Pasco sits north of the Columbia in Franklin County, the only one of the Tri-Cities outside Benton County, and had about 82,800 residents in 2025, up about 7 percent since 2020 (Census estimates). Its most distinctive rule is one most applicants have never encountered anywhere else.
The Building Division accepts permit applications by email, with the project site address as the subject line and the files attached as PDFs. Files over 30 megabytes go through the city’s online file transfer system instead. Incomplete applications are not processed.
This guide covers work inside the Pasco city limits. Kennewick and Richland are separate cities in Benton County across the river, and Franklin County permits unincorporated areas separately.
30 days to collect the permit, or start again. The city’s application carries an acknowledgement that once accepted, the permit application is valid for 30 days — and if the permit is not obtained within 30 days, the permit application and all submitted building and site plans are void. Approval is not the finish line here; collecting and paying for the permit is, and the clock runs on the application rather than on the work.
What requires a building permit in Pasco?
Washington has a mandatory statewide building code. The codes enumerated in chapter 19.27 RCW, the State Building Code Act, are adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council within the Department of Enterprise Services, and they are required in all cities and counties — local government administers and enforces them rather than deciding whether to have them. A city or county may make the state code stricter but cannot opt out of it, and local changes affecting houses or apartments need State Building Code Council approval. So the question in Pasco is not whether a code applies, but which edition is in force and what the Pasco Building Division has added to it.
Permit required
- New buildings, additions, alterations and change of occupancy or use
- Structural alterations, load-bearing changes, foundations, decks and retaining walls
- Plumbing work under the Uniform Plumbing Code as adopted by the state
- Mechanical and HVAC change-outs, fuel gas work and ventilation
- Work affecting the Washington State Energy Code envelope or systems
- Re-roofing above the exempt scope, demolition, and work in critical areas
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and maintenance replacing materials in kind
- Small accessory structures below the code threshold, where zoning allows
- Painting, flooring, cabinetry and other finish work
- Like-for-like fixture swaps with no alteration to piping
Local amendments, fee schedules and exempt thresholds differ from one jurisdiction to the next, so an exempt list from a neighbouring city is not reliable. An exemption from a building permit is never an exemption from zoning, critical areas review, the energy code or a trade permit. Confirm scope with the Pasco Building Division before work starts.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Local rules worth knowing
Pasco also publishes its review windows plainly, which makes the 30 day rule plannable: residential permits run a five to seven business day review, commercial permits 20 to 30 business days, and commercial projects requiring multiple departmental reviews 30 business days — with the clock beginning once the application and plans are accepted as a complete submittal
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 programme or Tacoma Power serves the site. Building codes in Washington
Who handles permitting in Pasco?
The Building Division reviews all projects against the building, fire and energy codes, processes permit applications, conducts building and fire inspections on permitted work, and monitors construction to ensure the requirements adopted by the State Building Code Council are met.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Pasco Inspection Services, Building Division |
| Address | 525 North Third Avenue, First Floor, Pasco, WA 99301 |
| Phone | (509) 543-5726 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Submittal | By email with the site address as the subject and files attached as PDFs |
| Large files | Online file transfer system for anything over 30 megabytes |
| On-site plans | The applicant prints and provides the approved plans, minimum page size 11 by 17 |
| Electrical | All electrical permitted work is handled by the state Labor and Industries programme |
Two obligations sit with the applicant rather than the city. First, printing: it is the applicant’s responsibility to print and make available on site the approved construction plans, at a minimum page size of 11 by 17 inches, once the building permit has been issued. Second, payment timing: all outstanding fees must be paid in full before the city grants plan approval, and again before the city will issue project inspections.
The application also asks something most Washington cities do not: the applicant selects the dust control method that will be used, from the city’s approved list. In the dry, wind-exposed Columbia Basin that is a live construction requirement rather than a formality.
Permit types
Residential permits
Single family dwelling applications carry a detailed site plan requirement, with the plan on a defined page size and showing the location of all city utilities in the adjoining right of way and on the site, including water valves, meter boxes and irrigation valves. Accessory structures such as pools, sheds and fences included with the permit must show construction details and placement for approval before construction.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →How Washington contractor credentials work
A general registration does not let anyone touch the wiring or the pipes. A general contractor needs a licensed electrical contractor and a licensed plumbing contractor for that work, or must hold those licences itself, and each electrical contractor must name a master electrician or a certified administrator. Owners may do their own electrical and plumbing work on their own property, with limits for buildings meant for sale or rent. Verify the registration is active and the bond and insurance current with the Pasco Building Division and with the department, because registration lapses are common and an expired registration invalidates the credential the permit relies on.
Commercial permits
Commercial submittals run the longer review windows, and commercial projects requiring development services review carry the 30 business day process. The plan review process begins only once the application and plans are accepted as a complete submittal and processed by city staff, so completeness rather than submission starts the clock.
Registrations, trade certifications and design professionals
Three credential layers appear on Washington projects: the state contractor registration under chapter 18.27 RCW, which nearly everyone doing the work needs; separate state trade certification for electricians and plumbers, each examined and administered by its own programme; and, on commercial and larger residential work, drawings stamped by a Washington-licensed architect or professional engineer. Confirm what the Pasco Building Division requires for the specific building before filing.
Most Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor and Industries (with a surety bond and insurance) rather than holding a licence; electrical and plumbing contractors also need an L&I contractor licence. Contractor licensing in Washington
Pasco permit costs and fees
Pasco publishes a building permit fee schedule and a building valuation data sheet, with all outstanding fees required in full before plan approval is granted and again before project inspections are issued.
Washington sets the code statewide but leaves the fee schedule local, so two jurisdictions on the same edition can price the same project very differently. The electrical fee is the one that most often surprises people, because it is paid to L&I rather than with the building permit. Ask the Pasco Building Division for the schedule in force on your filing date, and confirm the electrical route separately.
Need a real number for a specific Pasco project? Send us the scope, address and valuation and we will identify the edition in force, the local amendments, the electrical route and the fee categories that will apply.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Fees are set locally, plus a small state permit fee (RCW 19.27.085); the electrical fee goes to whichever body issues the electrical permit. Permit fees in Washington
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Service installations, panel upgrades, new circuits, solar PV and EV chargers
- New plumbing, repipes, water heater change-outs, fixtures and backflow, plus gas piping (usually on a mechanical or gas permit)
- HVAC installation and change-out, ductwork, venting and commercial kitchen exhaust
- Sprinkler, standpipe and fire alarm work on commercial and multi-family structures
Typically exempt
- Replacing a fixture, switch, receptacle or light with no alteration to wiring or piping
- Clearing a stoppage without replacing or rearranging concealed piping
- Filter, thermostat and routine component service
- Like-for-like appliance repair that does not alter the connection
Plumbing and mechanical permits are local; electrical permits come from the Department of Labor and Industries unless the city runs its own electrical programme or Tacoma Power serves the site. Trade permits in Washington
How to apply for a Pasco building permit
Site address as the subject line, files attached as PDFs, using the file transfer system for anything over 30 megabytes.
Incomplete applications are not processed, and the review clock starts only on acceptance as a complete submittal.
Five to seven business days residential, 20 to 30 commercial, 30 where multiple departmental reviews apply.
Once accepted, the application is valid for 30 days; miss it and the application and all submitted plans are void.
All outstanding fees must be paid before plan approval and again before inspections are issued.
The applicant provides the approved construction plans on site at a minimum page size of 11 by 17.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
In Washington the first cause of delay is the energy code, because the state code is its own instrument and more demanding than the international one most designers default to. After that comes critical areas review, which reaches ordinary residential work near wetlands, streams, steep slopes and shorelines and adds its own study and mitigation timeline. Then the electrical split, where a project waits on a local inspection that was never going to happen because the electrical permit sits with L&I. Then edition confusion around the switch-over date, when a new state edition takes effect and local amendments change with it. Build review time into the schedule and confirm the checklist with the Pasco Building Division before filing.
The state code sets a 180-day default for permit validity, but Pasco may change it, so confirm the expiry on phased or delayed work. Permit validity in Washington
Inspections in Pasco
Where a permit is required, standard checkpoints include footing and foundation, framing, rough-in plumbing and mechanical, insulation and energy code compliance, fire systems on commercial work, and final, with a certificate of occupancy before the building is used. A final inspection is requested when the project is complete and the permit is finalled once it passes, so the permit is not closed by the work finishing but by the inspection passing.
The point to plan around is that the electrical inspections may be booked with a different body entirely. Because L&I holds the electrical permit here, its inspector attends on the state’s schedule and the local inspector will not sign off electrical work. Sequencing a cover-up around two independent inspection queues is the practical skill on a Washington job.
Do not cover work before the required inspection has been approved. Keep the issued permits — plural — the approved plans and the energy code documentation available on site.
Pasco permit search and official resources
Permit records in Washington are split the same way the permits are. Where the Pasco Building Division is the authority for the City of Pasco, it holds the building, plumbing and mechanical records — while the electrical record sits with the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), which issues the electrical permits and carries out the electrical inspections here. If you are buying, refinancing or renovating, check both, because a clean local record does not mean the electrical work was ever permitted.
Confirm the edition, the local amendments and the electrical route. Washington sets a mandatory statewide minimum under chapter 19.27 RCW, the edition changes on a three-year cycle, and every jurisdiction may make it stricter. All three questions have to be answered for the parcel and the filing date.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Pasco Building Division
- Pasco apply for a permit
- Pasco inspection services
- Pasco single family dwelling permitting process packet
- Chapter 19.27 RCW, the State Building Code Act
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I do not collect my permit?
The application dies. The city's application states that once accepted, the permit application is valid for 30 days, and that if the permit is not obtained within 30 days the permit application and all submitted building and site plans are void. Approval is not the same as issuance here.
How do I submit an application?
By email to the permit technicians, with the project site address as the email subject and the files attached in PDF format. Files greater than 30 megabytes go through the city's online file transfer system instead. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
How long will review take?
Residential permits have a five to seven business day review process, commercial permits 20 to 30 business days, and commercial projects requiring multiple reviews 30 business days. The process begins once the application and plans are accepted as a complete submittal.
Who issues my electrical permit?
The state. The city states plainly that all electrical permitted work is handled by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Most Washington contractors register rather than hold a licence; electrical and plumbing contractors must also hold an L&I contractor licence. Under chapter 18.27 RCW a contractor registers with the Department of Labor and Industries, files a continuous surety bond of $30,000 as a general contractor or $15,000 as a specialty contractor, and keeps liability insurance on file, renewing every two years. Registration is not a competence test and does not authorise trade work: electrical certification comes under chapter 19.28 RCW and plumbing under chapter 18.106 RCW. The electrical permit comes from the state, because the Electrical Program at the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) issues electrical permits and carries out electrical inspections here under chapter 296-46B WAC.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Which code edition applies?
The state edition as amended by the city. Washington has a mandatory statewide building code. The codes enumerated in chapter 19.27 RCW, the State Building Code Act, are adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council within the Department of Enterprise Services and are required in all cities and counties, so local government administers and enforces them rather than choosing whether to have them. The 2021 editions took effect on the fifteenth of March, 2024 after two delays, and the 2024 editions are dated to take effect on the third of May, 2027. The state adopts a new edition every three years and reviews the codes in two groups, but all of them take effect on the same date (the 2021 codes on 15 March 2024, the 2024 codes on 3 May 2027). A city or county may make the state code stricter but cannot opt out of it; local changes affecting houses or apartments need State Building Code Council approval, and the residential energy code cannot be changed locally.
Do I have to print the approved plans?
Yes. It is the applicant's responsibility to print and make available on site the approved construction plans, at a minimum page size of 11 by 17 inches, after the building permit has been issued.
Simplify Pasco permitting with Alliance Permitting
A 30 day fuse on the application is the kind of thing that burns quietly while everyone waits for a funding decision. We diary it from the day of acceptance.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Pasco because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- 21+ years of filing, so the edition and the electrical route are settled before submission
- We confirm which state code group governs each part of the work on your filing date
- State contractor registration, bond and insurance verified as active before filing
- Energy code and critical areas documentation prepared rather than discovered in review
- Two inspection queues sequenced so a cover-up never waits on the wrong inspector
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.
Ready to break ground in Pasco sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Pasco permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Washington permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Pasco permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.