Century Considers Development Fee Increases Up To 900%

November 6, 2025

The Town of Century is considering the first update to their permit fees schedule in 11 years, with proposed fees increasing from 100% to 900%.

The town’s current plans review fee schedule, adopted in 2014, sets rates for planning actions such as development certificates, sign review, and comprehensive plan amendments. The town currently contracts with the planning agency Emerald Coast Regional Council (ECRC) for plan reviews, and that generally is costing more than the fees paid by citizens as the existing fees no longer reflect true administrative costs.

“These (fees) haven’t been adjusted since 2014, so we basically lose money on every permit that we take in the door,” Town Administrator Dave Murzin said.

ECRC has proposed fee updates:

The proposed fees are less than those charged by Escambia County.

“We don’t necessarily want to make a profit,” Mayor Ben Boutwell said. “We just want to break even.”

Before moving forward with any fee changes, the town council decided this week to schedule a meeting with Eric Christianson with ECRC for further discussion.

NorthEscambia.com photo/graphic, click to enlarge.

Comments

One Response to “Century Considers Development Fee Increases Up To 900%”

  1. SW on November 7th, 2025 8:06 am

    Wondering if they were really selling that many permits?





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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News