A.

Requirement. It shall be unlawful to commence the excavation for or the construction of any building or structure or accessory structure larger than one hundred twenty (120) square feet, or to store building materials or erect temporary field offices, or temporary structures, or to commence the moving, demolition, alteration, or structural repair of any building or structure, including mobile or manufactured homes, modular homes and accessory structures larger than one hundred twenty (120) square feet, until the Building Official of the City has issued for such work a building permit including a statement that the plans, specifications and intended use of such structure in all respects conform with the provisions of this Ordinance.

B.

Application and Fees.

1.

Applications. Applications for a building permit shall be made to the City Clerk on forms provided for that purpose, and shall be accompanied by any applicable fees, including but not limited to administrative fees and costs of all necessary inspections. Fees shall be assessed according to the fee schedule in use by the City of New Hope at the time of application. Payment of all fees shall be made to the City Clerk of the City of New Hope, Alabama, at the time of application, except that payment of inspection costs shall be due after site plan review but prior to permit approval.

2.

Refunds. Refunds of administrative fees and/or costs must be approved by the City Council. Requests for refunds must be submitted to the City Council within thirty (30) days of payment of such fees and/or costs, and before the construction, moving, demolition, alteration or structural repair that is the subject of the requested permit has begun.

3.

Variances or Special Exceptions. Any building permit application that requires a variance or special exception must be approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustment prior to submitting the permit application.

4.

Proof of Ownership Required. All applications must be submitted with proof of ownership of the subject property. A copy of the Madison County Tax Assessor's records shall be sufficient proof of ownership, unless a change of ownership has occurred that is not reflected in those records, in which case the proof must be in some other form acceptable to the Building Official.