Battle Ground, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Battle Ground’s Building Division, part of the Community Development Department, issues permits for residential and commercial construction and alterations, covering building, plumbing, mechanical and fire systems, and applications go in through the City’s Customer Self-Service (CSS) portal. Electrical permits are bought from the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), whose Clark County office is at 312 SE Stonemill Drive in Vancouver. Under the 2026 fee schedule, plan review is 65% of the building permit fee and is due when you submit.

The permit counter is at Battle Ground City Hall, 109 SW 1st Street, Suite 127, open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Community Development staff answer 360-342-5040. Battle Ground had 23,513 residents in the Census estimate for 2025. Clark County permits the unincorporated land around the city.

What requires a building permit in Battle Ground?

Battle Ground Municipal Code (BGMC) 15.104.010 adopts the current state building codes and, as amended through Ordinance 26-10 of May 18, 2026, adds its own list of exempt work for one- and two-family homes, unless a land use approval is needed under BGMC Titles 16 and 17.

The City’s accessory building handout says no permit is needed for a building of 200 sq ft or less that is at most 12 feet tall, sits at least 3 feet from side and rear lines and other buildings, and stands behind the front of the house. The 2026 fee schedule lists a $123 permit for re-roofing or residing a house; under the code that permit is needed only when the work falls outside the exemption, for example where structural repair or new sheathing is involved.

What the city decides and what the state holds

BGMC 15.104.010 adopts the building, residential, fire, mechanical, fuel gas, existing building, property maintenance and swimming pool codes and the state energy code in their current state-adopted editions, with the radon, patio cover and existing building appendices of the residential code. The City’s own changes are the roof, window and siding exemption, the deck and platform wording, a rule that bathroom exhaust fans may not connect to a whole-house ventilation system, a rule letting a tenant improvement use the shell building’s code if applied for within one code cycle, and its own certificate of occupancy procedure. The plumbing code’s chapters 12 and 15 and its building sewer provisions are not adopted.

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

Battle Ground building department: who handles permitting

Community Development combines the Planning Division, which administers zoning and land use, and the Building Division, which handles permit processing, plan review and inspections. Plan reviews are done by ICC-certified code professionals, and the City has a Fire Marshal’s Office for fire code matters.

Permit types

Residential permits

The City posts separate applications and submittal checklists for residential building, mechanical and plumbing permits, manufactured home placement, adult family homes, pools and demolition, and a system development charge worksheet for new homes. Applicants upload one digital copy of the plans to the portal and, where required, drop off or mail one paper copy. Setbacks are checked on a plot plan before the permit is issued.

Under the residential code, engineering is required when a design falls outside the prescriptive rules. The City’s examples include insulated concrete form and structural insulated panel walls, dormers and second-floor additions, moving or removing walls, beams or headers, decks more than 9 feet from grade to the underside of the beam, decks that carry a hot tub or cantilever, second-story decks and retaining walls over 4 feet, and a geotechnical report may be needed depending on the soils.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, multifamily and change of use projects share one application with its own checklist, and commercial mechanical and plumbing work have separate applications. A commercial re-roof is priced on its valuation. The City can send plan review and inspections to its building services consultant at the consultant’s cost plus 10% when the applicant and City agree, and structural or specialized review by a consultant is billed at the consultant’s invoiced cost.

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

Planning reviews come first where they apply: residential plot plan review ($70), site plan review ($619 for a Type I review), fence permits ($49), and approvals under the Shoreline Master Program and critical areas rules. Fences forward of the front face of the house may be no taller than 42 inches and those behind it no taller than 72 inches; in critical area buffers they must be open materials such as split rail. Work in a street needs a right-of-way permit. A new home on City water and sewer pays system development charges of $4,150 for a 5/8-inch water meter and $15,701 per sewer equivalent residential unit inside the city, and a lot on septic needs a permit from Clark County Public Health.

Battle Ground permit costs and fees

The City’s 2026 Fee Schedule, Resolution 25-12, was approved 7-0 by the City Council on November 17, 2025, after a public hearing on November 3, and took effect on January 1, 2026. Building permits are priced on valuation, and the schedule lists the state fee as “State Building Fee - Residential $6.50” and “State Building Fee - Commercial $25.00”. Note that the schedule lists $75 for $1 to $500 of value but starts the next band at $73 for the first $500.

Worked example. A new house valued at $300,000 falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $1,325 plus 200 × $9.09 ($1,818) gives a building permit fee of $3,143. Plan review at 65%, paid when the plans are submitted, is $2,042.95, and the residential state fee adds $6.50. A 2,000 sq ft finished house would add $240 for its mechanical permit and $320 for its plumbing permit at the per-square-foot rates.

Impact fees for a single-family home in 2026 are a traffic fee of $3,943.44, a park fee of $4,538.31, a fire fee of $1,018.78 and a school fee of $10,760 in the Battle Ground School District or $7,790 in the Hockinson School District. The City offers a deferral program for system development charges and impact fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits. On a new single-family home they are priced by finished square footage; other jobs pay a $76 issuance fee plus unit fees, and mechanical plan check is one hour ($75) or 65% of the fee. Battle Ground is not on L&I’s list of cities with their own electrical program, so electrical permits and inspections are L&I’s, and the City asks that final inspections not be scheduled until L&I has signed off the electrical work. Contractor registration and electrician or plumber certificates follow state rules, gathered in our Washington licensing notes.

How to apply for a Battle Ground building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Plans may be reviewed for planning and zoning, structural and building, fire and engineering. After a comment letter goes out, the reviewer takes no further action until you respond, so complete and timely answers shorten the process; another letter follows if the response is incomplete. Revisions to approved plans are billed at $75 an hour.

Inspections in Battle Ground

Inspections are scheduled only through the CSS portal, 24 hours a day; the City no longer takes inspection requests by phone. Requests made by midnight are scheduled for the next day, and inspections run Monday to Friday, except holidays, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; morning or afternoon requests cannot be accommodated. To schedule, you need a portal account and must email the City to be added to the permit. To cancel, call 360-342-5040.

When you collect the permit you get an inspection card listing every required inspection. No building may be occupied until the building official issues a certificate of occupancy. A temporary certificate ($250) can be granted once accessibility, fire and life safety items are complete; it lasts 60 days and can be extended once for 60 days ($500). Work started without a permit can draw an investigation fee as large as the permit and plan review fees, and re-inspections cost at least one hour at $75.

Battle Ground permit search and official resources

Permit status is visible in the Customer Self-Service portal, and older records come through the City’s public records process. FEMA lists Battle Ground as participating community 530025 in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated September 5, 2012.

• Battle Ground Customer Self-Service (CSS) portal
• Building Division
• Permit applications and submittal checklists
• Residential building information
• Inspection requests
• 2026 Fee Schedule, Resolution 25-12 (PDF)
• Residential fences handout (PDF)
• Residential accessory buildings handout (PDF)
• BGMC chapter 15.104, building code
• Shoreline Master Program
• Clark County Public Health septic system forms
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Battle Ground building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Battle Ground?

The Building Division of Community Development at City Hall, 109 SW 1st Street, Suite 127 (360-342-5040), through the CSS portal. Electrical permits come from L&I.

Do I need a permit to re-roof my house?

Not for a first or second layer of roofing with no structural repair or new sheathing, under BGMC 15.104.010. Work beyond that needs a permit, listed at $123 in 2026.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes for a fence 42 inches or higher ($49). Fences in front of the house are limited to 42 inches and those behind it to 72 inches.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for one of 200 sq ft or less; the City’s handout adds a 12-foot height limit, 3-foot setbacks and a location behind the front of the house.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

For a $300,000 house, $3,143 plus $2,042.95 plan review and the $6.50 state fee, before trade permits and impact fees.

What impact fees does a new house pay?

In 2026: traffic $3,943.44, park $4,538.31, fire $1,018.78 and a school fee of $10,760 (Battle Ground School District) or $7,790 (Hockinson School District), with a deferral program available.

Can I schedule an inspection by phone?

No. Inspections are requested only in the CSS portal, by midnight for the next day.

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