Found out the city's permit fee for a basic deck is way higher than I thought

I was pricing out a simple 12x10 foot deck for a client in Riverbend and looked up the permit costs on the city website. The development permit fee alone is over $400, not counting the safety codes permit you need after. That's a big chunk of the budget for something that seems straightforward. Anyone else find these fees a bit out of line for smaller projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

amygonzalez2mo ago

Ugh, what really gets me is they never tell you the full cost up front. You pay for the first permit, then find out you need another inspection with its own fee. It feels like a hidden tax on just trying to fix up your own place.

wrenstone2mo ago

Yeah, that Riverbend fee is a known budget killer. Have you tried calling the permit office to see if they break it down by square footage?

dylan_patel15d ago

Call up the permit office and ask about square footage breakdowns, but be ready for the runaround lol. @amygonzalez is spot on about the hidden costs - I swear they add a "surprise fee" just for fun. Like, you pay for the initial permit, then they hit you with an "inspection rescheduling fee" because the inspector showed up 20 minutes late. I'd put money on the Riverbend fee being some made up number they came up with over a round of golf.