Seward County Zoning Administrator Marissa Pfile is comparing 2024 and 2026 aerial Pictometry of Seward County to see which property owners may need to update their records about improvements they may have made in that time.
Pfile told the county commissioners on Oct. 20 that if all the 1,800 buildings and improvements identified by the Eagleview Changefinder reporting tool are really improvements that should have had building permits and no building permits were recorded, the county could bill as much as $79,000 in fees.
The county adopted an unpermitted fee schedule in 2025 that assesses fees of $2 per square foot for structures the owners did not get building permits for that are 64 to 1,500 square feet and $3 per square foot for larger structures. Other fees may also come into play.
But before she begins notifying property owners of the questions, she is working to eliminate any properties in which the ownership has changed since the improvements were made, properties under the jurisdiction of villages or cities, and agricultural properties where the owners would need a building permit but are exempt from the unpermitted fee.
She is also eliminating “false positives” that could be shadows or areas where a tree has been removed and an existing structure is no longer shadowed, lagging shadows, tree removal or other non-building activity, like properties on which a shed or other structure has been moved from one spot to another.
The assessor’s staff goes through similar steps with the list to update property valuations.
The two offices are collaborating to review the Changefinder list precinct by precinct with a working list of about 1,800 flagged changes. Pfile is also trying to confirm whether some projects had permits issued prior to her tenure in the zoning office that may not have been recorded.
“It is a large project,” Pfile said.
Commission Chair Misty Ahmic said she asked Pfile to share information about the project with the board during the time in its weekly meeting where department heads may address the board. It was not a separate agenda item and no action was taken.
She said the Pictometry service is an expense to the county and she wanted commissioners to see how it is being used in addition to property valuations.
Pfile said after she confirms the data’s accuracy, she will send letters to property owners asking them to clarify improvements made.
A building permit may cost as little as $125 if obtained before a project in the county’s jurisdiction is started. Depending upon the situation and location, unpermitted building fees range from $225 to $20,000. Fees in the Seward County Water Conservation District are doubled, meaning a major project could have unpermitted fees of up to $50,000.
Action taken by the commissioners at their Oct. 20 meeting also included:
Approval of a Seward County Detention Center proposal to change a current staff member’s position to a sergeant’s position and adjust a vacant position to a part-time position to better cover supervisory needs on all jail shifts.
Approval of the purchase of an $11,995 2015 Chevrolet Impala to replace a comparable public transit and staff fleet vehicle totaled after a recent accident, which will be paid with proceeds from the insurance settlement and a general fund allocation.
Meeting for one hour, 50 minutes in executive session to discuss strategy.
