Centralia, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Centralia’s Building Division, part of Community Development, issues residential and commercial building permits, roofing permits and stand-alone mechanical and plumbing permits, and applications are filed online as PDFs through the City’s iWorQ permit portal. Wiring permits come from the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), through its Tumwater office, rather than from the City. Fees come from the City’s 2026 Master Fee Schedule: the building permit is priced from the value of the work, plan review adds 65%, and the City publishes its own per-square-foot values for houses.

The Building Division is on the second floor of Centralia City Hall, 118 W Maple Street (mailing address P.O. Box 609), open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The division’s line is 360-330-7685, permitting assistance is on 360-330-7662 and the inspection request line is 360-330-7663. Mike Watilo is the Building Official and Emil Pierson is the Community Development Director. Centralia had 19,375 residents in the Census estimate for 2025. The City also issues building permits in Centralia’s unincorporated urban growth area (UGA) under an interlocal agreement with Lewis County that took effect when both sides had signed it, on November 12, 2025, and runs to June 30, 2035: the county first approves a Master Site Review or Land Development Review and keeps the floodplain, critical areas, shoreline, right-of-way and health permits there, and the building permit then goes to the City.

What requires a building permit in Centralia?

The City’s building page says almost every construction project needs a building permit and names the common ones. Centralia Municipal Code (CMC) 18.04.010 then rewrites the residential code’s shed exemption with height limits of its own.

The site plan for any permit must show the property lines, easements, driveway material and slope, 2-foot contours, erosion control, drainage facilities, wetlands, surface water and floodplain boundaries, propane tanks and outdoor heating and cooling equipment. A site plan is required for every application, though most residential re-roofs need no plans.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The City’s codes page lists the 2021 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Fire and Property Maintenance codes and the 2021 Washington State Energy Code as amended in CMC 18.04.010, and the page also lists the 2023 National Electrical Code. The online code text of CMC 18.04.010 still names the 2018 editions, so the City’s codes page is the newer statement. Centralia’s own additions are the shed rule, its design values (25 psf snow load, seismic category D1, 12-inch frost depth), hearing examiner appeals in place of a board of appeals, and a fee schedule set by Council resolution.

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

Centralia building department: who handles permitting

Community Development runs the Building Division and the Planning Division. The Riverside Fire Authority provides fire and life safety service to the city and its UGA, sets its own fees for fire alarm, sprinkler, hood and other fire protection systems under CMC 18.04.030, and asks applicants to complete its development requirements form so it can confirm it can serve the project. Engineering reviews right-of-way and stormwater permits.

Permit types

Residential permits

The 2026 Building Permit Application covers residential, commercial, industrial, duplex and multi-unit work and asks which type applies: remodel, accessory dwelling unit, demolition, addition, new build, accessory building or pole barn, re-roof, mechanical or plumbing. It also asks whether the structure was built or remodeled before 1978. Separate forms cover floodplain permits, manufactured home placement and demolition, and the City posts handouts on egress windows, foundations, handrails and sample site plans. Projects that add square footage need the City’s small-site stormwater worksheet. A manufactured home placed on a city lot pays 30% of the building permit fee, figured on the value of the house, and one placed in a park pays a flat fee by width.

New construction and additions must follow the 2026 submittal checklist, and the City does not accept incomplete applications. All building applications are filed digitally as PDFs; staff at the Community Development counter can scan documents for applicants who cannot.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial projects use the same application and checklist and pay the $25 commercial state fee. Fire protection systems are permitted through the Riverside Fire Authority’s own fee schedule, and a manufactured unit used for commercial purposes pays a flat fee if temporary or 30% of the building permit fee if permanent, plus a 65% plan check.

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

Land use applications, including site plans, conditional uses, variances, short plats, binding site plans and floodplain permits, go through the City’s separate iWorQ land use portal. CMC Title 16 holds the Shoreline Master Program and the rules for wetlands, fish and wildlife areas, critical aquifers, geologic hazards and floodplains. Flooding is a central issue in Centralia, which tracks river gauges on the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers and China Creek: the City keeps every elevation certificate it holds available online and publishes its own floodplain permit application and flood phase guidelines. Right-of-way permits start at $25 and a residential stormwater permit is $100 per lot. Fill and grade permits cost $23.50 for up to 50 cubic yards and $37 for 51 to 100 cubic yards, with no grading plan review fee up to 50 cubic yards. A lot that is not on City sewer needs a septic permit from Lewis County Environmental Health in Chehalis, open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, which has its own line (360-740-1330) for septic construction final inspections.

Centralia permit costs and fees

The City Council adopted Resolution 2835 on December 9, 2025, amending the 2025–2026 Master Fee Schedule for the second year of the biennium; it took effect on January 1, 2026, and Section 5 holds the building fees. The application says the state fee in its own words: “$6.50 is a required State fee for Residential Permits and $25.00 for Commercial Permits.” Fees are paid after the reviews, when the permit is ready to issue, and card payments carry a 3.5% charge.

For houses the City values the work with its own Standardized Building Valuation Data Table: $91.54 per sq ft for new wood-frame construction and additions, $97.28 for masonry, $93.75 for a finished basement and $46.88 for an unfinished one, $37.50 for a finished wood-frame accessory building, $25.79 for a finished pole building, $9.38 for an open deck and $22.66 for a covered one, and $117.19 per roofing square (100 sq ft) for a re-roof. These are values used to compute the fee, not fees. Stand-alone plumbing and mechanical permits and all commercial projects are priced on project value.

Worked example. A 2,000 sq ft wood-frame house is valued at 2,000 × $91.54 = $183,080, which falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $1,304.34 plus 84 × $7.35 ($617.40) gives a building permit fee of $1,921.74. Plan review at 65% adds $1,249.13 and the residential state fee $6.50, for $3,177.37 before any garage, deck or trade permits. The schedule’s $2,001 to $25,000 row ends its wording “up to and including $40,000”, which looks like a misprint; the bands otherwise chain exactly.

The fee table codified in CMC 18.04.020 still shows older, lower amounts; the 2026 Master Fee Schedule adopted under CMC chapter 3.03 is the one the City charges from.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits, either added to a building permit or issued on their own and priced on the value of the work. The City’s permit list counts furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters and wood stoves as mechanical work and new systems, significant repairs and fixtures such as pools and hot tubs as plumbing work. Centralia is not on L&I’s list of cities with their own electrical program, so wiring, panel upgrades and new fixtures need an L&I electrical permit and inspection. The City’s building page sends readers to L&I to check a contractor’s license; the state rules themselves are in our Washington licensing overview.

How to apply for a Centralia building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Plans go to the planning, building, engineering and fire reviewers that the project touches, and added review caused by changes to approved plans is billed at $100 an hour. Missing checklist items stop an application at intake.

Inspections in Centralia

Inspections are requested on the Building Inspection Request Line, 360-330-7663, during the City’s weekday hours, and the City’s permitting assistance line takes scheduling questions. A re-inspection costs $100 an hour with a one-hour minimum, and an inspection outside normal business hours $100 an hour with a two-hour minimum. Electrical inspections are booked with L&I, and fire system inspections with the Riverside Fire Authority.

The application warns that a permit becomes null and void if work does not start within 180 days of issuance or stops for 180 days after the last inspection, and a building inspection is what shows the work is active. An expired permit can be renewed for $100 only if the codes have not changed since it was approved; inspections on an expired permit are billed by the hour.

Centralia permit search and official resources

Applicants follow their permits in the iWorQ portal, and the City publishes monthly building permit statistics and keeps elevation certificates online by address. Centralia takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program as FEMA community 530103 and issues its own floodplain permits through the land use portal.

• Centralia Building Division: permits, contacts, inspection line
• Community Development: 2026 fees and online permits
• 2026 Master Fee Schedule, Resolution 2835 (PDF)
• Building forms and applications
• Building codes and requirements
• Flood protection information and elevation certificates
• Centralia iWorQ building permit portal
• Centralia iWorQ land use application portal
• CMC chapter 18.04, building codes and fees
• Lewis County Environmental Health (septic)
• Lewis County Resolution 25-300: UGA interlocal agreements
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Centralia building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Centralia?

The Building Division at City Hall, 118 W Maple Street (360-330-7685). Electrical permits come from L&I.

How much is a permit for a new house in Centralia?

For a 2,000 sq ft wood-frame house valued at $183,080 by the City’s table, $1,921.74 for the permit, $1,249.13 for plan review and $6.50 in state fees under the 2026 schedule.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story, non-habitable shed of up to 200 sq ft with walls under 14 feet and a peak no higher than 16 feet. Garages and carports always need one.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. Re-roofs have their own online application, and the City values them at $117.19 per 100 sq ft of roof to set the fee.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the Building Inspection Request Line at 360-330-7663, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Can I file a paper application?

Building applications are filed digitally as PDFs through the iWorQ portal; staff at the Community Development counter can scan your documents if you bring them in.

Who issues building permits in Centralia’s urban growth area?

The City, under its 2025 interlocal agreement with Lewis County, once the county has approved the site review; the county keeps floodplain, critical areas, shoreline and septic permits there.

How long is a Centralia permit good for?

Work must start within 180 days and may not stop for more than 180 days between inspections; an expired permit can be renewed for $100 if the codes have not changed.

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