Chelan County, Washington Building Permit Guide

For land outside Cashmere, Chelan, Entiat, Leavenworth and Wenatchee, building permits come from the Building Division of Chelan County Community Development, Suite 301 at 316 Washington Street in Wenatchee (509-667-6225). The county reviews every application for zoning, setbacks and code, charges plan review at 65 percent of the building permit fee, and stepped its fees up on August 1, 2026, with a further step scheduled for August 1, 2027. A new home that needs water in the Lake Chelan, Entiat or Wenatchee basins also needs a water mitigation certificate.

What requires a building permit in Chelan County?

The Building Division enforces the international codes with Washington amendments as adopted in Chelan County Code chapter 3.04, together with the state energy and barrier-free rules and the county’s flood hazard chapter, CCC 3.20. Its permit types cover new buildings, additions, remodels, accessory structures, mechanical and plumbing work, pools and spas, manufactured homes, demolition, signs and placement of docks and other shoreline structures.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state sets the code; Chelan County sets the site-specific numbers. Snow loads are site-specific and can vary drastically from one site to the next, so the county gives ground and roof snow loads parcel by parcel; ask a plans examiner with your parcel number. Houses of up to four units need no licensed designer under RCW 18.08.410, but anything beyond the code’s prescriptive limits, such as a ground snow load over 70 psf, needs engineering. The 2021 energy code asks for five credits for a dwelling under 1,500 sq ft, eight for a medium dwelling and nine above 5,000 sq ft. The exempt list is the county’s own: section 3.04.100, last amended by Resolution 2021-117, allows 288 sq ft where the residential code says 200.

Chelan County building department: who handles permitting

Community Development has three divisions, Building, Planning and Code Compliance, and its building official is Josh Cavallo. Permit technicians take applications, and the division’s plans examiners and building inspectors review and inspect the work.

Cities in Chelan County

All five incorporated cities issue their own building permits, so a city address goes to city hall, not to the county. None is on L&I’s list of cities that permit electrical work themselves.

Chelan County permit types and what comes first

Residential permits

One residential application covers a single-family house, an ADU, a duplex, townhouses and accessory structures, with plumbing and mechanical details on the same form. It asks for a copy of the recorded deed, impervious surface areas, bedrooms and bathrooms, easements, and whether the site lies within 200 feet of water or 250 feet of a geologic hazard. Plans go in as two sets at a legible architectural scale, with two copies of a scaled site plan showing wells, septic tank and drain field, two parking spaces per dwelling and every easement. Electronic submittals are labelled PDFs (application, construction drawings, truss package, energy credit forms, site plan, approved septic packet, water mitigation approval) sent through the portal or to the application email; a permit technician replies to say whether the package is complete.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings and signs have their own applications, and commercial work is valued from the ICC Building Valuation Data, with a contractor’s itemized bid accepted for work other than new construction. A pre-application meeting for land use and commercial building projects costs $78 an hour with a two-hour minimum.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Water: since April 1, 2021, chapter 13.30 requires a water mitigation certificate for any building permit that needs a new water use in the Lake Chelan, Entiat River or Wenatchee River basins. You file the application and its fees before the building permit: an administration fee plus a mitigation fee for each dwelling, which is currently $0 in some locations. A house plus an ADU pays two mitigation fees.
• Water and sewer letters: a letter of availability from the sewer district or public water supplier is required before issuance.
• Septic: the Chelan-Douglas Health District permits on-site systems, and its final as-built approval is needed before the certificate of occupancy.
• Shorelines: lots on Lake Chelan, the Columbia and other shorelines carry a shoreline supplement. Fill or excavation for appurtenances over 250 cubic yards loses its exemption, and one view corridor is limited to 25 percent of the lot frontage or 25 feet, whichever is less. A shoreline exemption costs $1,210 and a substantial development permit $1,385 at the current rates.
• Floodplains and critical areas: a floodplain development permit ($765) and an elevation certificate apply in mapped flood zones, and wetland variances or stream typing may be needed near water.
• Other agencies: docks, seawalls and boat lifts may also need state Fish and Wildlife, Ecology, Army Corps of Engineers or PUD approval.

Chelan County building permit fees

The commissioners amended the Community Development fee chapter, CCC 3.24, on June 30, 2025 after a hearing that opened June 10. The schedule sets three steps, effective August 1 of 2025, 2026 and 2027, so the 2026 column applies until July 31, 2027. The building permit fee itself comes from the valuation table, using the ICC’s latest Building Valuation Data, and the full plan review fee is 65 percent of that fee, on top of it. No application is complete until its fees are paid.

The valuation bands do not join up: the $501 to $2,000 band reaches $96.96 at $2,000 while the next band starts at $116.02, and the $100,001 to $500,000 band reaches $4,358.42 at $500,000 while the next starts at $3,233.75, so keep any estimate inside one band. The code text of Table 1-A still shows a $150 reinspection fee; the current fee page bills inspections after the first hourly instead. State law (RCW 19.27.085) also charges $6.50 on each residential building permit and $25 on each commercial one; the county’s schedule page does not list that charge.

Worked example: a house valued at $300,000 is in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $1,350.42 plus 200 × $7.52 is $2,854.42. Plan review at 65 percent adds $1,855.37, and zoning review for a single-family dwelling adds $257, for $4,966.79 before any plumbing or mechanical share, water mitigation or septic fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are county permits. When they go with a house permit the charge is 10 percent of the building permit fee for each; on their own they are $139 each for residential work. Electrical permits and inspections are L&I’s everywhere in the county, Wenatchee included; L&I’s East Wenatchee office is at 519 Grant Road.

• Who signs: the application asks for the contractor’s license number and, under RCW 19.27.095, the lender and the contractor’s bonding firm where applicable; the owner or an authorized agent signs.
• No permit for routine swaps: under CCC 3.04.100, replacing bathroom and kitchen fixtures, or appliances that need no change to gas piping, needs no county permit.
• Locally sawn lumber: CCC 3.04.070 lets the building official approve rough-cut local or used lumber for some uses.
• Factory-built units: park model RVs need a Washington L&I insignia and a permanent foundation with approved utilities, and tiny houses on wheels built off site must be L&I-approved factory-assembled structures.

Who must be registered or licensed, and how far owners may do their own wiring or plumbing, is set by state law; see the Washington contractor and trade licensing summary.

How to apply for a Chelan County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

An application stays open for six months and can be extended for six more if you pursue it in good faith, in three-month steps for residential work and six-month steps for commercial; after that it is cancelled. Water mitigation, septic approval and any shoreline or other land use permit are separate steps that can hold a house permit back. If you need speed, the county offers expedited review of single-family permits for $1,165, done after hours when staff are free, with the first plan check within two business days; 60 percent of that fee comes back if the county misses its deadlines.

Inspections in Chelan County

Call the inspection line, 509-667-6635, by 4 p.m. the day before; Monday inspections must be called in by 4 p.m. on Friday, and later calls wait for Tuesday. Give the permit number, address, type of inspection, the date you want and a call-back number. Additional inspections after the first are billed at $78 an hour with a two-hour minimum.

An issued permit is valid for two years to finish the work and can be extended once, for one year, at half the original permit fee. The certificate of occupancy needs the sewer or water connection letter, or the Health District’s approval of the septic as-built, as well as the final building inspection. For manufactured homes the county inspects only the foundation and set-up.

Flood maps and state code

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Chelan County as a participating community with a current effective flood map of September 30, 2004; Cashmere, Chelan, Entiat, Leavenworth and Wenatchee also participate. Work in a mapped flood zone needs the county’s floodplain development permit under CCC 3.20, and the county posts its own guidance on crawlspaces in floodplains.

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

Chelan County building permit FAQ

What does a building permit cost for a $300,000 house?

$2,854.42 from the valuation table, $1,855.37 for plan review and $257 for zoning review, before trade, water and septic fees.

How big a shed can I build without a permit?

Under CCC 3.04.100, a one-story detached shed, ag storage building or playhouse of up to 288 sq ft needs no building permit, though it must still meet zoning setbacks and may not be lived in.

Do I need a water mitigation certificate?

Yes, if your building permit needs a new water use in the Lake Chelan, Entiat River or Wenatchee River basins; apply before the building permit.

Can I email my application?

Yes. The county takes labelled PDFs through its online portal or at CD.build.applications@co.chelan.wa.us, and paper at the counter from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Who permits a house inside Wenatchee or Leavenworth?

The city. Both run their own building divisions; L&I still issues the electrical permit.

How long is a permit good for?

Two years from issuance, with one optional one-year extension at 50 percent of the original fee.

Permit search and official resources

The Community Development public portal tracks building permits once you register, and the county map shows parcel data. Older files and other records come through a public records request; copies and scans are $0.15 a page under the fee schedule.

• Chelan County Building Division
• Community Development contacts and hours
• Online services and public portal
• Forms and applications
• Electronic building permit submittal process
• Residential building permit application
• Community Development fee schedule (2025–2027 steps)
• CCC 3.24 fee text and valuation table (2025)
• Floodplain development permit application
• Water Mitigation Program
• Board of commissioners meeting minutes
• Public records requests
• Chelan-Douglas Health District
• L&I electrical permits and inspections
• FEMA Community Status Book, Washington

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