Brooklyn Lowers Building Permit Fees to Boost Development

City adjusts fee schedule to be more competitive with neighboring communities

Apr. 2, 2026 at 12:03pm

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The city of Brooklyn, Ohio is in the process of lowering its building department fees for permits related to new construction, additions, and renovations. Mayor Ron Van Kirk discovered the city's fees were significantly higher than comparable communities in Northeast Ohio, often reaching 1% of a project's total value. The new fee structure will be based on a per-square-foot model, which the mayor believes will make Brooklyn more competitive for residential and commercial development.

Why it matters

Reducing building permit fees can help stimulate construction activity and make a city more attractive for developers. This is especially important for an inner-ring suburb like Brooklyn that is largely built out and looking to attract new investment. Lower fees can offset rising construction costs and make projects more financially viable.

The details

Under the new fee schedule, residential construction will have a $150 base fee plus $0.50 per square foot. Commercial, industrial, and multi-family projects will have a $200 base fee plus tiered per-square-foot rates ranging from $0.75 to $0.40 depending on the total size. There will also be a $4,000 minimum fee. The previous fees were based on 1% of a project's total value, which the mayor found to be much higher than neighboring cities.

  • Mayor Van Kirk first became aware of the high fees when the new library was built in Brooklyn.
  • City Council is expected to approve the new fee structure in the coming weeks.

The players

Ron Van Kirk

The mayor of Brooklyn, Ohio who discovered the city's building permit fees were significantly higher than comparable communities and initiated the process to lower them.

Brooklyn Rabbit Run LLC

A residential developer planning to build 62 townhomes in Brooklyn, whose project costs would be substantially reduced under the new fee structure.

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What they’re saying

“If you just take a rough project evaluation of $315,000 per home -- that's roughly what we're estimating it's going to be -- 1% of that evaluation is almost $3,300. But if you use the (per-square-foot model), it's only $829. That's a significant difference that brings us more in line with what other cities around us are doing just to be more competitive in the market.”

— Ron Van Kirk, Mayor

What’s next

City Council is expected to approve the new building permit fee structure in the coming weeks, which will make Brooklyn's fees more competitive with neighboring communities.

The takeaway

By adjusting its building permit fees to be more in line with surrounding cities, Brooklyn is positioning itself to be more attractive for residential and commercial development. This move aims to offset rising construction costs and stimulate new investment in the largely built-out inner-ring suburb.