Lake Stevens, Washington Building Permit Guide

The City of Lake Stevens issues building, mechanical, plumbing, demolition, re-roofing and fire alarm and sprinkler permits through its Planning and Community Development department, and all of them are applied for online in Citizens Connect. Electrical work is the exception: those permits and inspections come from the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Under the fee resolution the City Council passed in June 2026, a house’s plan review is 65% of the building permit fee and a 5% technology fee applies to permit payments.

The permit counter is at City Hall, 1812 Main Street (mailing address P.O. Box 257, Lake Stevens, WA 98258). It is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon; the Permit Desk answers 425-622-9400 and permits@lakestevenswa.gov. The city had 42,091 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

This page is about permits inside Lake Stevens city limits; land outside them is Snohomish County’s to permit.

What requires a building permit in Lake Stevens?

City code (LSMC 14.80.030) requires a permit to build, enlarge, alter, move or demolish a building or to change its occupancy. For houses, duplexes and townhouses, the exemptions are those of the 2021 International Residential Code, section R105.2, plus two that Lake Stevens added through Ordinance 1160 when the 2021 codes took effect on March 15, 2024.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The state sets the codes and their base exemptions; Lake Stevens adopts them in chapter 14.80 of its code and adds its own amendments, fee resolution, portal, zoning, shoreline permits and critical areas rules. The City’s own sheet also points out that interior work on a mobile or manufactured home is permitted through L&I, not the City.

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

Lake Stevens building department: who handles permitting

Planning and Community Development runs the permit counter, takes building and land use applications and has the Building Official review plans and inspect. Public Works issues right-of-way permits and schedules its own inspections through a separate Citizens Connect page. Fire plan review follows the 2026 fee tables of Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue, which the City adopted by reference, and the Lake Stevens Sewer District and the PUD sign off on sewer, water and power availability.

Permit types

Residential permits

The residential submittal checklist (approved July 2025) covers houses, duplexes and townhouses under the residential code. A new house, addition or alteration needs the application form, a site plan, one combined PDF of foundation, floor, roof, elevation, section and detail plans, an energy code form, and where they apply structural calculations, a geotechnical report for steep slopes, a special inspections agreement, health approval for a well or septic system, a sewer availability letter from the Lake Stevens Sewer District, water or power letters from the PUD, a land use decision and a stormwater pollution prevention plan once 2,000 sq ft of hard surface is added or replaced or 7,000 sq ft of land is disturbed. Garages, carports, decks and sheds need a shorter set. Files must be flattened PDFs under 200 MB, landscape except the site plan, and named as the checklist shows, or staff may reject them at intake.

The City also publishes handouts for ADUs, garage conversions, decks, retaining walls, pools and spas, tiny homes, building height limits and model homes. An owner who will act as their own contractor signs the City’s acknowledgment of the state rule (RCW 18.27.090) and its liability warnings.

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 tenant improvements have their own checklists. Commercial and multifamily plan review is 65% of the Table 1A fee, commercial plumbing and mechanical review 40% of those permit fees (minimum $126), and fire plan review is charged on Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue’s valuation table, which has a separate flat charge for houses. Adult family home reviews, certificates of occupancy without construction and revisions are billed at $253 for 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

Many projects need a land use decision first. Critical area review is billed at actual cost plus a $53 administrative fee; a shoreline exemption on the lake costs $601 ($727 with a floodplain development permit), a shoreline substantial development permit $1,196 and a standalone floodplain development permit $495. A pre-application conference is $885, credited toward a later application fee over $1,000 if filed within 12 months. On a septic lot, the Snohomish County Health Department (Land Use, 3020 Rucker Avenue, Everett, 425-339-5250) handles the septic side. Applicants can also elect consolidated review, running the building permit alongside land use approvals at their own risk: no building permit is issued until those approvals are final.

Lake Stevens permit costs and fees

Fees are set by City Council resolution. Resolution 2025-09 brought in the 2026 fees on January 1, 2026, raised the technology fee from 3% to 5% and added a 3% service fee; Resolution 2026-06, passed on June 2, 2026, amended the schedule, and the posted building fee table is marked effective July 1, 2026. The resolution adjusts building, land use and impact fees every January 1 by a five-year average of the consumer price index, and valuation follows the ICC building valuation data.

The bands do not chain into each other, so each value is priced within its own band; decks are valued at $42 per sq ft uncovered and $53 covered, and an unfinished basement at $26 per sq ft. Worked example. A $60,000 remodel: $1,046 plus 10 × $11 ($110) is a $1,156 permit fee; plan review at 65% is $751.40; the 5% technology fee on both is $95.37, for $2,002.77, before the SBCC fee and any trade permits. Paying by card adds the 3% service fee.

New homes also pay mitigation fees: $4,572 for parks per single-family home, a traffic fee of $5,659 in impact zone 1 or $3,725 in zones 2 and 3, and a school fee of $13,730 per detached house in the Lake Stevens School District or $5,361 in the Snohomish School District.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits, filed in Citizens Connect: for a new house each costs 10% of the building permit fee, and an alteration costs $211 for up to four pieces of equipment or fixtures. Electrical permits are not: the City says plainly that L&I issues them, and the City’s inspection handout requires L&I’s cover approval before the framing inspection and L&I’s electrical final before the City’s final.

How to apply for a Lake Stevens building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City may reject files at intake if they are named or formatted wrongly. An application expires if the permit is not obtained within 180 days of applying, and an issued permit expires if work has not begun within 180 days; the Building Official can grant 180-day extensions on a written request showing justifiable cause, for a $253 fee.

Inspections in Lake Stevens

Inspections are scheduled in Citizens Connect under “Inspections,” and the inspection record card and stamped plans must be on site. The residential handout lists footing and setback (with property corner pins visible), foundation wall, dampproofing, groundwork plumbing, slab insulation, storm and footing drains, water line, slab, floor framing, exterior shear nailing, gas piping, rough plumbing and mechanical, weather barrier and window flashing, framing, insulation and interior shear nailing, then plumbing and mechanical finals.

Before the final for occupancy, the fire district, the Lake Stevens Sewer District, Planning and Public Works must each have signed off, special inspection reports must be in, landscaping must match the approved site plan and the address numbers must be visible from the street. A re-inspection after the second inspection, or after a cancellation given later than 7 a.m., is billed at $126 an hour.

Lake Stevens permit search and official resources

Citizens Connect shows active permits and their status; for older permit files, contact the Permit Desk at 425-622-9400 or permits@lakestevenswa.gov. Lake Stevens participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current FEMA map dated June 19, 2020; work in a mapped floodplain needs a floodplain development permit from the City.

• Lake Stevens Permit Center
• Citizens Connect permit portal
• 2026 permit fee schedules
• Resolution 2026-06, fee schedule update (PDF)
• Building, mechanical and plumbing fees from July 1, 2026 (PDF)
• Building applications and handouts
• Residential submittal checklist (PDF)
• Residential inspections handout (PDF)
• Residential interior permit exemptions (PDF)
• Ordinance 1160: 2021 code adoption and local exemptions (PDF)
• Acting as your own contractor form (PDF)
• Snohomish County Health Department septic program

Lake Stevens building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Lake Stevens?

The City’s Planning and Community Development department, at City Hall, 1812 Main Street; electrical permits come from L&I.

Do I need a permit to re-roof?

Not for a lightweight covering such as composition or metal roofing under 4 pounds per square foot; heavier roofing needs a re-roof permit.

Do I need a permit to replace windows?

No, if the new windows go into the existing openings, the size of each opening stays the same and the operable area is not reduced.

How much is a building permit in Lake Stevens?

A $60,000 remodel pays a $1,156 permit fee, $751.40 for plan review and a $95.37 technology fee under the 2026 tables, before the state fee and trade permits.

Can a homeowner apply?

Yes. The owner, the owner’s agent or a Washington licensed contractor may apply; an owner acting as contractor signs the City’s owner-builder form.

How fast is intake?

Staff normally check a new application for completeness within 3 business days, then email an invoice or a request for more information.

When is the permit counter open?

Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.

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