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Cumberland County hasn’t changed zoning fees for almost a decade. Some haven’t been adjusted in nearly double that time. And yet, the costs of staff work, hiring consultants and everything else involved in the process has increased, which over the years meant Cumberland kept digging itself further into a hole. The current board heard and voted on a proposal to change the fees during their June 11 meeting. 

“The current zoning fees were last updated in 2015,” Cumberland Planner Stephany Johnson told supervisors. To put that in perspective, she explained that the inflation rate alone from 2015 to 2024 has been 31%. And even with the changes she recommended, Johnson explained things still wouldn’t be fully balanced. 

“The proposed fee changes, while there are increases, still will not cover the cost for the service such as legal advertising, postage, staff time, total expense,” she said. “This request is a step towards the department becoming more self-sustaining and heading towards revenue neutral.” 

Her goal, Johnson said, was to also get the department away from relying heavily on residents to sustain it. 

“Instead of the burden of development being born by every taxpayer, it will be shouldered by the developer, or the applicant benefiting from the development,” Johnson said. 

That’s what her proposed fee changes do. For example, instead of a flat $10 zoning permit fee for everyone, there will be different types based on use. Farm structures and other agricultural buildings will stay at $10. For a new residence, the zoning fee goes up to $50. For a residential addition, like a deck, a shed or carport, the fee is $25. On the business side, for a new commercial building, the zoning fee will be $100. A commercial addition, meanwhile, will cost $50. And if a developer looks to defer a project after it’s been advertised for a public hearing, that’s a $400 fee. 

More zoning changes in Cumberland

Some of the other fees involved with zoning will change as well. A sign permit review will cost $50 rather than $25. A preliminary review of your plat will be $150 rather than $100, plus $100 per lot. The final review will cost $100 rather than the current $75, with an additional $50 charged per lot. And if you request a variance, that’ll cost $400 rather than the current $300. 

There’s a few new fees included in the changes as well. 

If you request a zoning verification letter, that’ll cost $50. If you come before the planning commission, requesting an amendment to the county code, that’ll be $400. And for those who come asking for a rezoning or a conditional use permit, it’ll cost $450, rather than the current $350. 

“That will allow us to become more cost efficient in our department,” Johnson told supervisors. 

She was asked by the group where Cumberland lands, if the county was still competitive with these fees when compared to its neighbors. Johnson said it was, as the fees are similar to what people would find in Powhatan, Amelia and Prince Edward counties. 

“We are still very low for the fees that we assess,” Johnson told the board. 

After applauding her work, the Cumberland Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the changes, which immediately go into effect.