Brook Park’s older permit PDFs are still reachable, but a working download is not evidence that it is the form or fee schedule the City currently directs applicants to use. Start from the Building Department’s forms index, then inspect the document itself.
LSL’s previous guide cited an older residential fee sheet without comparing it with the department’s current link. The amounts differ. This corrected comparison explains the problem without presenting either file as a private project quote.
First check the application year
The City now links a 2026 building application. Both scanned pages carry that year. Its instructions require the appropriate calendar-year form and both pages; incomplete or incorrect requests are returned.
The older generic building-permit.pdf URL still opens a form printed 2023. Do not infer 2026 validity from its live URL or the date someone downloaded it.
Describe all work before selecting the forms. Page two of the current application separates work needing a site plan from work needing site and construction drawings, and says electrical, HVAC and plumbing work use their own applications. The building form is not automatically the whole packet for a multi-trade project.
Compare the fee row, not just the document title
LSL compared four matching entries in the older PDF and the fee document currently linked by the department:
| Entry in the general residential schedule | Older PDF previously cited | Currently linked PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration | $75 | $125 |
| Deck permit | $30 | $50 |
| Drive and apron, new or replacement | $40 | $50 |
| New construction/fire-restoration base fee | $200 | $500 |
These are document-version differences, not evidence of four new 2026 fee increases. The linked filename includes 2021, but its printed ordinance history ends April 21, 2015. LSL has not reconstructed later enactments or confirmed every present charge with the City.
The amounts also have different jobs. Registration is not the project’s building permit. A base fee is not necessarily the complete amount. Plan review, trade work, revisions or reinspections can have separate rows. Do not add every row simply because it appears on the sheet.
Ask for the classification behind the amount
Use this LSL reconciliation question when a quoted amount differs from your worksheet:
For [address] and [specific work], which permit form and fee category apply? I found [document title and URL] showing [row/amount]. Please identify the current row, any area or valuation input, and any separate trade, review or other charge included in the amount due.
Attach the actual scope or drawing to the inquiry. Preserve the City’s answer with the invoice so a later reviewer can see whether the difference concerns document version, work classification or an additional charge.
Do not substitute an online calculator’s total for the department’s classification. This article intentionally does not calculate a private bill from an undated compilation.
Payment does not release the work
The 2026 form says the office does not accept online payments and lists exact cash, check/money order and named card options. Confirm the current payment arrangement with Building; the older form’s additional wording about telephone payments is not repeated here as a verified current rule.
The application says an approved permit must be onsite before work begins. A paid receipt or processing estimate is not that permit. Once issued, use the Brook Park inspection-call guide to arrange the required inspection through live staff.
On September 20, 2026, LSL read the department’s current index, both pages of the linked 2026 form, all four pages of its linked fee scan, and the older four-page fee document. We created the version comparison and classification inquiry. No payment, City fee quote, private permit, legal-completeness audit or inspection was obtained.