Enumclaw, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Enumclaw’s Building Department, part of Community Development, reviews plans, issues building, mechanical, plumbing, demolition and sign permits and does the inspections. Applications are paperless: file them on the City’s E-Permits portal or email them to the permit counter, and review starts only after the intake fee is paid. Wiring is a state matter here: the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) sells the electrical permit and sends its own inspector, and its Tukwila office (12806 Gateway Drive S) takes walk-in questions.

The department works from the Stevenson/Yerxa Building, 1309 Myrtle Avenue, one block north of City Hall, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays; the permit counter closes at 4 p.m., and after that time only the portal takes applications and payments. Call 360-825-3593 for general permit questions. Chris Pasinetti is the Community Development Director. The King County part of Enumclaw had 13,172 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

What requires a building permit in Enumclaw?

Title 16 of the Enumclaw Municipal Code (EMC) adopts the most current state editions of the International Building, Residential, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes and the Uniform Plumbing Code. EMC 16.04.050 keeps the state’s exempt-work lists and adds a few items of its own: small satellite and video antennas, portable cooking and clothes-drying appliances, and portable fuel cells not tied to fixed piping. The City’s Building Permit Exemptions page restates the state lists; anything not exempt needs a permit.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Apart from those antenna and appliance items, Enumclaw takes the state codes’ exemptions as written, but it writes its own administrative rules: permits and applications both lapse after 180 days, application extensions may be requested verbally or in writing, and fees are set by council resolution (EMC 16.06.018). The City’s plumbing code adoption (EMC 16.02.010) leaves out the parts of the Uniform Plumbing Code that address building sewers.

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

Enumclaw building department: who handles permitting

EMC 16.06.012 places building code enforcement in the Building Inspection Division of the Community Development Department, under the building official. Planners on the same team handle setbacks and zoning (360-825-3593), Public Works permits some sidewalk and driveway work, and the City’s own gas utility serves natural gas customers.

Permit types

Residential permits

Most residential work uses the Universal Building Permit Application, with a Universal Plumbing/Mechanical application for trade-only jobs and separate forms for re-roofs, demolition, mobile and modular homes, temporary storage containers and permit transfers. The residential checklist for a new house or remodel asks for the application, a digital site plan at no smaller than 1 inch to 40 feet, construction plans with structural calculations, the energy code forms and the legal description and tax parcel number; the City also posts its assigned design values for the current residential and building codes.

The City runs its own gas utility, and its gas policy matters for generator and appliance work: houses get standard delivery pressure of 7 inches water column, 2 psig residential service is not offered, and a standby generator submittal must show the generator’s gas use, its minimum inlet pressure, a pipe sizing calculation and a one-line sketch from the meter. An AC and generator installation bulletin is on the forms page.

Manufactured homes are split between two agencies, according to the City’s mobile home fact sheet. Enumclaw reviews and issues the setting or replacement setting of a mobile home, its demolition, and anything not attached to it, such as a detached carport, garage, shed, porch or stairs and a gas generator; setting a home costs $230 plus hourly plan review. L&I handles every alteration attached to or inside the home, including structural and interior changes, doors and windows, roofing and siding, stoves and fireplaces, appliances, furnaces, water heaters, gas lines, plumbing and electrical. The City quotes four to six weeks for its mobile home permits once intake staff deem the application complete.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial buildings and tenant improvements have their own submittal checklists and a commercial site plan example. Commercial re-roofs, demolitions and pools are priced on value, fire plan review of a building permit is 40% of the building plan review fee, and fire alarm, sprinkler and suppression permits start at $315 plus hourly plan review. Builders who reuse a design can register a master plan; later permits on it pay a review fee of 25% of the plan review fee, as set out in the City’s master plan policy.

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

City planners check setbacks before a building permit issues, and the fee schedule also prices SEPA review, site plan approvals and other land use actions. Driveways and sidewalks that are exempt from a building permit may still need a Public Works permit. For homes on septic, the Building Department page links Public Health – Seattle & King County’s guidelines for remodeling, expanding or adding to a house on a septic system.

Enumclaw permit costs and fees

Fees come from the City’s fee schedule, last updated May 26, 2026 by Resolution 1879 (that update changed school impact fees). Building fees follow a valuation table based on the International Code Council’s building valuation data for new work, a non-refundable technology fee of 10% applies to building permit fees, and plan review adds 65% when plans are needed. No state building code fee line appears in Enumclaw’s schedule.

Worked example. In Enumclaw a $60,000 house remodel pays $893.45 as its permit fee (the $793.45 base for $50,000 plus $10 for each added thousand). With 65% plan review ($580.74) the total is $1,474.19, and the 10% technology fee (about $89) and any trade permits come on top.

New homes pay impact fees at permit issuance: per single-family home, $6,574.13 for schools (adjusted each April 1 for inflation under EMC 19.24.100), $2,383.13 for fire facilities, $2,200 for parks and $4,491 for transportation, plus a $35 administrative fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are City permits: $35 each plus unit fees for other jobs, or a flat $165 each for a new single-family house. Unit fees include $10 for a water heater or most fixtures and $15 for a wood or gas stove or fireplace insert. Electrical permits are not issued by the City; the Building Department page sends applicants to L&I’s electrical permits, fees and inspections pages.

Some trade work is exempt under the state codes the City restates: portable heaters, fans, coolers and evaporative coolers, replacing a minor part that does not change the equipment’s approval, small self-contained refrigeration units, stopping a leak, and clearing a stoppage or resetting a toilet without replacing valves, pipes or fixtures. Once concealed pipe has to be replaced, the City treats it as new work needing a permit.

How to apply for an Enumclaw building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City’s June 2025 submission policy defines a complete application as at least a full project description, a site plan and, where needed, a SEPA checklist, and it stops the clock until the intake fee arrives. Under EMC 16.06.014, an application is abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith, though the building official may extend it in 180-day steps. The residential checklist warns that plans missing its minimum information will not be accepted for plan check.

Inspections in Enumclaw

Inspections are offered Tuesday through Friday. Call the inspection line, 360-615-5678, by 3 p.m. the day before, or book in the E-Permits portal, which has no cut-off time. The Building Department posts extra inspection notes for siding and roofing materials, and L&I schedules its own electrical inspections.

A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days of issuance or stops for 180 days, and the City treats work as abandoned when no inspection has been approved for 180 days. Renewal within a year costs half the new-permit fee if the plans are unchanged; after a year, it costs a full new fee, or 25% where the roughs (frame, electrical, mechanical and plumbing) were already approved.

Enumclaw permit search and official resources

The E-Permits portal lets applicants follow a permit through review. Owners of a single-family house can also ask King County about the Home Improvement Exemption from property tax, which the Building Department page links. Enumclaw participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, and its effective FEMA map date is August 19, 2020.

• Enumclaw Building Department: contacts, hours, inspections
• E-Permits portal
• Building permit exemptions
• Building permit application forms
• Fee schedule, Resolution 1879 (PDF)
• Electronic permit application policy (PDF)
• Residential permit submittal checklist (PDF)
• Gas utility residential pressure and generator guidance (PDF)
• Mobile home permits: what the City and L&I each issue (PDF)
• Enumclaw Municipal Code, Title 16
• February 23, 2026 council minutes: battery storage moratorium extension
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Enumclaw building permit FAQ

Where is the Enumclaw Building Department?

At 1309 Myrtle Avenue, one block north of City Hall. The permit counter is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

How much is a permit for a $60,000 remodel?

$893.45 for the permit and $580.74 for plan review, plus the 10% technology fee and any trade permits.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a fence?

Not for a one-story shed up to 200 sq ft at a house or a fence up to 7 feet, but both must meet the City’s setback and fence rules.

Can I install a generator on 2 psig gas service?

No. The City gas utility does not offer 2 psig service to houses, so the gas piping must be sized for standard pressure.

Who issues electrical permits?

L&I. The City does not run an electrical program.

Which days are inspections?

Tuesday to Friday. Call 360-615-5678 by 3 p.m. the day before, or book online.

Who permits work on a mobile home?

The City permits setting, replacing or demolishing the home and any detached carport, shed, porch or generator; L&I permits alterations attached to or inside the home, from roofing and windows to plumbing, furnaces and wiring.

When does plan review start?

Only after the counter accepts the submittal as complete and the intake fee is paid, which must happen within 10 business days of the City’s notice.

Is a battery storage project allowed?

Not while the moratorium runs; Ordinance 2833 extended it for 12 months from February 24, 2026.

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