Sunny Acres owner Dan De Vaul was denied a request to avoid permit fees for repair work on structures at his ranch and sober living facility west of San Luis Obispo.

De Vaul, through the Sunny Acres nonprofit corporation, applied for a waiver of fees to “correct unpermitted work” on three structures, according to a county staff report: fieldworker bathrooms, the dairy barn, and the stucco barn. In total, the fees come to $2,764.

County Senior Planner John Busselle recommended that county supervisors deny De Vaul’s request, in part because the structures aren’t used as part of the ranch. De Vaul said that wasn’t always the case.

County supervisors aligned with the staff recommendation and voted unanimously to deny the fee waiver. Supervisor Bruce Gibson said the permits being issued are “to undo illegal construction” and waiving permit fees would create “an untenable precedent.”