New Albany runs its own permit desk, and most of the master-planned neighborhoods add a second approval on top of it: the homeowners association. We know both processes, and we know which deck materials the HOA will and will not sign off on before we ever draw a plan.
The city's fee schedule prices a deck at a $50 base fee plus 10 cents per square foot for inspection, plus a small state fee on top. The HOA review does not carry a city fee, but it does carry a real materials rule: composite and vinyl decking are not allowed in the Country Club Community, and any elevated deck has to be fully skirted. We design to that from the first conversation, not after a rejection. Sources: New Albany Community Development, Permitting & Inspections, New Albany Architectural Review Board, New Albany Country Club Community HOA, Architectural Review.
New Albany was built to one consistent look on purpose, brick and white fence and Georgian lines across dozens of sections, and the homeowners association exists to keep it that way. That shapes a deck project here more than the permit does: the material question gets answered before the size question.