Fees shall be collected to compensate the department for preapplication review, the investigation, permit administration, plan review, and ongoing monitoring/inspection of grading, and clearing permit applications consistent with the provisions of Chapter 15.25 KMC. Grading and clearing permit fees shall be composed of three elements: preapplication review, plan review, and operation monitoring.
A.
Preapplication Fees. Preapplication fees shall compensate the department for preliminary review and evaluation of grading or clearing projects and for advising the permit applicant prior to the submittal of a formal application for a permit. Preapplication fees shall be collected at the time preapplication review services are rendered.
B.
Plan Review Fees. Plan review fees shall compensate the department for the review of permit operating plans, including plans for drainage, erosion/sedimentation control, terrain alteration, traffic/circulation, clearing, and site rehabilitation. Plan review fees shall be based on the anticipated volume of materials and total area to be disturbed during the period of the permit. Initial plan review fees may be reduced for quarry/mining operations reviewed in conjunction with reclassification applications or unclassified use permits. Plan revision fees shall contain a base fee to cover the cost of file administration and an hourly fee to compensate for additional plan review and modification of permit approval conditions. Plan revisions may be initiated at any time during the period of the grading permit, either at the request of the applicant or as a result of operational modifications discovered during monitoring, but shall not alter the original approval period of the grading permit.
C.
Operation Monitoring Fees. Operation monitoring fees shall be collected to cover the cost of inspecting active grading operations in order to determine compliance with permit approval conditions. “Active grading operations” include material deposition and removal areas, disturbed areas not yet rehabilitated, stockpiles, on-site processing areas, and other such working areas. Operation monitoring fees shall cover inspections for a 12-month period and shall be collected at permit issuance and at each subsequent anniversary date throughout the effective period of the grading permit.
Operation monitoring fees shall be based on the volume of materials anticipated to be deposited or removed during the 12-month monitoring period. Monitoring fees based on area shall also be collected for all disturbed areas no rehabilitated during the previous monitoring period. Special monitoring and inspection functions, such as bond release inspections or reinspection of non-bonded actions, shall be calculated as set forth in KMC § 20.20.040.
Fees for the monitoring and inspection of clearing shall be charged at an hourly rate.
D.
Fee Reductions. Grading permit fees (plan review and operation monitoring) for projects entirely completed within one year or for permits reviewed in conjunction with other departmental administered permits may be reduced to reflect cost savings associated with the reduced workload.
E.
Work Without a Permit. Whenever any work for which a grading or clearing permit is required by Chapter 15.25 KMC has been commenced without first obtaining said permit, an investigation fee, in addition to the grading permit fee, shall be collected whether or not a permit is then or subsequently issued. The investigation fee shall be equal to the amount of the grading permit fee required by this section and set forth by the city council by resolution.
F.
Additional Review Fees. In addition to the grading and clearing permit fees set forth in this section, fees contained in Chapters 20.15 through 20.45 KMC may be applicable to individual grading permit applications. Such fees include, but are not limited to, shoreline management, SEPA or critical areas review fees.
(Ord. 98-0020 § 1 (KCC 27.12.010); Ord. 99-0058 § 1; Ord. 02-0139 § 1)