fee of $5 will be charged for online rentals paid by credit card or debit card.

Pavilion/Gazebo	Fee
Townsend Park Gazebo
Resident	$25
Nonresident	$50
Security deposit	$200
Townsend Upper
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
Alcohol permit	$50 plus $350 security deposit
Townsend Lower
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
Alcohol permit	$50 plus $350 security deposit
Bear Hollow
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
Pedora Park
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
Kovalczik Park
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Heritage Park
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	200
Electric fee	$10
MCP 4
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
MCP 5
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
MCP Leftwich
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
MCP Riparian
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
MCP Wetlands
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
MCP The Grove
Resident	$25
Nonresident	$50
Security deposit	$200
Sardis I
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	200
Electric fee	$10
Alcohol permit	$50 plus $350 security deposit
Sardis II
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
Alcohol permit	$50 plus $350 security deposit
Veterans Field
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	$200
Electric fee	$10
Chambers Park
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	200
Duff Park
Resident	$50
Nonresident	$100
Security deposit	200

Community Center and Clubhouse.

[Amended 7-20-2022 by Ord. No. 1062-22]

(1)

All Community Center and Clubhouse cancellations must be received within 30 days of the reservation. If the cancellation is received after 30 days, the fees will be retained by the Municipality of Murrysville. Also, reservation fees cannot be refunded due to inclement weather or other circumstances after 30 days.

(2)

Rental fee exemptions shall include municipal functions or programs; or programs that are cosponsored by a municipal department; other governmental agencies programs or meetings; agencies and professional organizations that are providing government-related programs as approved by the Chief Administrator or staff designee.

(3)

Damages incurred in excess of the security deposit will be billed to renter. Security deposits shall be paid by cash or check.

(4)

A facility use fee of $5 is charged to each member of the Murrysville Senior Citizens Center.

(5)

Resident must provide proof of residency upon request.

(6)

A service fee of $5 will be charged for online rentals paid by credit card or debit card.

Room	Fee
Main Room including Kitchen
Daily rate Monday to 3:00 p.m. Friday
Resident	$30/hour plus $200 security deposit
Nonresident and commercial	$40/hour plus $200 security deposit
Weekend rate Friday 3:00 p.m. through Sunday
Resident	$50/hour, beyond four hours: $250, plus $200 security deposit
Nonresident and commercial	$75/hour, beyond four hours: $375, plus $200 security deposit
Alcohol permit	$50 plus $350 security deposit
Clubhouse at MCP
Resident rate	$25/hour plus $200 security deposit
Nonresident and commercial rate	$40/hour plus $200 security deposit
Alcohol permit	$50 plus $350 security deposit

(7)

Playing fields and courts.

(1)

Resident rates. Reservation of playing fields or courts for any resident group defined as any group comprised of 80% Murrysville residents and/or similar groups or clubs primarily serving residents or students of Franklin Regional School District.

(2)

Nonresident rates.

(a)

Reservation of playing fields or courts for any nonresident group defined as any group comprised of less than 80% of Murrysville residents and/or similar groups or clubs primarily serving residents or students of Franklin Regional School District or commercial groups defined as individuals, businesses, institutions or other entities that are initiated or operated for the purpose of making a profit.

(b)

Seasonal field fees shall be fully paid two weeks prior to the organized use of the fields by the resident group. If the field fees are not paid the municipality cannot guarantee reservation of the time slots.

(c)

Time slot is defined as two-hour incremental time slots beginning at 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m., with the evening slot defined as 6:00 p.m. until dusk.

(d)

The Chief Administrator or staff designee may waive all or a portion of those fees imposed where in-kind labor is provided in a manner that equals or exceeds the waived fee as assessed by comparable municipal wages paid for similar work.

(e)

Tournament Play is defined as two or more consecutive days of games involving multiple teams on multiple fields.

(f)

All field reservation cancellations must be received within 30 days of the event. If the cancellation is received after 30 days, the fees will be retained by the Municipality of Murrysville. Also, reservation fees cannot be refunded due to inclement weather or other circumstances after 30 days.

Use	Fee
Resident
Seasonal fields fee
Three months or less	$50/field/time slot
Four months or less	$75/field/time slot
Six months or less	$100/field/time slot
Time slot field or court
Two hours/field or court	$25
All day/field or court	$100
Tournament play	$75/day/field/slot
Non-Resident
Seasonal fields fee
Three months or less	$100/field/time slot
Four months or less	$150/field/time slot
Six months or less	$200/field/time slot
Time slot field or court
Two hours/field or court	$35
All day/field or court	$110
Tournament play	$125/day/field or court

Other park uses.

Use	Fee
Special events
Resident	$50, Murrysville nonprofit exempt
Nonresident	$100
Occupying park prior to opening or after closing	$50
Commercial concession	$50/day plus a $50 security deposit

§ 112-7 Police Department fees.

Item	Fee
Incident reports	$20
Accident reports	$15
Fingerprinting	$10
DataMaster test (breathalyzer)	$100
False alarm	$35/false alarm after second false alarm within a three-month period

§ 112-8 Copies.

Item	Fee
Subdivision Ordinance	$25
Zoning Ordinance	$25
Construction standards	$25
Maps
Large Municipal map	$15
Small Municipal map	$5
GIS map (large)	$15
GIS map (small)	$5
Zoning	$15
Photocopies (copy machine)
Black and white	.25/page
Color	.35/page
Copies (plotter/scanned)
Black and white	$10/sheet
Color	$15/sheet
Electronic scanning to paper records	$1/page, 8 inches by 11 inches to 11 inches by 17 inches
Municipal recordings
DVD	$10
Flash drive	$10
Letter of certification	$10
Electronic scanning	$1/page, 8 1/2 by 11 to 11 by 17
Mailing and handling	$2 plus First Class postage
Municipal no-lien letter	$25 plus $5 service fee

§ 112-9 Miscellaneous fees.

Code Section	Subject	Fee
§ 220-110	Zoning certificate	$25/unit plus $5 administrative fee
§ 112-7	Sign permit	$100 plus $5 administrative fee Murrysville nonprofits are exempt
§ 220-8	Blasting permit	$250 first day, plus $50 each additional day, plus cost of consultants
Ch. 169	Soliciting Permit
	Per day	$25
	Per week	$100
	Per month	$200
	Renewal of monthly permit (consecutive months)	$50
	Murrysville nonprofits	Exempt
§ 112-7	Swimming pools
	Aboveground	$75
	In ground	$200, does not include any structures associated with the pool
§ 112-1	Fireworks permit	$35 Murrysville nonprofits are exempt
§ 112-7	Burning permits
	Residential	$5 for five-year period
	Nonresidential	$10 for five-year period
	Bonfires	$10
	Land operations	$100
§ 112-7	Digital sign rental	$35 for thirty-day rental
§ 112-7	Municipal personnel, equipment or material cost	Personnel costs fees shall be charged for work performed by the Public Works and Police Departments upon special request and/or as a result of emergency repair work. All hours shall be charged at minimum intervals of 15 minutes. Work shall be charged at rates defined by the current employee contract and/or salary ordinance, including overtime if applicable, plus benefits including FICA, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation, health, life and disability insurances and pension costs (excepting work hours requiring overtime rates), and an administrative fee of 5% applied to each service request. Police vehicle usage shall be charged the federal mileage rate to the nearest mile, in addition to the hourly rate cited with the average hourly police wage, defined by contract as the base hourly rate. Equipment rental fees will be based on FEMA's equipment rates, plus operator's wages, where applicable. All materials will be at actual cost.