Moses Lake, Washington Building Permit Guide

Moses Lake issues its own building permits: the City’s Development Services building staff review plans, issue building, plumbing, mechanical and fire construction permits through the online permit portal, and inspect the work. Electrical permits and inspections are done by the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), and the City will not pass a framing inspection or issue a certificate of occupancy until L&I has signed off. Plan review is 65% of the permit fee, and the City’s published target for a standard house review is 5 working days to first comments.

Development Services is at 321 S. Balsam Street (mailing address P.O. Box 1579), with building and fire permit help on 509-764-3743. The city had 27,469 residents in the Census estimate for 2025.

Moses Lake permits cover work inside the city limits; Grant County Development Services permits the county’s unincorporated land.

What requires a building permit in Moses Lake?

The City’s permit page puts it plainly: any building, plumbing, mechanical or electrical work needs a permit, including interior remodeling, conversions, demolition and changes of occupancy, and removing or adding any interior wall, bearing or not, needs plans and a building permit. Chapter 16.02 of the Moses Lake Municipal Code (MLMC) changes the state exemption list in four places, and the City’s web pages summarize the result in slightly different terms, so both are shown below.

Moses Lake’s amendments and add-ons

MLMC 16.02.020 establishes the state building code under chapter 19.27 RCW and adds appendices for patio covers, tiny houses, agricultural buildings and grading (for example, grading of more than 500 cubic yards), plus the Uniform Housing Code, the dangerous buildings code and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code; the building department page says the City’s documents and forms are being updated to the 2021 state editions. Moses Lake controls its exemption amendments, the pole-building ban, its fee resolution, the hearing examiner who hears appeals, and the critical areas and shoreline rules in its Unified Development Code.

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

Moses Lake building department: who handles permitting

Building and fire permits share one counter. Chris Horton is the Building Official and Fire Marshal, and appeals of his decisions go to the City’s hearing examiner rather than a board of appeals. Planning handles zoning and shoreline permits, Engineering handles right-of-way, utility and civil permits, and the Fire Department reviews fire construction and operational permits and fences on commercial property.

Permit types

Residential permits

The portal lists separate residential permit types for an accessory dwelling unit, addition, adult family home, alteration or remodel, covered porch, demolition, fence, mechanical, mobile home placement, new duplex, new single-family dwelling, new townhouse, plumbing, accessory structure, re-roof, retaining wall and rooftop solar. Some can be issued over the counter, usually within one to two hours: replacing a furnace, water heater or mini-split (with product specification sheets), repairing or replacing existing plumbing, and covered patios and decks built to the City’s prescriptive design packets. An application for an accessory building needs the street address, parcel number and legal description, foundation and floor plans, a cross section from footing to roof, and a site plan showing property lines, easements, existing buildings, and any well or septic system.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial applications always need plan review and cannot be issued over the counter. The portal has commercial types for new construction, multifamily, additions, remodels, accessory structures, cargo containers, cell towers, demolition, fences, grading and clearing, parking lots, plumbing, mechanical, re-roofs and signs, plus fire construction permits for sprinklers, alarms, hoods, tanks and private hydrants. Fire construction permits carry their own plan review fee of 72% of the fire permit fee.

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

Almost any construction, grading, clearing, dock or rock work within 200 feet of the lake needs a shoreline permit or a written shoreline exemption under the City’s Shoreline Master Program, adopted on June 27, 2023 according to the recitals of Ordinance 3100 (the Council’s October 27, 2026 consent agenda carried that ordinance, which allows three existing sewer and pressure lines to cross the lake); the shoreline base fee is $200 and a substantial development permit $1,250. Critical area reviews for aquifer recharge areas, floodplains, habitat, stream buffers and wetlands cost $350 each. Every building that needs potable water must show an adequate water supply (MLMC 16.02.070), and building on unplatted property carries a $327.62 fee. On land without sewer, the Grant County Health District permits and inspects the septic system.

Moses Lake permit costs and fees

Fees are set by City Council resolution (MLMC 16.02.085). The 2026 Fee Schedule was accepted by Resolution 4028 and amended by Resolutions 4032 (January 13, 2026), 4034 (March 10, 2026) and 4036 (March 31, 2026); the posted schedule is marked adopted May 12, 2026. Remodels and repairs are priced on valuation; the schedule lists a per-foot valuation basis for new buildings.

Worked example. A detached garage valued at $40,000 is priced on the $25,001 to $50,000 row: $272.65 plus 15 × $11.11 ($166.65) makes a $439.30 permit fee. Plan review, charged at 65% of the total permit fee, adds $285.55, so $724.85 is due before the 3% technical fee and any L&I wiring permit.

MLMC 16.02.085 waives building fees for a single-family house or duplex built for low-income families by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Building Official may refund up to 80% of a permit fee when no work has been done, or of a plan review fee before review starts, on a written request made within 180 days of payment.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are City permits on the same portal; fuel-fired appliances such as gas or pellet stoves are priced from the ICC schedule. Electrical is entirely L&I’s: the City runs no wiring inspections of its own, and MLMC chapter 16.65 makes L&I’s signed job card a condition of two City steps, the framing inspection (L&I rough-in first) and the certificate of occupancy (L&I final first).

How to apply for a Moses Lake building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City’s published targets for first comments are 1 to 2 hours for over-the-counter permits, 2 working days for minor residential work, 5 working days for a standard house, 5 working days for minor commercial projects and 14 working days for standard commercial projects. Other departments may need more time, and the targets do not include the applicant’s response time. In a new subdivision, MLMC 16.02.045 allows up to four buildings per phase on preliminary plat approval once the City Engineer has approved the improvement plans and a 150% performance bond is posted; hydrants must be accepted before combustible materials arrive, and no house may be sold or occupied before the final plat is recorded, no detached accessory buildings are allowed under this route, and one model home may serve as a sales office after a temporary certificate of occupancy. The application itself must name the construction lender or the payment bond, if there is one (MLMC 16.02.070).

Inspections in Moses Lake

Call 509-764-3756 at least 24 hours ahead, or by 5 p.m. for a next-day inspection, with the site address, permit number and inspection type, or request it in the portal. For a particular time, call the inspector the day before or by 8:30 a.m. that day. The approved plans and the inspection record card must be on site; the inspector signs the card at each stage. An accessory building needs at least footing or foundation, framing and final inspections. Work must start within 180 days and move to the next inspection stage within 180 days of the last one.

Moses Lake permit search and official resources

The portal’s permit lookup kiosk shows permits without an account, and the City posts building permit reports on its website. Federal flood insurance is available in Moses Lake, where the flood maps in force date from February 18, 2009; the City Council held a first reading on October 27, 2026 of amendments to its frequently flooded areas rules (MLUDC chapter 15.540), which still need a public hearing before adoption.

• Moses Lake Permit Services: permit types and contacts
• Building Permits & Inspections
• When is a permit required?
• Permit review timelines
• Over-the-counter permits
• Inspection information
• 2026 Fee Schedule (PDF)
• MLMC chapter 16.02: building permits
• MLMC chapter 16.65: electrical inspections
• Shoreline permits
• Moses Lake permit portal
• Permit lookup kiosk
• Grant County Health District on-site septic systems
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical permits

Moses Lake building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Moses Lake?

The City’s Development Services building staff, 321 S. Balsam Street (509-764-3743). Electrical permits come from L&I’s Moses Lake office.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Yes. Every fence needs a $37 City fence permit with a site plan. At 7 feet or more the state code’s fence exemption no longer applies and the fence is priced on valuation as building work; the City’s web page still says plans are needed above 8 feet.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for the first small detached shed on a lot; the City’s pages put the line at 200 sq ft for homes. A second detached building, an attached structure or anything larger needs a permit.

Can I build a pole building in Moses Lake?

No. MLMC 16.02.080 bans post-and-beam buildings without concrete footings or foundations in every zone.

How long does plan review take?

The City’s target is 5 working days to first comments for a standard house and 14 working days for a standard commercial project.

How much is a permit for a $40,000 detached garage?

$439.30 for the permit and $285.55 for plan review under the 2026 schedule, plus the 3% technical fee.

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