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COLEMAN, BERNHOLZ, <br />BERNHOLZ, GLEDHILL & HARGRAVE <br />ATTORNEYS AT LAW <br />129 E. TRYON STREET <br />P.O. DRAWER 1529 <br />HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 <br />919- 732 -2196 <br />919 - 942 -8000 <br />FAX 919 - 732 -7997 <br />CHAPEL HILL OFFICE <br />SUITE 300, THE CENTER <br />1506 E. FRANKLIN STREET <br />CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514 <br />919 - 929.7151 <br />FAX 919 - 929 -3892 <br />o <br />n <br />September 19, 1990 <br />ALONZO B. COLEMAN, JR. <br />STEVEN A. SERNHOLZ <br />ROGERB.BERNHOLZ <br />GEOFFREY E. GLEDH EDHILL Mr. Marvin Collins <br />DOUGLAS HARGRAVE Planning Director <br />G. NICHOLAS HERMAN <br />KIM K. STEFFAN Orange Count y Plannin g Department <br />MARILYN E. TOMEI 306F Revere Road <br />JOE L. K <br />G. HAR <br />TERRY G. HAR N Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 <br />JANET B. DUTTON <br />Or counsel Re: Habitat for Humanity - Request for Building <br />BONNER D. SAWYER Permit Fee Exemption <br />(1902 -1972) <br />Dear Marvin: <br />This letter is in response to your September 5, <br />1990 letter. North Carolina General Statutes 5153A -323 <br />provides that the Board of County Commissioners "shall <br />hold a public hearing" before adopting or amending any <br />ordinance authorized by Article 18 of Chapter 153A. <br />Article 18 is the article covering planning and <br />regulation of development and includes, as Part 4, <br />building inspection. North Carolina General Statutes <br />§153A --354, included within Part 4 of Article 18, <br />authorizes the County to fix reasonable fees for <br />issuing permits for inspections and for other services <br />of the inspection department. It is, therefore, my <br />opinion that inspection fees must be established by <br />County ordinance and that the ordinance can only be <br />adopted following a public hearing. <br />Any fee schedule adopted by the County which <br />exempts the payment of fees must be neither arbitrary <br />nor discriminatory. The County can, however, create <br />classifications of permittees for different fee <br />treatment. The classification must rest on some ground <br />that has a real and substantial relationship to <br />relevant considerations of public policy. For example, <br />in the area of utility service classifications, the <br />following have been held by the courts to be reasonable <br />relevant considerations permitting different <br />classifications: <br />1. cost of the service and delivery <br />90 <br />