How long do I have to request a refund?

30 days from the withdrawal date the desk recorded, under section 2 of the Permit Desk Return and Refund of Fees Procedure.

How much of an $85 fence fee is refundable?

$68, which is 80 percent, when the request is made within the window and plan check has not started.

What if plan check has already started?

The case is referred for a documented review of the work already performed. The procedure states no percentage for that case and the desk will not quote one.

Is a returned incomplete form a withdrawal?

No. A returned form comes back with a list of missing details and nothing was paid. A refund applies only after an actual payment and an actual withdrawal.

Blog · Fees

Can I get a refund if I withdraw a permit application?

Partly, and the conditions are written down. A refund request within 30 days of withdrawal, before plan check starts, returns 80 percent of the permit fee. After plan check starts, the case goes to a documented review instead.

Yes, within limits the Permit Desk Return and Refund of Fees Procedure sets out. You withdraw in writing, identifying the applicant, the permit case, the original receipt and your contact preference. A refund request must be submitted within 30 days of withdrawal. If plan check has not started, the county refunds 80 percent of the permit fee and retains the rest for intake work already done, so an $85 fence fee has a refundable share of $68. If plan check has started, the case is referred for a documented review of the work performed; the procedure does not state a percentage for that case, and the desk will not invent one.

Delia Okafor · Permit Desk Clerk, Planning & Building · August 18, 2026 · 4 min read

Last updated October 2, 2026

How do I withdraw an application?

In writing. Section 1 of the refund procedure asks for four things: who you are, which permit case you are withdrawing, the original receipt, and how you would like to be contacted. The desk records the withdrawal date before calculating anything, because the refund window runs from that date.

Withdrawing an accepted application is not the same as having an incomplete form returned. Section 5 of the procedure separates the two. If your intake form was returned with a list of missing details, nothing was paid and nothing is refunded; you simply complete the form. A refund applies only after an actual payment and an actual withdrawal.

What is the 30-day window?

Section 2: a refund request must be submitted within 30 days of withdrawal. The window is measured from the withdrawal date the desk recorded, which is why that date is written down first.

How much comes back before plan check starts?

80 percent of the permit fee. The county retains the remaining share for the intake work already completed. The procedure gives the worked example itself: an $85 fence fee has a refundable share of $68 under this condition.

The same arithmetic applies to the other FY2026 categories, but the desk calculates each case from the actual receipt rather than from memory, and the calculation is kept with the file.

What happens once plan check has started?

Section 3 is explicit. When plan check has started, the desk refers the case for a documented review of the work already performed rather than promising the same 80 percent rule. The procedure does not state a percentage for this case, and staff must not invent one. If you ask me what you will get back after plan check has begun, the honest answer is that the review will say, in writing, and I cannot quote a figure before it does.

What does the written decision contain?

Section 4 lists what stays together: the withdrawal, the receipt, the work-status check, the calculation, the approval and the payment reference. You receive a written decision that shows the source section and the dates. That decision is part of the permit file, which Planning & Building keeps for 10 years after final action under its Records Retention Schedule.

Why is the procedure this careful?

Because a refund is a payment out of county funds, and every one of them has to be explainable later. The procedure fixes the order: withdrawal date, then window, then work status, then calculation, then decision. Skipping a step produces a figure nobody can defend.

It also protects residents from a different mistake. A clerk who offers a confident percentage for a plan-check case, out of kindness, creates an expectation the review may not meet. Saying "the review will decide, and you will have it in writing" is less satisfying in the moment and more reliable.

What should I do before I withdraw?

Check where your application is. If plan check has not started, the 80 percent rule applies and the window is 30 days from withdrawal. If it has started, ask the desk to confirm that before you decide, so you know the case will go to review. Either way, bring the receipt.

Can I withdraw at the counter and ask for the refund later?

Yes, as long as the refund request arrives within 30 days of the withdrawal date the desk recorded. The two are separate acts in the procedure: the withdrawal fixes the date, the request starts the review. If you withdraw today and ask for the refund next week, the window is still measured from today. If you ask after the 30 days have passed, the request falls outside the stated condition, and the desk cannot extend a window the procedure does not give it.

Who decides, and how long does the decision take?

The desk prepares the calculation and the file; the written decision follows the approval recorded in the case. The procedure fixes what the decision contains, including the source section and the dates, rather than promising a turnaround. Ask for your contact preference to be recorded at withdrawal so the decision reaches you the way you want it to.

Q&A

The questions people ask about withdrawing a permit application are answered below.

Last updated 1 October 2026.

Questions and answers

How long do I have to request a refund?: 30 days from the withdrawal date the desk recorded, under section 2 of the Permit Desk Return and Refund of Fees Procedure.
How much of an $85 fence fee is refundable?: $68, which is 80 percent, when the request is made within the window and plan check has not started.
What if plan check has already started?: The case is referred for a documented review of the work already performed. The procedure states no percentage for that case and the desk will not quote one.
Is a returned incomplete form a withdrawal?: No. A returned form comes back with a list of missing details and nothing was paid. A refund applies only after an actual payment and an actual withdrawal.

#refunds #withdrawals #fees #permit desk

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