GLEN CARBON – Glen Carbon trustees voted on Tuesday to sharply raise the fines for construction work completed without proper permits or inspections amid rising reports of non-compliant construction.
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The village’s current fine of $50 per “Failure to Obtain a Permit” violation will increase to a minimum of $500 per violation under the newly passed resolution. Each day a violation continues will be fined as a separate offense.
According to Erika Heil, the village’s director of Community Development, Glen Carbon’s current $50 fine has not been enough to stop contractors and property owners from skipping the permitting and/or inspection processes altogether.
“Recently, the Building and Development Department has encountered an increasing number of situations where contractors or property owners complete work without obtaining required permits or participating in required inspections,” Heil wrote in a memo to trustees.
“Our existing fine structure is no longer a sufficient deterrent. With rising construction costs, some contractors view the current $50 penalty as an acceptable cost of doing business, choosing to bypass permits altogether. This creates safety risks, undermines the integrity of our inspection program, and places compliant contractors at a disadvantage.”
The resolution also consolidates each of the fees for missed inspections, skipped inspections, and failure to obtain a permit under the same category, which each to carry the same $500 minimum fine.
“Missed Inspection” fees are charged when a contractor schedules an inspection with village staff but fails to attend or make the site accessible. “Skipped Inspection” fees apply any time construction work continues past the inspection stage before scheduling the required inspection. “Failure to Obtain a Permit” fees apply when village staff discover work which would require a permit being performed without said permit.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Heil emphasized that the purpose behind these changes is not to retroactively punish property owners for violations from years ago; instead, the intent is to ensure any ongoing or future construction is done in compliance with the village code.
