Pacific County, Washington Building Permit Guide

Outside city limits, the Pacific County Department of Community Development (DCD) handles building, planning and environmental health permits as a single permit center, with offices at 7013 Sandridge Road in Long Beach and 1216 W. Robert Bush Drive in South Bend. Both close on Fridays. Fees follow Resolution 2022-087: a valuation-based permit fee, plan check at 65 percent of it, and an $80 application processing fee on every application.

What requires a building permit in Pacific County?

The Building Division requires permits for new construction, remodels and additions, for living space and for non-habitable space alike: porches, covered patios, garages, and storage sheds over 120 sq ft or on a permanent foundation. The exemptions below are the county’s own, in Ordinance 151, its building construction and fire prevention ordinance adopted July 10, 2001.

None of the exemptions covers electrical, plumbing or mechanical work, and exempt work must still meet the state codes. The fee schedule mirrors the farm exemption: agricultural buildings get no plan review, no inspections and no building fees.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state building codes set the technical rules, and DCD enforces the residential, fire, plumbing, mechanical, energy and accessibility codes. Ordinance 151 adds county choices: the exemption list above, a requirement that a Washington-licensed architect or engineer prepare plans for assembly, business, educational, hazardous, institutional and R-1 buildings, and a one-year permit term. Wiring is permitted and inspected by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

Pacific County building department: who handles permitting

DCD calls itself the county’s “one stop shopping” permit center. Its Building Division (Building Official Randy Irwin) reviews plans and inspects; the Planning Division handles zoning, SEPA, critical areas, subdivisions, grading, driveway approaches and drainage; and the Environmental Health Division handles septic systems and wells. Shawn Humphreys is director of the department and of environmental health.

The cities

The county works outside city limits. Inside them:

Many addresses outside Raymond still carry a Raymond mailing address, as the city itself notes, so check the parcel before choosing an office.

Permit types and what comes first

Residential permits

A house or addition needs two sets of construction drawings at a minimum of 1/4-inch scale: foundation plan, floor plan, structural cross sections and elevations, plus engineering and calculations only where the work cannot follow a prescriptive code method. A small remodel with little structural change may be accepted with an existing and a labeled proposed floor plan. Every application starts with a Development Permit Application, and any project that disturbs land (clearing, filling, grading, building or septic) also needs the Planning Application, known as the CARL form. New homes and interior remodels add the energy code worksheet in force since March 15, 2024, and a site plan follows the county’s example. Where a sewer or water utility serves the lot, its availability form goes in too. Separate applications cover plumbing, residential mechanical, rooftop solar, agricultural buildings and title elimination, and handouts explain egress windows, garages, pole buildings, non-engineered retaining walls, propane tank setbacks, manufactured home installation and final inspection requirements.

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

Commercial permits

Ordinance 151 requires a Washington-licensed architect or engineer to prepare plans for assembly, business, educational, hazardous, institutional and hotel-type (R-1) occupancies. Commercial mechanical, re-roof and re-side permits are $240 flat, commercial sprinkler review is billed at the State Fire Marshal’s contract rate, and an occupant load review is $160.

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

• Zoning and setbacks: a setback or zoning review is $80 under the zoning code, Ordinance 194 (adopted February 27, 2024).
• Critical areas: the Critical Areas and Resource Lands ordinance (CARL, Ordinance 193, June 20, 2023) applies to wetlands, frequently flooded areas, aquifer recharge areas and fish and wildlife habitat; a CARL checklist review or site evaluation is $320.
• Shorelines: the Shoreline Master Program, Ordinance 192 (adopted June 20, 2023), governs shoreline work; a shoreline exemption is $240 and a substantial development permit $1,600 or $1,840 depending on the review type. Dune modification has its own $560 review.
• Floodplain: a floodplain development permit is $240 under the flood damage prevention ordinance, Ordinance 191 (October 10, 2023).
• Oysterville: work in the Oysterville Historic District needs design review ($480 administrative, $2,160 for a major review).
• Septic and water: Environmental Health evaluates the site and reviews the septic design; a single-family well permit is $240. DCD’s well page notes that no water right is needed for a well serving fewer than six homes, or one using under 5,000 gallons a day, but a permit to drill is still required.
• Road access: a county road right-of-way permit is $80 and drainage review $360.

Pacific County building permit fees

The fee schedule is Attachment A to Resolution 2022-087, passed by the commissioners on December 29, 2022 and in effect since January 1, 2023. The permit fee comes from the valuation table, plan check adds 65 percent of that fee, and the value is the finished value of the work, including volunteer labor and donated materials.

The county values new work per square foot: $104.38 for a house, an addition or a structural remodel, $37.69 for a garage, $30.15 for a pole building, $25.74 for a carport or shed, $15.07 for a covered porch or deck and $12.79 for an open deck.

Worked example: a 2,000 sq ft house is valued at 2,000 × $104.38 = $208,760. In the $100,001 to $500,000 band that is $993.75 plus 109 increments of $5.60 (the last partial $1,000 counts as one), or $1,604.15, and plan check adds $1,042.70. The $6.50 state fee and the $80 and $15 application charges come on top, before any septic or road fees.

The schedule’s renewal line and Ordinance 151 do not match: the ordinance allows extensions in one-year steps up to four years from issuance, while the 2022 resolution prices renewals per six months up to two years. The resolution is the newer adopted document.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county issues the mechanical and plumbing permits itself: a woodstove, heat pump, propane line, plumbing or re-pipe job at a home is a $160 permit, and Ordinance 151 keeps all of that work outside the building exemptions.

• Electrical: L&I sells the permits and inspects; none of Pacific County’s four cities is on L&I’s list of city electrical programs.
• Contractors: DCD posts a Pacific County contractors list and links L&I’s contractor license lookup.
• Septic: Environmental Health evaluates the site in three test holes in or next to the primary and reserve drainfields (in sand, about 18 inches across and at least 3 feet deep; in other soils 2 feet wide and 4 feet deep with a ramp). The site plan must show both drainfield areas, wells and surface water within 100 feet, and pressure water lines within 20 feet. Fees are $480 for an evaluation, $280 for design review, $320 for installation, $280 for a six-month repair permit and $960 for a winter water table review. Since April 1, 2025 the county has applied any stricter parts of the state on-site sewage rule while it updates its own Board of Health Ordinance 3E.

Registration for paid builders and the limits on owners doing their own wiring or plumbing are state rules, outlined in the Washington licensing overview.

How to apply for a Pacific County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

DCD warns that an incomplete septic application delays review, and a site that cannot be evaluated (holes without a safe ramp, spoils too close, no flagged route) is turned away. The counters are open only four days a week. A permit is valid for one year; extensions must be requested before it expires.

Inspections

Inspectors cover the Long Beach side Monday through Thursday and the South Bend side on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call during office hours, or leave a message on the inspection hotline (360-875-9356 or 360-642-9382) before 6 a.m. on the day you want the inspection. A fire and life safety inspection costs $240.

Septic installations are inspected by Environmental Health, and L&I inspects the electrical work separately.

Washington building code and flood maps

Ordinance 151 adopts the State Building Code as amended by the State Building Code Council, so the 2021 state editions apply even though the 2001 text names the Uniform codes of its day. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Pacific County, Ilwaco, Long Beach, Raymond and South Bend as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with current flood maps dated May 18, 2015.

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

Pacific County building permit FAQ

How much is a building permit for a new house in Pacific County?

For a 2,000 sq ft house valued at the county rate, $1,604.15 plus $1,042.70 plan check, the $6.50 state fee and $95 in application and technology fees.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story shed of 120 sq ft or less. Larger sheds, or any shed on a permanent foundation, need one; a prefabricated shed up to 200 sq ft is an $80 flat permit.

Does a farm building need a permit?

Not if it is used only for agriculture; storing RVs, cars or firewood removes the exemption.

Can I replace my roof without a permit?

Yes, if the year’s re-roof, siding, window and door work totals $1,500 or less and nothing structural changes.

Which days are inspections done?

Monday to Thursday on the Long Beach side, Tuesday and Thursday on the South Bend side; call before 6 a.m.

Who issues building permits in Ilwaco?

Ilwaco does the planning approval; the City of Long Beach Building Department issues and inspects the building permit.

Permit search and official resources

DCD posts building activity reports; for copies of a permit file, contact the office that issued it or file a records request with the county.

• Pacific County DCD Building Division
• DCD offices, hours and inspection schedule
• Building applications and handouts
• DCD fee schedule, Resolution 2022-087
• Fee determination and building valuations
• Ordinance 151, building construction and fire prevention
• County ordinances: flood, shoreline, critical areas, zoning
• Planning Division
• On-site sewage (septic) section
• City of Long Beach building information
• City of Ilwaco building and planning
• City of Raymond building and development
• City of South Bend building and development
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical inspections
• FEMA Community Status Book, Washington

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