Fife, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Fife issues permits for all development inside its limits. The Permit Center in the Community Development Department, at Fife City Hall, takes land use, building, civil and other construction permits, and the process is paperless: you apply, pay, upload plans and book inspections in the City’s SmartGov portal. Electrical work in Fife is permitted and inspected by Tacoma Power for the properties it serves, not by the City or by Labor and Industries (L&I).

The Permit Center is at Fife City Hall, 5411 23rd Street East. The Permit Coordinator answers questions about applications and existing permits on 253-896-8632, portal and inspection help is on 253-922-9624, and City Hall’s main line is 253-922-2489. About 11,061 people lived in Fife in the 2025 Census estimate.

What requires a building permit in Fife?

Title 15 of the Fife Municipal Code (FMC) adopts the 2021 International Building Code (FMC 15.04.010) and the 2021 International Residential Code (FMC 15.06.010) as the State Building Code Council amended them, without local changes to the codes’ exempt-work lists. The City’s permit FAQ quotes the building code’s rule that anyone who builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes or changes the occupancy of a building, or installs or changes electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, must first get a permit.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Fife’s Title 15 leaves the exempt-work lists alone, though it keeps local amendments on matters such as automatic sprinkler systems; its other local choices lie elsewhere: zoning under FMC Title 19, impact fees under FMC Title 20, flood rules, business licensing for contractors and the City’s own fee schedule. One point of difference: FMC 15.04.109 still says permit fees follow Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code, while the City now charges from its 2026 Community Development fee schedule, whose valuation table has its own amounts.

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

Fife building department: who handles permitting

Community Development runs the Permit Center, which manages intake, review, tracking and issuance; permit coordinators confirm that applications are complete and contact applicants when a permit is ready or more fees are due. Engineering and Public Works handle grading and storm drainage permits through the same portal. For electrical work, L&I’s own guidance says Tacoma Power issues permits and inspects for the properties it serves in Fife, and Tacoma Power’s service area map takes in the city.

Permit types

Residential permits

The City’s permit-type guide matches each job to a portal permit type. For a single-family house there are separate types for a new house, an addition, an alteration with no new floor area, and an accessory structure such as a shed or parking structure, plus “combo” types for a new house or an addition that bundle the building, mechanical and plumbing permits into one application. Demolishing a house is its own permit type ($223), and mechanical and plumbing permits can be filed alone.

The City’s tips for applying: write a detailed project description, give accurate counts of fixtures, mechanical equipment or signs so the fees are right, and enter the occupancy and construction type and square footage where the form asks for them. A Building Permit Estimator spreadsheet on the FAQ page gives an estimate from square footage, construction type and occupancy, though the City finalizes fees at submittal.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and multifamily work uses its own new, addition and alteration permit types, and a multifamily accessory type covers sheds and parking structures at apartment complexes. For major development, the City recommends a Development Review Committee (DRC) meeting first. DRC meetings are held on Wednesdays at 1:30 or 2:30 p.m., usually online, with Planning, Building, Engineering and Public Works staff; by noon on the Wednesday before, send a short project and use description, the Pierce County tax parcel numbers, a general site plan showing structures, parking, landscaping and property lines, and your questions. The City stresses that what staff say there is general and non-binding. Community Development books DRC times on 253-922-9625. Fire alarm and sprinkler permits use the same valuation table as building permits, with 65% plan review, and expedited review costs 150% of the permit fee plus $179 an hour.

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

Check the property’s zone on the City’s online zoning map and whether the use is allowed under FMC Title 19. Grading permits and storm drainage permits come from Engineering and Public Works for any development that must meet stormwater standards. According to the City’s floodplain FAQ, FEMA’s 100-year floodplain covers about 10% of Fife, Pierce County is working toward recertifying the Puyallup River levees, and Fife residents can ask Community Development (253-922-9624) whether a property is in the floodplain. On a septic lot, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is the health agency.

Fife permit costs and fees

The 2026 Community Development fee schedule prices building, sprinkler and fire alarm permits by valuation, adds plan review at 65% of the permit fee and a 2026 automation fee of $60, and spells out the state fee in its own words: “$6.50 fee per residential building permit/$25.00 fee per commercial building permit, plus $2 per unit for buildings containing more than one residential unit.” The posted schedule carries no adoption date, and the City’s 2025 and 2026 resolution and ordinance files list no fee schedule adoption, so confirm a fee with the Permit Center before relying on it.

Worked example. Fife’s 2026 table gives a $60,000 house remodel a $1,338 permit fee ($1,208 plus $13 for each of ten added thousands). With plan review at 65% ($869.70), the $60 automation fee and the $6.50 state fee, the City’s charges total $2,274.20; mechanical, plumbing and the Tacoma Power electrical permit are separate.

Impact fees are set in FMC Title 20, last amended by Ordinance 2158 on May 12, 2026, and are calculated when a building permit application is complete and collected before issuance (FMC 20.10.060). As codified, the school impact fee for a single-family home is $4,532 in the Fife School District and $3,588 in the Puyallup School District ($319 and $2,839 per multifamily unit). The park impact fee depends on the home’s size, from $1,192 under 760 sq ft through $3,060 for 1,751 to 2,250 sq ft to $4,905 above 3,000 sq ft, and the transportation impact fee is based on $8,495 per new PM peak-hour trip. From January 1, 2027, the park and transportation fees rise each year with the Engineering News-Record construction cost index. Owners can defer impact fees until before the final occupancy inspection by signing a deferral agreement, which costs $476 to apply for. City projects paid from tax revenue pay no permit fees, but those funded by enterprise funds or grants do.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits priced per fixture, with a $36 supplemental permit for added work on an open permit. The plumbing list also prices each private sewage disposal system or gray water system at $66 and each small backflow device at $23. Electrical permits are not City permits: L&I does not issue permits or inspect inside Tacoma Power’s service area, and its guidance names Fife among the cities where Tacoma Power issues permits and inspects for the properties it serves. Where a site is not served by Tacoma Power, the electrical permit comes from L&I.

How to apply for a Fife building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City calls the parcel number the most useful item on an application: look it up on the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer site by house number and street, and check that the parcel is a “real” parcel with active status. Fee questions go to Community Development on 253-922-9625; the City’s estimator covers the building permit only, not general facility charges, impact fees or trade permits.

Fife reviews permits in the order they arrive, and an incomplete application waits until every required item is received. Once staff approve a permit, the permit coordinators contact the applicant and collect any remaining fees. Plan changes after review are billed at $154.50 an hour, and anyone who starts work before the permit is issued pays an extra fee equal to the permit fee under FMC 15.04.109.

Inspections in Fife

Request inspections in the SmartGov portal: log in, open My Portal and choose Request under My Inspections. City inspections run on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and a next-day inspection must be requested by 4 p.m. the day before; without portal access, call 253-922-9624. Tacoma Power inspects the electrical work separately.

A re-inspection costs $152. The first extension of an issued permit or an active application is free; any later extension costs half of the original permit fee or review fee.

Fife permit search and official resources

Anyone can search permits, parcels and public notices in the SmartGov public portal without an account, and view and map the results. Fife is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, so flood insurance is available to its residents, and FEMA’s status book gives March 7, 2017 as its current flood map date.

• Fife permitting: Permit Center and contacts
• Online permitting guide
• SmartGov public portal
• 2026 Community Development fee schedule (PDF)
• Permit description and type table (PDF)
• Fife inspections
• Building permit FAQ
• Floodplain information
• Fife Municipal Code, Title 15
• L&I city electrical permits page (Tacoma Power service area)
• Tacoma Power service area map (PDF)

Fife building permit FAQ

Who issues electrical permits in Fife?

Tacoma Power, for the properties it serves, which L&I’s guidance says includes Fife. Call 253-502-8277.

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

$1,338 for the permit, $869.70 for plan review, $60 automation fee and $6.50 state fee under the 2026 schedule.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story shed up to 200 sq ft at a house; larger ones use the single-family accessory structure permit.

How do I schedule an inspection?

In SmartGov under My Inspections, by 4 p.m. the day before; inspectors work weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Does my contractor need a Fife business license?

Yes. Every contractor working inside the city limits needs one.

Is my property in the floodplain?

About 10% of Fife is in FEMA’s 100-year floodplain; Community Development (253-922-9624) can tell you whether your lot is.

How much are impact fees for a new house?

As codified, a single-family home pays a school fee of $4,532 (Fife School District) or $3,588 (Puyallup School District), a park fee of $1,192 to $4,905 by size and a transportation fee based on $8,495 per new PM peak-hour trip.

Can I meet with the City before applying?

Yes. Development Review Committee meetings run on Wednesdays at 1:30 or 2:30 p.m.; submit the project description, parcel numbers, site plan and questions by noon the Wednesday before.

Can I file on paper?

No. Fife’s permitting is paperless, and all permits are processed through the online portal.

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