Beginning on Nov. 1, permit fees for recreational mooring buoys in Bainbridge Island waters will cost boat owners $200 under the city’s new programmatic buoy system.

Under the new program, owners must complete a standard application that includes a worksheet for depicting the buoy’s elevation and anchor type and a site plan. The application may be used by those applying for new buoys as well as those who wish to receive an after-the-fact permit to bring an existing buoy into compliance.

The deadline for applications is Oct. 31. There will no fee charges until Nov. 1, when a $200 charge fee will be put in place until the full fee of $450 per permit goes into effect on May 1, 2012.

Notices were posted on unpermitted buoys in July, informing owners that their buoys are in violation of city code. Buoys that remain unpermitted after Nov. 1 will be given six months to bring the buoy into compliance or risk a fine and/or the removal of the buoy, according to a city press release.

Owners of buoys installed prior to 1996 – considered to be non-conforming – are asked to submit documentation to indicate their buoy’s placement prior to 1996.

The programmatic application, nonconforming form and more information are available at http://www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us/buoy_permits.aspx. Call the buoy hotline at 780-3731 with specific questions on buoy permitting.