Longview, Washington Building Permit Guide

Inside Longview, the Building Division of the Community and Economic Development Department reviews plans and issues building, plumbing, mechanical and fire life safety permits, while electrical permits and inspections belong to the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Simple “One Stop” jobs such as a re-roof, a fence or a plumbing or mechanical installation can be bought online in PermitTrax; anything with plans goes in at the counter, by mail or in the drop box. Plan review costs 65% of the building permit fee for a house or duplex and 70% for other buildings.

The department works from Longview City Hall at 1525 Broadway, which keeps a four-day week: Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with no permit or inspection service on Fridays or most federal holidays. Questions go to 360-442-5086 or permits@ci.longview.wa.us. The city had 38,362 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

Longview permits cover work inside the city limits; Cowlitz County permits its unincorporated land.

What requires a building permit in Longview?

Longview is stricter than the model codes. Its building code chapter (LMC 16.02) deletes chapter 1 of the residential code, so houses follow the building code’s administrative rules, and it then strikes five items from that code’s exemption list: small sheds, fences, retaining walls up to 4 feet, sidewalks and driveways, and window awnings. All of those need a permit in Longview, which is why the City’s own list of common permit jobs includes fences, driveways, sheds, re-roofing, re-siding, window replacement and insulating.

Longview’s own rules on top of the state code

The technical rules are the state’s 2021 codes, which Longview adopts through LMC 16.02 with the Uniform Plumbing Code and the state energy code. The City sets the shorter exemption list, the master fee schedule, fence heights, the critical areas and shoreline rules in Title 17 and who may sign for a permit.

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

Longview building department: who handles permitting

The Building Division does the plan review and inspections; the Planning Division handles zoning, critical areas, shorelines and SEPA; and the Public Works Engineering Division, also in City Hall, issues right-of-way, public improvement and utility connection permits. Fire life safety permits, such as sprinklers, alarms, hoods and tank removals, are run by the Fire Department but sold at the Community Development counter.

Permit types

Residential permits

Every application starts with the Master Permit Application (November 2024 version), which covers building, plumbing, mechanical and fire life safety in one form and asks whether water and sewer come from the City, the Beacon Hill Sewer District or a septic system. The City publishes separate checklists for a new single-family house, an addition, a remodel and an accessory building over 200 sq ft. A new house needs the application, a residential plot plan, a utility connection permit application, a stormwater worksheet and project form (minor, small or major, by the square footage of new or replaced hard surface), two full-size plan sets, the City’s water use checklist and an energy code worksheet.

Flat-fee house permits are common in Longview: $75 each for a residential fence, re-roof or re-siding, window replacement, residential demolition or a shed under 200 sq ft, and $47 for a wood stove. Since Ordinance 3581, adopted unanimously on August 11, 2026, every accessory dwelling unit, attached or detached, gets an administrative land use review under LMC 19.22.025 instead of a special property use hearing before the Appeal Board of Adjustment; the master fee schedule still lists $460 for a detached ADU and $230 for an attached one. The ADU review can run before or alongside the building permit, but if it is approved first the building permit must be submitted within 12 months or the approval expires. Placing a manufactured home in a park costs $132 to $197 by width.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial plans are priced on the contractor’s bid or the value of labor and materials, with plan review at 70% of the permit fee, paid when the plans are submitted. The Fire Department adds a review fee of 5% of the building permit fee on everything except houses, duplexes and Group U buildings, with a $62 minimum. A pre-application review costs $100 for a minor project and $400 for a major one, and half of it is credited to the permit if you apply within six months.

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

Longview administers its Critical Areas Ordinance (No. 3082, LMC chapters 17.10 and 17.12) and its Shoreline Master Program (LMC 17.60) through the Planning Division: a critical areas review or determination is $115, a floodplain permit $290, a shoreline exemption $115 and a shoreline substantial development permit $1,159, with SEPA review at $579 for a determination of nonsignificance ($115 for an exemption letter). On new construction the building permit cannot be issued until the City utility connection permit has been paid, and any work in the street, such as a curb cut for a driveway, needs a separate right-of-way permit from Public Works, which usually takes about eight calendar days. Where a lot is on septic, the Cowlitz County Health and Human Services Environmental Health Unit reviews the design and permits the system (360-414-5599).

Longview permit costs and fees

LMC 16.02 says every building, plumbing and mechanical fee is “as established in the community and economic development department master fee schedule”. That schedule is posted, undated, as one document on the City’s Forms, Handouts and Fees page. New buildings are valued from its square-foot table, which is based on ICC’s February 2020 valuation data: $115 per sq ft for a single-family house or duplex, $90 for added living area, $50 for a garage and $20 for a wood deck.

Longview’s table has small jumps between rows: $50,000 more of value at the top of the $50,001 band works out to $1,320.75, yet the next row restarts at $1,310, so always read the fee from the row your valuation falls in. Worked example. A new 2,000 sq ft house is valued at 2,000 × $115 = $230,000. In the $100,001 to $500,000 band that is $1,310 plus 130 × $7.60 ($988), a building permit fee of $2,298. Plan review at 65% adds $1,493.70 and the residential state fee $6.50, for $3,798.20 before the plumbing and mechanical permits, the utility connection permit and the separate L&I electrical permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are Longview’s, and the application asks for the plumbing contractor’s details whenever a plumbing permit is requested. Electrical is not: the City deleted the electrical section of the building code, and its Community Development page sends panel changes, rewiring, new circuits and solar wiring to L&I’s Kelso office, which sells the permit and does the inspections.

How to apply for a Longview building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The Building Division allows 3 to 5 weeks for commercial plans (2 to 3 weeks for smaller ones). For residential plans the same page gives 2 to 4 weeks in one place and 5 to 10 business days in another. Changes and additions after submittal are billed at $62 an hour. The department says it is working towards full online plan submittal during 2026; until then, a submittal that includes plans has to come in by another route than the portal.

Inspections in Longview

Call the inspection line, 360-442-5090, at least a day ahead with the permit number, address, inspection type, the day you want and a contact number; PermitTrax account holders can also book online. Inspectors work Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. A request in by 6 a.m. can be done the same day, and staff do not usually confirm unless you ask for a call back. Typical house inspections are the sewer line, footings, foundation wall, underfloor, shear wall, plumbing and mechanical rough-in, framing, insulation, drywall nailing and final, with L&I’s electrical inspections in between. Fence post holes must be inspected before they are filled.

A permit is valid for 180 days from issuance and stays alive only if an inspection is performed at least every 180 days; a written extension request is possible when work stalls. Reinspections cost $62 an hour.

Longview permit search and official resources

Active and recent permits can be looked up in PermitTrax, and older permits and property files (more than five years old) are in the City’s Laserfiche property records search by address; anything else goes through the City’s public disclosure request portal. Longview takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program; FEMA’s status book gives December 16, 2015 as its current flood map date, the same date LMC 16.02 cites for flood design, and a floodplain permit costs $290.

• Longview Permits & Inspections: office, hours, contacts
• Community and Economic Development: applying, inspections, records
• Building Division: review times, permit expiry, state fee
• Forms, handouts and fee schedules
• Community Development master fee schedule (PDF)
• New single-family residence checklist and application packet (PDF)
• Fence installation details handout (PDF)
• LMC chapter 16.02: building code adoption and amendments
• Planning Division: critical areas and shoreline program
• Public Works engineering permits
• PermitTrax Citizen Connect portal
• Property records search (archived permits)
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Longview building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Longview?

The Building Division of Community and Economic Development at City Hall, 1525 Broadway (360-442-5086). Electrical permits come from L&I in Kelso.

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

Yes. Longview deleted the usual exemptions, so new or replaced fences and every shed need a permit; each is a $75 flat fee for a house. The fence handout shows 42 inches in the front yard setback and 8 feet at the sides and rear.

Is the permit office open on Fridays?

No. City Hall is open Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and no permits are issued or inspections done on Fridays.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

For a 2,000 sq ft house valued at $230,000, the permit fee is $2,298, plan review $1,493.70 and the state fee $6.50, before trade, utility and L&I electrical permits.

Can I apply online?

Only for One Stop permits without plans, such as plumbing, mechanical, re-roof, window, shed and fence permits. Plan-review projects go in at the counter, by mail or in the drop box.

How long is a Longview permit good for?

180 days from issuance, and it lapses if 180 days pass without an inspection.

How is an accessory dwelling unit approved?

Through an administrative land use review, since Ordinance 3581 (August 11, 2026) removed the Appeal Board hearing for detached ADUs; the building permit must follow within 12 months of an approval issued first.

Can a homeowner pull the permit?

Yes. Permits are issued to the homeowner, the homeowner’s authorized agent or a licensed contractor holding a Longview business license.

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