Anacortes, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Anacortes issues its own building, mechanical, plumbing and grading permits through the Planning, Community and Economic Development department (PCED), and every construction, project and right-of-way application must be filed online in the City’s SmartGov portal. The City does not permit or inspect electrical work, which belongs to the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and its Mount Vernon office. Plan review is 65% of the building permit fee under the Anacortes Municipal Code (AMC).

PCED works from City Hall, 904 6th Street, which is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; since July 6, 2026, the planning, permitting and public works counter serves customers by appointment only under Executive Order 2026-02. The Permit Services Coordinator answers general questions on 360-293-1901. Anacortes had 18,080 residents in the Census estimate for 2025, and Skagit County permits the unincorporated land around the city.

What requires a building permit in Anacortes?

The City’s rule is broad: a building, mechanical, plumbing or grading permit is needed whenever you erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, convert or demolish a building, structure or site. AMC 19.14.035, as amended by Ordinance 4073 in 2024, rewrites the residential code’s exempt list, and the City’s version is shorter than the state’s.

Two common exemptions in the state residential code, fences and small low decks, are not in the City’s rewritten list, so ask PCED before building either. The City also warns that even exempt work may need a permit near a wetland, stream, steep slope or shoreline, or where drainage, unstable soils or structural concerns exist.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The 2021 state codes took effect in Anacortes on March 15, 2024, and AMC chapter 19.14 adopts them with local amendments. The City’s choices are the 144 sq ft shed limit, the shorter exempt list, a 24-month limit to finish the work, its own fee tables in AMC 19.14.150 to 19.14.180, and appeals through the land use appeal process in AMC chapter 19.20. The residential design table sets a 20 psf ground snow load, 115 mph wind, seismic design category D1 and a 12-inch frost depth, and dates the flood hazard maps to September 17, 2003.

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

Anacortes building department: who handles permitting

PCED combines building, land use, site construction and code enforcement. Pre-application conferences bring together the Building and Planning divisions, Public Works, the Fire Department and the Water Department. Public Works handles stormwater review and right-of-way permits through the same portal. Meetings with a planner are booked through the City’s online Bookings tool, on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the counter or online, and the City says it plans to add more staff and times to its one-on-one meetings.

Permit types

Residential permits

The portal holds the permit checklists, and the City posts a guide to choosing the right permit type and another on where an application stands in review. Residential jobs that look minor often need a permit in Anacortes: window or door replacement, a new water heater or furnace, gas piping, a gas fireplace, or moving a sink. ADUs are allowed under AMC 19.47.030 inside the house, as an addition or as a detached unit, up to 1,000 sq ft of living space, with up to two on one parcel; they are applied for in the portal as an Accessory Dwelling Unit. A tiny home must either follow L&I’s rules for factory-built structures or be built and inspected as on-site construction. Manufactured homes need a building permit before they are placed: $175 in a mobile home park, $268 for a single-wide and $423 for a double or triple-wide outside a park.

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

Commercial permits

Buildings under the building code follow AMC 19.14.030, which has its own short exempt list: a one-story tool or storage shed or playhouse must stay at or under 144 sq ft and under 12 feet tall, and fences are not on the list either. Plan review is 65% of the permit fee, charged separately and on top of it, and extra review for incomplete or changed documents, or for phased approval, is billed at the hourly rate.

Commercial and larger projects usually start with a pre-application conference, applied for in the portal under “Preliminary Project Review Requests”. It costs $240, paid in full before it is scheduled, and is held on Tuesdays at 1:30 or 2:30 p.m., usually about two weeks after the request. Subdivisions and short plats are reviewed by Planning, Building, Public Works and Fire; formal subdivisions of 10 or more lots need a public hearing, while most short plats are decided administratively under AMC 19.20.030.

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

What comes before the building permit

Shoreline rules generally reach 200 feet from lakes, marine waters and associated wetlands. The City’s shoreline page walks through finding the property’s shoreline environment designation (aquatic, natural, conservancy, shoreline residential, urban or urban maritime), checking the use table in the Shoreline Master Program, and whether a project is exempt from a substantial development permit, using a cost threshold the page gives as $8,504 (as of July 1, 2022); exempt projects may still need an application. Critical areas are regulated by AMC chapter 19.70, and both the shoreline program and the critical areas rules are being updated. In-water work has its own aquatic permitting guide, and PCED’s stormwater pages cover minimum requirements, the stormwater site plan, construction controls and finaling. Demolition permits come with a Northwest Clean Air Agency fact sheet on that agency’s asbestos and demolition rules. On a septic lot, Skagit County Public Health handles the septic system.

Anacortes permit costs and fees

Building fees are written into the municipal code rather than a separate resolution: Table B in AMC 19.14.150, last amended by Ordinance 2992 in 2016, sets the valuation fee, and the City’s FAQ calls it a partial list. Valuation follows the ICC building valuation data and includes electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work. Grading permit fees sit in Table G-1 of AMC 19.14.160 and mechanical fees in AMC 19.14.170, next to the plumbing table in 19.14.180. The code’s fee sections do not list the state building code fee.

Worked example. A house valued at $350,000 falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $993.75 plus 250 × $5.60 ($1,400) gives a building permit fee of $2,393.75, and plan review at 65% adds $1,555.94, for $3,949.69 before mechanical and plumbing permits, L&I’s electrical permit, any state fee and utility charges. The bands do not quite chain: the code prints $391.75 as the base of the $25,001 to $50,000 band, while the band below reaches $391.25 at $25,000.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits, and the City counts replacing a furnace, water heater or gas piping as permit work. Electrical work is outside the City’s permits altogether: L&I issues and inspects it, and Anacortes is not on L&I’s list of cities with their own electrical programs. City inspectors do check that the electrical permit exists before they approve structural work. For who must register or hold a trade certificate, see the licensing notes in our Washington guide.

How to apply for an Anacortes building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Applications are reviewed first in, first out, and corrected documents go back into the queue when they are uploaded. Under AMC 19.14.035 a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days of issue and expires if the work is not substantially complete within 24 months; the Building Official may grant written extensions of up to 180 days each, and work may not resume until the renewal fee, half the original permit fee, is paid. Starting without a permit brings a stop work order and an added fee equal to the permit fee, and covered work must be opened for inspection; refunds of up to 80% need a written request within 180 days of payment.

Inspections in Anacortes

Schedule inspections in the portal or leave a voicemail on 360-293-1901, extension 4708, with the site address, permit number, inspection type, a morning or afternoon preference, and a contact name and phone number. The City schedules by morning or afternoon rather than exact times. All work must be inspected and approved before it is covered, and once every required inspection is complete the City issues a certificate of occupancy. Under the City’s noise rules, construction is generally allowed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with some exemptions by activity and zone.

Anacortes permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their own permits in SmartGov, and the City’s property information pages and Everything Map help with parcel research; older records come through a public records request. In FEMA’s Community Status Book Anacortes is participating community 530317, and the September 17, 2003 flood map listed there is the one the City’s residential design table cites.

• Anacortes permitting: portal, appointments, inspections
• Do I need a permit?
• Permitting FAQs
• Counter by appointment only from July 6, 2026
• SmartGov permit portal
• AMC 19.14.035: residential code amendments
• AMC 19.14.150: building permit fee table
• Shorelines

Anacortes building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Anacortes?

The City’s Planning, Community and Economic Development department at City Hall, 904 6th Street; call 360-293-1901 with questions.

Can I walk in to the permit counter?

No. Since July 6, 2026 the counter serves customers by appointment only.

Does the City issue electrical permits?

No. L&I issues and inspects electrical work; the City checks that the permit was obtained before structural approvals.

Do I need a permit to replace windows or a water heater?

Yes. Window and door replacements and replacement of furnaces, water heaters and gas piping all need City permits.

How big can a shed be without a permit?

Up to 144 sq ft for a one-story detached structure; the City’s page adds that it must have no heating or plumbing and meet setbacks.

How long is a building permit good for?

Work must be substantially complete within 24 months of issue; extensions can be granted in writing.

Do I need a permit for a fence or a low deck?

Neither is on the City’s rewritten exempt lists in AMC 19.14.030 and 19.14.035, unlike the state version of the residential code, so check with PCED before building one.

Can I add an ADU?

Yes. AMC 19.47.030 allows up to two ADUs on a parcel, each with up to 1,000 sq ft of living space, inside the house, as an addition or detached; apply in the portal.

How much is a pre-application conference?

$240, held on Tuesdays at 1:30 or 2:30 p.m.

Simplify Anacortes 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 Anacortes permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.