Building inspection fees return to Newport Beach City Council

The Newport Beach City Council will again review building inspection fees when it meets Tuesday.

These “life safety services” include fees for annual business operations permits inspections and fire-prevention inspections of newly built hotels and apartment complexes.

The council approved a raft of other changes to city fees, such as charges for paramedic responses and parking ticket payment plans, in July, but held off on the planned life safety services fee updates to work on comparison data for the local Building Industry Assn.

The city proposes increasing 58 life safety services fees, adding 28, decreasing eight and eliminating 37 altogether.

‘Granny flats’ revisted

The council is also set to vote on an update to local accessory dwelling unit regulations that would allow so-called “granny flats” to be built in any residential zoning district.

The proposed looser rules follow an update to the state accessory dwelling unit law, which allows accessory dwelling units to be added to the interior of single-family houses in any residential district.

In Newport Beach, the units are allowed only in residential districts zoned strictly for single-family homes.

Newport planning staff proposes taking the state change a step further by allowing the units to accompany single-family houses as unattached dwellings, or as attached units, with a separate exterior entrance — also in any residential district — to make a uniform set of regulations that is easier to implement and understand.

The Planning Commission approved the changes last month.

Tuesday’s council meeting starts at 4 p.m. with a study session, followed by the regular session at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.

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