Rochelle Approves Residential Permit Fee Moratorium

ROCHELLE — The Rochelle City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance placing a moratorium on residential building permit fees through Dec. 31, 2026, continuing a program first approved in 2019 and 2020 to encourage housing development. The ordinance waives building permit fees along with sewer, water and electric connection fees for new single family residential construction, saving builders an average of about $400 for building permits depending on square footage, $700 for sewer connection fees and $50 for electric connection fees, for a total average savings of $1,150 per home. The council also approved extending the fee waivers to properties that have been vacant for six months or more with a minimum investment of $15,000, a move intended to address blight and encourage rehabilitation of existing housing. The ordinance allows the city manager to extend the moratorium through Dec. 31, 2027.