Adams County, Washington Building Permit Guide

On unincorporated land in Adams County, and in the towns of Lind, Hatton and Washtucna, building permits come from the county’s Building & Planning Department at 449 E Cedar Boulevard in Othello (509-488-9441). Applications go in through the county’s CloudPermit portal or at the counter, plan review is 65 percent of the permit fee and is paid when you file, and where several departments review a project the county allows three to four weeks. Othello runs its own permit office, and Ritzville takes its own applications while the county reviews and inspects them.

What requires a building permit in Adams County?

The county’s own answer is broad: “generally all types of construction work,” and its FAQ names new homes, mobile home moves, repairs and additions, plumbing, re-roofing, window replacement, wood and pellet stove installations and gas inserts, pointing to section 15.06.010(A) of the Adams County Code. The fee schedule adds lines for carports, pole buildings, decks, patio covers, swimming pools of 5,000 gallons or more or over 24 inches deep, LPG tanks and demolition.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The technical rules are Washington’s. The Building Division says it enforces RCW 19.27, and since March 15, 2024 it reviews every submittal against the 2021 state codes, including the energy code; the next edition, the 2024 codes, is due to take effect statewide on May 3, 2027. Adams County sets the administration: its fee resolution, forms, land use rules and local design values (30 psf ground snow load, 110 mph ultimate wind speed, seismic design category C, a 24-inch frost depth and a required ice barrier under roofing).

Adams County building department: who handles permitting

The Building & Planning Department combines four divisions under one director, Fire Marshal Andie Lorenz: the Building Division, the Planning Division, the Fire Marshal’s Office and Code Enforcement. The Building Division employs an ICC-certified building official, inspectors and plans examiners, and the Fire Marshal’s Office issues the fire system, fuel tank, fireworks and open burning permits and reviews construction plans.

Cities and towns in Adams County

The county’s permitting page names the places it serves.

Adams County permit types and what comes first

Residential permits

One residential application covers single-family houses, accessory dwelling units, additions, remodels and accessory structures; manufactured and mobile homes use the separate FAS application, and over-the-counter work (mechanical, plumbing and re-roofing) has its own short form. The May 2025 residential form asks for two sets of plans drawn at quarter-inch scale on 24 by 36 inch sheets, with foundation, floor, framing, cross-section, plumbing fixture and mechanical details. Engineering is required for foundation walls over 8 feet and for retaining walls over 4 feet. Projects over $5,000 list the lender and the contractor’s bonding firm, as RCW 19.27.095 requires. Anyone other than the owner of record must attach an agent authorization.

For new manufactured home placements, the county relies on the manufacturer’s blocking and tie-down instructions. Since August 19, 2025, ACC 17.76.070(D) has limited new placements by the home’s age; the county says used homes older than 20 years may be permitted in a designated mobile home park, and a used home brought in from another county or state needs an L&I fire and life safety inspection.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings use the commercial application and are reviewed under the commercial energy code. Sprinkler and alarm systems go on the Fire Protection System application to the Fire Marshal’s Office. A pre-application meeting costs $250.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning and address: the Planning Division confirms zoning and assigns an address ($55, including the marker); a site plan review for a building permit is $150.
• Septic and water: a house needs a septic permit or an Existing System Evaluation from Environmental Health, or a sewer availability letter. Water availability must be shown, though not always for additions and remodels to a house. Before a certificate of occupancy, Environmental Health must approve the septic as-built.
• Access: the Fire Marshal approves the driveway or access road. A driveway may serve no more than two homes; one longer than 150 feet must be at least 20 feet wide with a fire apparatus turnaround, and a shorter one at least 16 feet wide.
• Road approach: every new home or outbuilding needs an approach permit from Public Works ($25, about two weeks); approaches onto a state highway need WSDOT approval.
• Critical areas and shorelines: critical areas review starts with a $100 filing fee, with $350 reviews for wetland delineations, habitat plans and geotechnical reports. The Shoreline Master Program in ACC chapter 18.08 (in effect since June 2023) covers waters such as Lower Crab Creek, Cow Creek and Rock Creek; a shoreline permit is $785.
• SEPA: a SEPA checklist review, where required, is $450.

Adams County building permit fees

Fees come from the Building and Planning Master Fee Schedule that the Board of County Commissioners adopted on October 21, 2025 by Resolution R-030-2025, effective January 1, 2026. Valuation is taken from the August ICC Building Valuation Data table by floor area, occupancy and construction type, and the permit fee is then read from Table 1-A.

The state fee is fixed by statute, not by the county: RCW 19.27.085 imposes $6.50 on each residential building permit and $25 on each commercial one, plus $2 for each residential unit after the first in a building with more than one. The county schedule, under a July 1, 2018 heading, still prints $6.00 for IRC projects; the statutory $6.50 is the amount in force. Three steps in Table 1-A do not join exactly (the $2,001 band starts 8 cents higher, the $500,001 band $4 higher and the top band $12.50 lower than the band below ends), so work a fee out inside one band.

Worked example: a house valued at $300,000 falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $1,093.13 plus 200 × $6.15 = $2,323.13 for the building permit. Plan review at 65 percent adds $1,510.03, paid at submittal. The technology surcharge, the state fee and the 11 percent mechanical and plumbing permits come on top.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are county permits here, sold on the same resolution: with a new house they are 11 percent of the building permit fee each, and stand-alone residential jobs are $50 on the over-the-counter form. Commercial jobs pay a $50 issuance fee plus unit fees. Electrical is different. No Adams County city appears on L&I’s list of cities that run their own electrical programs, so every electrical permit and inspection in the county, Othello and Ritzville included, goes through Labor & Industries, which inspects to the 2023 National Electrical Code.

• Who signs: the May 2025 residential form has a line for the contractor’s Washington number, and the signer certifies under penalty of perjury that they own the property or have the owner’s authorization, and that easements are shown on the site plan.
• Manufactured homes: alterations go to L&I’s factory-assembled structures program (Moses Lake office, 509-764-6900).

Check builders on the L&I verify tool the county links. Whether an owner may wire or plumb their own home without a license is a state question, covered in the licensing part of our Washington guide.

How to apply for an Adams County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county accepts only complete submittals and warns that incomplete drawings can lead to an application being turned away. Its FAQ puts review at three to four weeks where several departments look at a project, and revisions after review are billed at $85 an hour. Hold-ups usually start elsewhere: a missing septic approval, a pending approach permit, or a driveway the Fire Marshal cannot approve.

Inspections in Adams County

Inspections are booked with the Building Division on 509-488-9441 or through CloudPermit. A request made after 4 p.m. is not put on the next day’s schedule. The issued permit packet lists the inspections for each job; the fee schedule assumes two inspections and one reinspection, charges $110 for each further reinspection and $150 an hour (one hour minimum) for inspections outside business hours.

L&I books electrical inspections separately. Before a house can be occupied, the county needs a letter confirming the sewer or water connection and Environmental Health’s approval of the final septic as-built.

Code editions and flood maps

Adams County reviews to the 2021 Washington State codes and energy code, in force since March 15, 2024. In FEMA’s Community Status Book, Adams County, Lind, Ritzville and Washtucna participate in the National Flood Insurance Program; Othello and Hatton appear in neither the participating nor the non-participating list. In the unincorporated county, a floodplain development permit costs $150.

Washington has a mandatory statewide building code under chapter 19.27 RCW that every city and county enforces and may make stricter; electrical permits come from the Department of Labor and Industries unless the city runs its own program or Tacoma Power serves the site. Building codes in Washington

Adams County building permit FAQ

Does Adams County issue permits in Lind, Hatton and Washtucna?

Yes. The county issues permits in those three towns, but the town administration must approve the application before it is filed with the county.

I live in Ritzville. Where do I apply?

With the City of Ritzville, by Cloudpermit, email or at City Hall (509-659-1930). Adams County does the plan review and inspections for the city.

How much is a building permit for a $300,000 house?

$2,323.13 under the 2026 schedule, plus $1,510.03 for plan review, before the technology surcharge, the state fee and trade permits.

How long does review take?

The county says three to four weeks where more than one department reviews the project, and it accepts only complete submittals.

Who issues electrical permits in Adams County?

Labor & Industries, everywhere in the county. The nearest L&I office is in Moses Lake (509-764-6900).

Do I need a permit to replace windows or a roof?

Yes. The county lists re-roofing and window replacement among work that needs a permit; a residential re-roof is $150. On a manufactured home the permit comes from L&I instead.

Can I bring an older manufactured home onto my land?

Placements have been limited by age since August 19, 2025 (ACC 17.76.070(D)); used homes older than 20 years may be permitted in a designated mobile home park, and a home moved in from outside the county needs an L&I fire and life safety inspection.

Permit search and official resources

To see whether a structure was permitted, look the parcel up in the Assessor’s property search and scroll to its Building Permits section, or open the Building Division’s monthly issued-permit reports for 2025 and 2026. Copies of permit files are requested with a public information request (509-659-3236). Electrical permits are on record with L&I, not the county.

• Adams County Permitting: forms, CloudPermit and notes
• Adams County Building Division
• Adams County Building & Planning Department
• Resolution R-030-2025 and Master Fee Schedule
• Residential building permit application (May 2025)
• Adams County CloudPermit portal
• Adams County permitting FAQs
• Monthly building permit reports
• Adams County Fire Marshal’s Office
• Adams County Shoreline Master Program
• Adams County Environmental Health
• Adams County Public Works
• City of Othello Building & Planning
• City of Ritzville permits
• L&I electrical permits, fees and inspections
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical inspection
• L&I contractor verification
• FEMA Community Status Book, Washington

Simplify Adams County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Washington. 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 Adams County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.