Town of Cromwell, CT Chapter 99 Building Construction

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Cromwell 8-3-1976; amended in its entirety TC 2-8-2017. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

CHARTER REVISION

Effective with the general election held in November 2013, the Town changed to a Town Council/Town Manager form of government. According to Charter § 11.04, any references in Town ordinances to the "First Selectman" or to the "Board of Selectmen" shall now be deemed to refer to the "Town Manager" or the "Town Council," as appropriate.

GENERAL REFERENCES

Housing standards — See Ch. 151.

Sewers — See Ch. 193.

Streets and sidewalks — See Ch. 204.

§ 99-1 Adoption of standards by reference.

The Town of Cromwell hereby adopts as its Building Code the Connecticut State Building Code as it now exists and as it may hereafter be amended by the State Building Inspector and the Codes and Standards Committee.

§ 99-2 Fees.

A. Building permit valuations. The applicant for a permit shall provide an estimated permit value at the time of application. Permit valuations shall include total value of work, including materials and labor, for which the permit is being issued. If, in the opinion of the Building Official, the valuation is underestimated on the application, the permit shall be denied unless the applicant can show detailed estimates that meet the approval of the Building Official. Final building permit valuation shall be set by the Building Official.

B. Plan review. The Building Official shall determine whether a plan review fee is required and the appropriate fee according to the following schedule. All required plan review fees shall be paid to the Town of Cromwell prior to the acceptance of a permit application and/or construction documents. The Building Official shall determine if any project should be sent to an outside agency for plan review, and such agency shall be approved by the Building Official. All costs for outside review shall be paid by the applicant.

(1) Schedule of fees for plan review:

(a) Residential construction: detached one- and two-family dwellings and multiple single-family dwellings (townhouses} not more than three stories above grade plane with a separate means of egress and their accessory structures, including all mechanicals, additions, alterations: $50 per dwelling.

(b) Plan review for all construction other than residential construction: $200.

(2) Resubmitted plans and/or construction documents: $50 per residential dwelling; $200 for all other construction. The Building Official shall determine whether resubmitted plans and/or construction documents are subject to this fee or fraction thereof. The fee is to be paid prior to the resubmission.

C. Permit fees: A permit shall not be valid until the following fees have been paid.

(1) Standard fee for all permits: $20 for the first $1,000 in estimated construction costs or fraction thereof.

(2) Standard fee for all permits after the first $1,000 in estimated construction costs is $15 per $1,000 or fraction thereof.

D. Final certificates: The following certificates shall not be issued until all fees as set forth herein have been paid to the Town of Cromwell. The Building Official shall determine whether the following certificate fees are applicable.

(1) Certificate of approval: $20.

(2) Certificate of occupancy: $20.

E. Related fees. The payment of the fees set forth herein for the construction, alteration, removal or demolition work done in connection with or concurrently with the work authorized by a building permit shall not relieve the applicant or holder of the permit from the payment of other fees that are prescribed by law. Fees, including but not limited to those related to all permits and reinspections, shall be paid prior to the issuance of any certificate of approval or certificate of occupancy. The Building Official shall determine whether any related fee is applicable.

(1) Additional permits: per § 99-2C.

(2) Reinspection fee: $30 per inspection.

F. Waiver of fees for municipal projects.

(1) The Chief Building Official or his designee shall waive any of the building permit fees set forth in § 99-2B, C, D and E for any permits issued to the Town of Cromwell or the Cromwell Board of Education.

(2) The State of Connecticut education fee cannot be waived and must be paid by the municipality or the Cromwell Board of Education.

(3) The waiver of fees does not apply to the Cromwell Fire District or to the Mattabassett Regional Sewer District.

§ 99-3 Building permit application procedure.

A. Application to the office of the Building Official for the permits set forth in.§ 99-3 hereof shall be on a form prescribed by the office of the Building Official and in accordance with procedures established by that office.

B. All permits issued are subject to any conditions imposed in the application and may be subject to revocation for violations thereof.

C. Premises on which taxes are delinquent. No application for a building permit or a certificate of occupancy shall be approved for premises on which taxes are delinquent, except in accordance with Chapter 213 of the Cromwell Town Code. For purposes of this section, delinquent taxes are defined in Chapter 213, § 213-2.

§ 99-4 Refunds of fees.

A. Application for a refund of any fee paid hereunder shall be made, in writing, to the office of the Building Official, specifying the reason for the refund. After review of such application, the office of the Building Official shall make a recommendation, in writing, to the Town Manager for action thereon.

B. Refunds will be considered on an individual basis by the Town Manager with respect to permits if the application for refund is made within six months of the date of original issuance. No refund application shall be considered after six months from the original permit issuance date.

C. Fees for those final certificates as set forth in § 99-2D hereof shall not be refundable.

D. In the case of a revocation of a permit or abandonment or discontinuance of a building project, the value of the work actually completed shall be computed by the office of the Building Official, and any excess fee shall be returned to the permit holder, subject to the following conditions:

(1) The maximum refund shall be 70% of the fee paid.

(2) All penalties imposed against the permit holder under the Building Code shall first be deducted from any approved refund.

E. The Town Manager shall approve, modify or deny the refund request.

§ 99-5 Penalties for offenses; appeals.

A. All violations of the provisions of this chapter and/or the Connecticut State Building Code, as incorporated herein, shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $500 for each offense. Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.

B. Any person who shall continue any work in or about a building or structure after having been served by the Building Official's office with a stop order, except such work as he is directed to perform by the Building Official's office to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be subject to an additional fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500 for each offense. Every day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.

C. The appeal provisions of Chapter 1, Article I, of the Town Code shall not apply to violations of this chapter or the State Building Code incorporated herein. Refer to the Connecticut State Building Code, Means of Appeal.