Washington, Missouri Building Permit Guide

Building permits for property inside Washington city limits are issued by the City’s Building Department at City Hall, 405 Jefferson Street (636-390-1010), and every application goes through the SmartGov online portal. Plan review takes 2 to 3 weeks. The permit fee is $3 per $1,000 of construction value worked out with the ICC valuation formula, plus a $350 refundable deposit held until the final certificate of occupancy.

What requires a building permit in Washington?

City Code Section 500.020 charges permit fees for building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, construction, demolition, remodel, repair, development, commercial occupancy, building relocation and fire protection work, and its minimum-fee list covers new homes and commercial buildings, garages, pole and storage buildings, sheds, decks, porches, pools, signs, sewer laterals, electric services, sprinkler systems, mobile home setups and demolition.

A certificate of occupancy, with an inspection, is also required whenever a house, commercial building or industrial building changes occupancy, and every year for commercial and industrial buildings.

Washington building department: who handles permitting

The Building Department reviews plans, issues building permits, inspects construction and carries out occupancy inspections; it works alongside the Engineering Department, which handles public works planning and, through the City Engineer, floodplain administration. The Building Official makes occupancy and code decisions, which can be appealed to the Board of Appeals. The City permits only land inside its limits, in Franklin County.

Applying in the SmartGov portal

Create an account in the City’s Online Permit Center (SmartGov), fill out the application completely, attach the plans and press Submit; an application that is not submitted never reaches staff. Once plans are approved, SmartGov emails a permit invoice link. Paying it issues the permit, which you print and post on site. Occupancy inspections are requested in the same portal, with the application and fee paid before the visit is scheduled.

Every residential project, including small jobs such as decks, additions, pools and accessory structures, needs a site plan meeting the City’s Site Plan Review Checklist: lot lines with distances to the proposed work, existing and proposed easements and structures, utilities and fire hydrants, adjacent streets and an erosion control plan. The applicant signs that the plan does not encroach on easements or setbacks. Builders of new homes must offer buyers a fire sprinkler system, and a buyer who declines signs the City’s Residential Fire Sprinkler Option Form. Work required after an occupancy inspection must be done by a contractor licensed to do business in Washington.

Washington permit fees

Building permit fees are set in City Code Section 500.020, last amended by Ordinance 23-13877 on December 4, 2023. New construction is priced as building gross area × the ICC gross area modifier × the ICC type-of-construction factor × a multiplier of $3 per $1,000, in other words 0.30% of the construction value, with these minimums:

For example, a house whose ICC-formula value is $300,000 pays a $900 permit fee, plus the $350 deposit that is returned with the final certificate of occupancy.

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work in Washington

Electrical services, plumbing and HVAC work are permitted by the Building Department at 0.30% of their value, with a $40 minimum each, and fire sprinkler systems at $40 per 100 heads for the permit and again for the inspection. Washington enforces the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2021 plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes. Water and sewer connections are inspected by the water and sewer staff, booked at 636-390-1030.

Alliance handles electrical permit filing for contractors here. More on this: who pulls the electrical permit.

How to get a Washington building permit

Washington inspections and occupancy permits

No inspection can be scheduled until the fees are paid and the permit is issued. Book by phone only, by 3 p.m. on the business day before you need the inspector: 636-390-1010 for building inspections or 636-390-1030 for water and sewer. There is no online scheduling, and no processing or inspections happen on the City’s listed holidays. Under the City’s residential amendments a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or is not completed within 365 days, and the building official can grant written extensions of up to 90 days.

Occupancy inspections: a house, apartment or business needs an inspection and certificate of occupancy before anyone moves in after a change of occupancy, and commercial and industrial buildings are inspected every year at no charge. The fee is $50 for a single-family or two-family dwelling, $40 for multi-family, $75 for a commercial and $100 for an industrial change of occupancy; re-inspections are free, and there is no fee within a year of an inspection that found no violations. The inspection covers what is readily visible: heating must hold 65°F, electrical service must be at least 60 A, 3-wire, and sleeping rooms under 70 sq ft are not allowed. A conditional certificate for up to 90 days is possible in hardship cases, and a certificate lapses if the building is not reoccupied within 120 days. The City’s occupancy brochure still lists the older fees ($25, $20 and $50, with $15 re-inspections); the code figures above are the adopted ones.

Floodplain rules in Washington

Washington takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, and FEMA lists its current flood map date as October 18, 2011. Chapter 415 of the City Code, administered by the City Engineer, covers the A and AE zones on the Franklin County flood maps and all adjacent land at the same or lower elevation. New or substantially improved buildings, homes and businesses alike, must have the lowest floor, including any basement, 2 ft above the base flood elevation; manufactured homes must also sit 2 ft above it, roads must be 1 ft above it and parking lots at it.

Washington building codes

Ordinance 23-13877 (December 4, 2023) adopts the 2021 International Residential, Property Maintenance, Existing Building, Building, Fire, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Mechanical and Swimming Pool and Spa codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, with the amendments in Exhibit A to City Code Chapter 500. The City does not adopt the energy code: the building code’s energy chapter is deleted, a simplified insulation table may be used instead of the residential energy chapter, and the residential sprinkler requirement is deleted in line with RSMo 67.281.

Missouri has no mandatory statewide building code for private construction: a county, fire protection district or municipality may adopt one (usually by reference under RSMo 67.280), and in parts of the state none has. Building codes in Missouri

Washington permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Washington, Missouri?

The City’s Building Department at City Hall, 405 Jefferson Street (636-390-1010, permitting@washmo.gov), through the SmartGov portal.

How much is a building permit in Washington?

$3 per $1,000 of construction value under the ICC formula, so $900 for a $300,000 house, plus a $350 refundable deposit.

How long does plan review take?

2 to 3 weeks, longer if the City needs more information.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

No. The zoning code says fences need no permit unless the building code requires one, but they must meet the fence rules.

Do I need an inspection to sell or rent a house?

A certificate of occupancy, after an inspection, is required whenever a dwelling changes occupancy; the fee is $50 for a single-family home.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 636-390-1010 by 3 p.m. the business day before; online scheduling is not available.

Washington permit search and official resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Washington Building Department
• Washington SmartGov permit and licence portal
• Washington site plan review checklist
• Washington residential occupancy permit brochure
• Washington residential fire sprinkler option form
• Washington fence regulations
• Washington City Code Chapter 500, Building Code and fees
• Washington amendments to the 2021 International codes (Exhibit A)
• Washington City Code Chapter 415, Flood Damage Prevention

Simplify Washington permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Missouri. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Washington permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.