Bainbridge Island, Washington Building Permit Guide

Bainbridge Island is a single city covering the whole island, so the Planning and Community Development department at City Hall issues every building, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permit there; its Building Division, led by the Building Official, reviews plans and inspects the work. Applications go in only through the Public Permit Portal. The state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) handles electrical permits from its Silverdale office, and the 2026 fee schedule adds plan review at 65% of the permit fee and a $125 administrative and technology fee to each permit.

Planning and Community Development is at City Hall, 280 Madison Avenue N, phone 206-780-3750, with the open counter staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. The City says a first review of a complete building application generally takes about 30 days. Bainbridge Island had 24,691 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

What requires a building permit on Bainbridge Island?

The City’s bulletin on exempt work (#4-2019) restates the residential code’s exempt list as adopted on the island; chapter 15.04 of the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code (BIMC) adopts the state codes without rewriting that list. Everything else the codes cover needs a permit, and exempt work must still meet zoning setbacks, critical areas and shoreline rules.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Ordinances 2024-06 and 2024-07 put the 2021 building and fire codes in force on the island from March 27, 2024, and BIMC 15.04.020 adds local appendices: agricultural buildings and grading in the building code, and radon control, existing buildings and tiny homes in the residential code. The Wildland-Urban Interface Code is also adopted. The City also writes its own permit life rules, renewal fees and investigation fees into BIMC 15.04.040 and 15.04.050, and noise rules limit construction near residential zones.

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

Who handles permitting on Bainbridge Island?

Planning and Community Development combines the Permit Specialist team, which handles intake, completeness checks and closeout, with the Building Division and the Planning Division. Applications are routed as needed to Public Works development engineers, the Bainbridge Island Fire Department and the Kitsap Public Health District.

Permit types

Residential permits

Residential work is filed in the portal under the matching permit type, with the documents listed in the City’s residential submittal handout. Each document is uploaded as its own PDF named after the submittal it answers: the site plan separately, and plan sets split into architectural, civil and structural files. For an ADU or an addition the list includes the project application, approved Kitsap Public Health District documents, combined architectural, civil and structural plan sets, an energy code worksheet, the site plan, structural calculations and a stormwater pollution prevention worksheet; an ADU also needs a road approach worksheet. Smaller interior alterations can go in as “subject to field inspection” permits with existing and proposed floor plans and a project narrative. Permit types that are not yet set up for online application start with an email of the application form to the Permit Specialists, who reply with a case number and a portal access code for the uploads; the application counts as submitted once the intake invoice is paid. The Clariti Permit Guide, usable as a guest, covers most residential projects and tree removal permits, showing constraints such as critical areas, the zoning setbacks and heights, the permit type and the submittal list. The City also runs a Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program.

Owners may act as their own builder and construct any part of a house. If any of the work is hired out, including plumbing and mechanical, the application must list the contractor, who must hold a valid Washington license.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects follow the commercial submittal handout and usually need more land use review first: site plan and design review, conditional use permits and shoreline permits all require a preapplication conference, though the Director can waive it in some cases. A general fire protection review is charged on building permits other than re-roofs, mechanical permits and demolitions, rising with valuation from $155 to $775 per million dollars, and sprinkler and alarm systems are priced on their contract cost through the building fee table.

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

What comes before the building permit

Projects in a critical area or shoreline designation usually need a Planning Division permit first. In the 2026 schedule a minor critical area permit is $2,460 and a major one $4,990; a shoreline exemption is $2,106 without SEPA; a FEMA flood zone review is $728; and a tree removal or vegetation maintenance permit is $1,885. A 30-minute consultation with staff is booked through the portal; the schedule prices it at $1,050, and the Director may deduct that from a permit applied for within a year. On septic lots the Kitsap Public Health District reviews the plans before the City can issue the permit.

Bainbridge Island permit costs and fees

Building and planning fees come from Resolution 2025-16 in the City’s annual fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. Valuation is the greater of the ICC square-foot figure for the construction type, which the City updates each year, and the contractor’s bid. A few band starts sit slightly above the end of the band below (the $500,001 band opens at $5,705.56, while the band before it ends at $5,701.43), so take the fee from the band your valuation falls in.

Worked example. A new house valued at $400,000 falls in the $100,000.01 to $500,000 band: $1,753.43 plus 300 × $9.87 ($2,961) gives a building permit fee of $4,714.43. Plan check at 65% adds $3,064.38, the administrative and technology fee $125 and the SBCC fee $6.50, for $7,910.31. The fire protection review adds $465, and if the lot has had no earlier planning review the 20% planning and engineering review adds $942.89, before mechanical, plumbing, impact and utility charges. Card payments carry a 3% convenience fee.

Two documents differ on penalties: the 2026 schedule sets the after-the-fact investigation fee at 200% of the permit fees, while BIMC 15.04.050 sets it equal to the total permit cost except the SBCC fee. The schedule notes that fees are nonrefundable unless stated otherwise, and the code lets the Building Official refund up to 80% of an unused permit or plan review fee on a written request. The schedule also lists a transportation impact fee of $5,106 per person trip under Ordinance 2023-19.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits on the island, each with a $174 base fee. L&I issues electrical permits and also performs some energy inspections, and its Silverdale office (360-308-2800) is the number the City lists. The City’s owner rule covers trade work too: owners may build all portions of their own building, and any plumbing or mechanical contractor who is hired must be listed on the application. The state registration and certificate rules those contractors work under are covered in our Washington licensing overview.

How to apply for a Bainbridge Island building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Incomplete applications cannot be submitted: the portal disables the submit button until every required section shows complete, and a submittal that does not apply needs a waiver request form. Revisions are not accepted during an active review cycle, and each revision gets its own file number (BLD12345 REV1, for example) billed at the hourly rate. First reviews take about 30 days for building and 60 days for planning projects from completeness. Under BIMC 15.04.040, an application is canceled if the permit is not issued within 180 days of approval or a correction notice, with one extension of up to 180 days. The City’s permitting page says building permits expire 180 days after issuance or after the last approved inspection, with one 180-day extension; the code text reads that permits run one year from issue (up to three years for major projects) and lapse after 180 days without work, renewable at half the original fee. Inspections by outside agencies, such as L&I energy inspections, do not extend the permit.

Inspections on Bainbridge Island

Inspections are booked for weekday mornings (9 a.m. to noon) or afternoons (noon to 3:30 p.m.), and the City recommends at least 48 hours’ notice; exact times are not guaranteed. Book through the portal, on the inspection line at 206-780-3789, by email to the inspections address, or in person at City Hall between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., giving the inspection type, permit number, address, contact and access notes. Planning, development engineering, the Fire Department, L&I and the Health District each inspect their own parts, and all of them must sign off before you can request the building final. Many permits also need closeout documents before the final inspection for occupancy, which the City lists in its project closeout document requirements handout.

Bainbridge Island permit search and official resources

Many building records can be searched in the Public Permit Portal as a guest, and the status of a permit shows under its approval steps and reviews. Physical building and land use files are requested through the City’s NextRequest public records portal. Bainbridge Island (community 530307) sits in the participating section of FEMA’s status book with a current map of February 3, 2017, and the City charges $728 for a FEMA flood zone review.

• Bainbridge Island Building Division: codes, inspections, FAQ
• Permitting Division: portal submittal, fees, extensions
• Work exempt from permitting, bulletin #4-2019 (PDF)
• Annual fee schedule effective January 1, 2026 (PDF)
• Residential building permit application submittals and naming rules (PDF)
• Field inspection requirements checklist (PDF)
• Public Permit Portal
• Bainbridge Island Municipal Code, chapter 15.04

Bainbridge Island building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits on Bainbridge Island?

The City’s Planning and Community Development department at City Hall, 280 Madison Avenue N (206-780-3750), for the whole island.

Can I submit paper plans?

No. Building and land use applications are accepted only through the Public Permit Portal.

Who issues electrical permits?

L&I; the City does not issue electrical permits.

How much does a permit for a $400,000 house cost?

About $7,910 for the building permit, plan check, administrative fee and SBCC fee, plus a $465 fire review and possibly a 20% planning and engineering review.

Can I build my own house?

Yes. Owners may act as the builder; any contractor you hire must be listed and hold a Washington license.

How tall can a fence be without a permit?

Up to 7 feet, according to the City’s exempt-work bulletin.

When can construction happen?

Within 100 feet of residential zones, not between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on Saturdays, or on Sundays and legal holidays; work inside an enclosed structure is allowed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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