Gig Harbor, Washington Building Permit Guide

In Gig Harbor, the Building & Fire Safety Division of the Community Development Department issues building, plumbing, mechanical and fire permits inside the city limits; Paul Rice is both Building Official and Fire Marshal. Most applications are emailed to the division’s intake address, and plans are then uploaded for electronic review. Fees follow Resolution 1344, adopted on October 13, 2025, with plan review at 65% of the building permit fee; electrical work is permitted by the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), whose nearest office, at 950 Broadway in Tacoma, sees visitors by appointment.

The division works from City Hall at 3510 Grandview Street and answers 253-851-6170, which is also the support number for the permit portal. Gig Harbor had 12,630 residents in the Census estimate for 2025; Pierce County handles permits on unincorporated land on the Gig Harbor peninsula outside the city.

What requires a building permit in Gig Harbor?

The City’s permit page says no building covered by the building or residential code may be built, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, converted or demolished without a separate permit for each building, except for the exempt work in section 105 as Gig Harbor adopted it. For houses, Gig Harbor Municipal Code (GHMC) 15.10.020 writes its own exempt list into the residential code.

What the city decides and what the state holds

GHMC chapter 15.06 adopts the state building code, and chapters 15.08 to 15.22 amend each part of it: the building, residential, mechanical, fuel gas, fire, existing building and plumbing codes. The residential amendments show the local choices: a 6-foot fence limit instead of 7, a platform rule instead of the state’s deck exemption, electrical work placed with L&I, a complete application that must include evidence of water and of a sewer or septic connection, and the City’s own time limits for applications and permits.

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

Gig Harbor building department: who handles permitting

The Community Development Department covers land use, planning, historic preservation, development and code enforcement inside the city, through two divisions: Building & Fire Safety and Planning. Because the Building Official is also the Fire Marshal, building and fire permits go through the same office, and fire system permits are priced in the same fee resolution. The division’s staff list also shows an assistant building official who is also a fire marshal, and a combined building inspector and plans reviewer.

Permit types

Residential permits

New houses use the New Single Family Submittal Packet and its checklist; the City also posts prescriptive foundation requirements, stormwater guidance for residential permits and a client memo on what to expect when building a single-family home. Small residential jobs are simpler: minor residential plumbing and mechanical permits can be applied for directly in the portal. A residential re-roof or a demolition is a $170 flat fee. Before a demolition, every utility must be disconnected to its owner’s standards, Public Works inspects the capped water, sewer and storm lines, and the site must be cleared of debris and foundations, with no burying or burning.

Builders who repeat a design can register a base plan. The filing fee is $170 and the first review costs 150% of the normal plan review fee; after that, each house built from the base plan pays 25% of the plan review fee calculated from the table for new construction.

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 each have their own application packet and submittal checklist, and the City offers a business assistance meeting for owners planning a new business. The City’s permit Q&A notes that buildings other than houses and duplexes usually need reviews by other divisions first, such as site plan, conditional use or shoreline approvals. Fire alarm, sprinkler, standpipe, hood and fixed-pipe suppression permits carry flat fees that include plan review, testing and inspection, such as $472 plus $2 per device for a new commercial or multifamily alarm system.

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: site plan and design review, the City’s Shoreline Master Program for waterfront work, critical areas (wetlands and slopes), flood plains and historic preservation. For projects valued over $5,000, GHMC 15.10.020 lists further items for the application: the prime contractor’s registration, the construction lender or payment bond where there is one, and a SEPA checklist with any other information showing SEPA compliance. On a lot that will use a septic system, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department handles the septic permit, and the City expects evidence of the sewer or septic connection in the building application.

Gig Harbor permit costs and fees

The City Council adopted Resolution 1344 on October 13, 2025, replacing Resolution 1331 of February 2025; building fees are in its section M. Valuation for new buildings comes from the square-foot table in the resolution (Table 1-2, built on the 2021 code occupancy groups), and private garages are valued as utility buildings. The resolution has no line for the state building code fee. Its valuation bands do not join up (the second band reaches $109 at $2,000 of value, yet the third starts at $96), so read each fee from the band the value falls in. No fee resolution came before the council in September or October 2026, but the meeting calendar in the October 26, 2026 council packet lists a resolution adopting an updated fee schedule as tentative for November 9, 2026; check which resolution is current before you budget.

Worked example. At the resolution’s rates, a 2,000 sq ft house of type V-B wood construction ($165.67 per sq ft) with a 400 sq ft attached garage ($64.19 per sq ft, utility) is valued at $331,340 plus $25,676, or $357,016. In the $100,001 to $500,000 band that is $1,358 plus 258 × $9 ($2,322), a building permit fee of $3,680, and plan review at 65% adds $2,392, for $6,072 before plumbing, mechanical, impact and utility fees. The City’s undated single-family client memo lists the charges most new houses also pay before issuance: water general facility charge $7,300 and meter $486, sewer general facility charge $9,640, stormwater general facility charge $1,770, park impact fee $1,500, transportation impact fee $6,449 and school impact fee $4,462, plus a refundable $150 as-built deposit, a $125 sewer stub inspection and the water tap at actual cost plus 10%, which the memo estimates at $2,000 to $4,000.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are issued by the City, through the construction application or, for minor residential work, directly in the portal. GHMC 15.10.020 places electrical permits, inspections and approvals with L&I, and Gig Harbor is not on L&I’s list of cities with their own electrical programs. L&I does ask Pierce County applicants to check whether Tacoma Power serves the site, since Tacoma Power permits and inspects where it is the utility, but its list of those places (Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, Fife, Lakewood, parts of Steilacoom and unincorporated land as far south as Roy) and Tacoma Power’s service-area map stay east of the Narrows and leave Gig Harbor out. Contractor registration and the state’s electrician and plumber certificates are explained in the licensing part of our Washington guide.

How to apply for a Gig Harbor building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The single-family client memo puts the first review of a complete house application at about 4 weeks and a second review at about 2 weeks, while the City’s permit Q&A says a single-family permit usually takes 10 to 20 days, and other buildings 30 to 60 days once the other divisions have approved site plan compliance. Under GHMC 15.10.020, an application is treated as abandoned 180 days after filing unless it is being pursued in good faith, and an approved application that is not issued within 180 days of approval expires; if a new code edition takes effect meanwhile, the new application must meet it. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and restarting within a year with unchanged plans costs half the new-permit fee. Extensions of up to 180 days must be requested in writing before the permit expires. The Q&A memo still sends appeals to a Building Code Advisory Board, while the 2025 fee resolution prices an appeal of the Building Official’s decision to the Hearing Examiner at $340 plus hearing costs.

Inspections in Gig Harbor

The division offers inspections daily with 24 hours’ notice. Book them in the portal by midnight for the next day; requests phoned in after 7 a.m. are scheduled for the following day. The portal also shows results and the day’s inspection schedule. Keep the approved PDFs and inspection cards printed on site. A temporary certificate of occupancy ($283) is considered only on a written request made after every division’s final inspection, with no open fire or life safety items, a list of the remaining work and a firm completion date within 180 days. After-hours inspections cost $85 an hour, with a two-hour minimum when staff overtime is involved, and repeated re-inspections double in price each time the same item fails.

Gig Harbor permit search and official resources

The public portal lets anyone search permit records and review documents, check permit status and look up parcel information; an account is needed to pay fees or request inspections. FEMA’s Community Status Book carries Gig Harbor (community 530142) in its participating section, with the current flood map dated March 7, 2017.

• Gig Harbor building permits, forms and fees
• Fee schedule, Resolution 1344 (PDF)
• Electronic plan submittal instructions
• Building permits Q&A memo (PDF)
• Gig Harbor public permit portal
• GHMC 15.10.020: residential permits and exempt work
• Community Development: planning, shoreline and design review
• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: septic systems

Gig Harbor building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Gig Harbor?

The City’s Building & Fire Safety Division, 3510 Grandview Street (253-851-6170), for land inside the city limits.

How do I apply?

Email the construction application to buildingintake@gigharborwa.gov; the division sends a permit number, invoice and plan upload address.

Who issues electrical permits?

L&I. The City does not run an electrical program, and Gig Harbor lies outside the Tacoma Power service area where Tacoma Power issues electrical permits instead of L&I.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

For a 2,000 sq ft wood-frame house with a 400 sq ft garage, $3,680 plus $2,392 plan review under Resolution 1344.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Not for fences up to 6 feet or one-story sheds up to 200 sq ft, under GHMC 15.10.020.

How long does a house permit take?

The City’s single-family memo expects about 4 weeks for the first review of a complete application and about 2 weeks for a second review.

What utility and impact fees come with a new house?

The City’s single-family memo lists water, sewer and stormwater general facility charges, a water meter charge, and park, transportation and school impact fees, about $31,600 in all before the water tap, all due before the permit is issued.

How do I book an inspection?

In the portal by midnight the day before, or by phone; calls after 7 a.m. are scheduled for the next day.

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