Kenmore, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Kenmore’s Community Development Department issues building, plumbing, mechanical, sign, demolition, re-roof and clearing and grading permits, and applications go in online through MyBuildingPermit.com (MBP). Every electrical permit in Kenmore is issued and inspected by the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Kenmore writes its own administrative code for construction, and two of its rules stand out: new houses and townhouses must have fire sprinklers, and permit exemptions do not apply in critical areas, shorelines or their buffers.

City Hall is at 18120 68th Avenue NE. The building is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the permit counter keeps shorter hours, Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the main line is 425-398-8900 and permit questions go to permittech@kenmorewa.gov. About 24,249 people live in Kenmore, by the Census Bureau’s 2025 count.

This covers land inside Kenmore city limits; King County issues permits on unincorporated land nearby.

What requires a building permit in Kenmore?

Kenmore replaces chapter 1 of the residential code with its own Construction Administrative Code, chapter 15.30 of the Kenmore Municipal Code (KMC). Its exemption list in KMC 15.30.205 carries one condition that the state list does not: none of the exemptions applies to work in critical areas, shorelines, their buffers or native growth protection tracts.

The mechanical and plumbing lists in the same section are short: portable appliances, small self-contained refrigeration units and minor part replacement need no mechanical permit, and clearing stoppages, fixing leaks without moving pipes and reinstalling prefabricated fixtures need no plumbing permit.

What the city decides and what the state holds

KMC chapter 15.20 (last revised by Ordinance 24-0602) adopts the 2021 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Existing Building, Swimming Pool and Spa and Wildland-Urban Interface codes, the Uniform Plumbing Code and the state energy code with the State Building Code Council’s amendments. Kenmore adds residential appendices for solar-ready construction, dwelling fire sprinklers, construction waste management and building deconstruction, and a building code section on waterfront structures. Under KMC 15.20.130 an approved fire sprinkler system is required in new one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses; accessory dwelling units are the exception.

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

Kenmore building department: who handles permitting

Community Development covers building permits and inspections, current planning and land use, engineering review of site development, code compliance and long-range planning. The Building Official is Drew Martin and the department is led by Community Development Director Sam Loyuk. Fire inspections are scheduled directly with Shoreline Fire, which serves Kenmore, and the Northshore Utility District provides water and sewer.

Permit types

Residential permits

House projects are filed on MBP as building permits (new homes, additions, alterations and ADUs), with plumbing, mechanical, re-roof, demolition and grading permits as separate records. A new house must show its fire sprinkler system, and the Construction Administrative Code sets the inspection sequence from footings and foundation through the slab, a lowest-floor elevation check, wall and roof sheathing, rough-ins, framing, wallboard and the energy code inspection to the final.

The City also runs a master and basic plan program for builders who repeat a design: the first registered plan pays full plan review, later basic plans are reviewed faster, and Kenmore may accept a master plan already approved by another MyBuildingPermit city. A registered plan from an earlier code edition is not accepted once the state code cycle changes.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, multifamily, institutional and industrial permits follow the same code chapter, with a longer life (3 years) and special inspections where the building code, the Building Official or a design professional calls for them. Special inspection reports go by email to the City inspector, copied to permittech@kenmorewa.gov. The permits page has its own section on fire alarm permits, and fire inspections are booked with Shoreline Fire.

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

Kenmore’s code has its own shoreline management title and a building code section for waterfront structures, so shoreline and critical areas reviews often come first; even small projects lose their permit exemption inside a critical area, shoreline or buffer. Land use approvals (variances, conditional uses, boundary line adjustments, critical area reviews) and right-of-way permits go through the same department. Water and sewer connections are requested from the Northshore Utility District, whose right-of-way work tied to a development is now reviewed under the project’s City engineering permit. Construction and demolition debris must go to a King County designated facility under the County’s recycling rules.

Trees are a frequent first step. Removing a tree needs a permit unless it is under 6 inches in diameter at breast height, on a lot with an existing single-family house, not previously protected and not in a critical area or buffer. Any tree of 48 inches or more, and some smaller native trees, is an “exceptional tree” under KMC 18.57.063 and can be removed only in limited cases through a variance with public notice, which takes an estimated 2 to 6 months; in critical areas and buffers (KMC 18.55) only hazardous trees may go, unless removal is part of a restoration plan. A significant tree permit (form 303 and a site plan on MBP) typically takes about 2 weeks.

Kenmore permit costs and fees

Permit fees are set in the City’s annual fee schedule. The City Council adopted the 2026 Fee Schedule as Resolution No. 25-434 by a 7-0 vote on November 17, 2025, and a 2027 schedule is announced on the Permit Fees page. The figures below are from Exhibit A as printed in that meeting’s agenda packet, so confirm amounts with the permit counter. Building plan review is 80% of the building permit fee (25% for a registered basic plan), a 5% technology fee applies to Development Services fees but not to the state surcharge, and the section’s fees do not apply to new accessory dwelling units, which pay only the $6.50 state surcharge.

The exhibit prints “for each additional $100” on every row, but above $2,000 the base amounts only line up if the added amount is charged per $1,000 (for example $360.33 + 23 × $23.50 = $900.83), so ask the City which unit it applies before estimating. Other 2026 building fees: $212 for a single-family re-roof, $741 for a demolition, $208 to extend or renew a permit, $592 for a temporary certificate of occupancy, $148 an hour for inspections with no set fee and $159 an hour for extra plan review.

The fee waiver program (Ordinance 22-0544) lets the Director waive some or all review fees for lower-income homeowners who live in Kenmore at least six months a year, for home repairs, manufactured home alterations and single-family plumbing and mechanical permits. Form 108 goes in before review starts, or within 30 days of issuance for an over-the-counter permit, with proof of income.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The City states it plainly: all electrical permits in Kenmore are issued and inspected by L&I, which does not list Kenmore among cities with their own electrical program. Plumbing and mechanical permits, unlike in unincorporated King County, are City of Kenmore permits filed on MBP and inspected by City inspectors.

How to apply for a Kenmore building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

An application expires if no permit is issued within 18 months, and it can be cancelled if the applicant does not answer a written correction request within 90 days, unless the Building Official approves a schedule. Codes vest when the application is deemed complete. The City reported that it met the state’s SB 5290 permit timeline requirements in 2025.

Inspections in Kenmore

Inspections are requested on MyBuildingPermit; a request made before 5 p.m. gets an inspection the next business day, and the day’s inspection list is posted on MBP. Results appear on the permit’s Inspections tab. Electrical inspections are booked with L&I and fire inspections with Shoreline Fire.

A permit for a house, or for a tenant space in an existing building, expires 2 years after issuance, and within those 2 years the outside of a new house must be finished: roofing, siding, windows, exterior doors and site and right-of-way work. Commercial and multifamily permits run 3 years, and stand-alone sign, mechanical and plumbing permits 1 year. The Building Official may give a 30-day extension when only the final inspection is left, and letting a permit expire without a final is a code violation. Finishing an expired house permit takes a new permit priced on the remaining work: it runs 6 months if framing was never approved (and the work then moves to the current code) or if the exterior is unfinished, and 2 years if the exterior is complete.

Kenmore permit search and official resources

Permit status, review comments and inspection results are on MyBuildingPermit.com under Check Status, by permit number, and MBP’s separate permit search site also shows a permit’s status. Older permit files are requested through the City’s public records request form. Kenmore participates in the National Flood Insurance Program; FEMA’s status book gives its current effective map as August 19, 2020.

• Kenmore Permits & Inspections
• Community Development Department: staff and counter hours
• Permit fees, refunds and fee waiver program
• Inspections and special inspections
• MyBuildingPermit.com: apply and check status
• Today’s inspections on MyBuildingPermit
• Kenmore Municipal Code (Title 15, buildings)
• Utility providers in Kenmore
• Public records request
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Kenmore building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Kenmore?

The City’s Community Development Department at City Hall, 18120 68th Avenue NE (425-398-8900), through MyBuildingPermit.com. L&I issues electrical permits.

Does a new house in Kenmore need fire sprinklers?

Yes. KMC 15.20.130 requires an approved sprinkler system in new one- and two-family homes and townhouses; ADUs are excepted.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not for a fence up to 8 feet, unless it is in a critical area, shoreline or buffer, where the exemption does not apply.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Not for in-kind re-roofing of a house that keeps the existing sheathing. Removing, replacing or adding sheathing needs a re-roof permit.

Are there fee waivers for homeowners?

Yes. Owners at or below 80% of area median income can apply with Form 108 to have some repair, plumbing and mechanical permit fees waived.

How fast can I get an inspection?

Requests on MyBuildingPermit before 5 p.m. are inspected the next business day.

How long does a house permit last?

Two years, and the exterior must be complete within that time. A 30-day extension is possible when only the final is left.

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