Port Orchard, Washington Building Permit Guide

Inside the city limits, the Port Orchard Permit Center in the Department of Community Development takes in and issues building, fire code, public works and land use permits, and its Building Official also acts as fire code official. Applications are accepted only in electronic form, and inspections are booked only through the SmartGov portal. Fees follow Resolution 022-25, in effect since May 3, 2025, with plan review charged at 65% of the building permit fee; electrical permits are bought from the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), which serves Kitsap County from its Silverdale office on Kitsap Mall Boulevard.

The Permit Center works from 720 Prospect Street, with mail going to City Hall at 216 Prospect Street, and answers 360-874-5533; City Hall is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Nick Bond is the Director of Community Development. Port Orchard had 19,839 residents in the Census estimate for 2025, and Kitsap County handles permits on unincorporated land around it.

What requires a building permit in Port Orchard?

Construction permits are Type I decisions under the Port Orchard Municipal Code (POMC). Chapter 20.200 adopts the state codes and then rewrites the exempt-work lists of both the building code and the residential code, so the Port Orchard lists below replace the model ones.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The building codes are the 2021 editions adopted through the State Building Code Council, and POMC 20.200.008 lists them with Port Orchard’s additions: appendix B and E of the building code, appendix M (home day care) of the residential code, the Wildland-Urban Interface Code, the energy codes and the property maintenance code. The local choices are the shorter exempt lists (sheds over 120 sq ft at commercial sites need a permit), 6-foot fences instead of 7, the re-roof and siding allowances, sprinklers in assembly, business, factory, mercantile and storage fire areas over 10,000 sq ft, and the fire access road rules in POMC 20.200.016.

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

Port Orchard building department: who handles permitting

The Permit Center is the intake desk for every city approval: zoning and land use, environmental review, construction, fire code compliance, utility connections, site development and work in the right-of-way. Staff check that a submittal is complete, route it to Planning, Building, Fire, Addressing, Engineering and Public Works, collect fees when the permit is ready and schedule inspections.

The City is changing its software. In a message posted on October 5, 2026, Director Nick Bond said a new online portal will open before the end of 2026, replacing the split between SmartGov, used for workflow, and Camino, used for applications. Until it does, the Permit Center asks anyone who cannot find an online link for a permit type to email it for other submission instructions.

Permit types

Residential permits

The building forms page has separate online applications for an ADU, a residential building permit, residential plumbing and mechanical work, siding, windows and doors, solar panels, roofing, retaining walls, demolition and manufactured homes. Builders who repeat a design can register a basic plan: after one full review, each later house, ADU, townhouse or duplex built from it pays a $225 reduced plan review instead of the full one, and pre-approved ADU plans work the same way. Plans cannot be reused after a code update unless they are reviewed again.

For new single-family homes, the City is running a free, optional prescreening pilot for one year from July 9, 2026: a third-party service checks plans against the 2021 residential code before you submit and flags common errors. It does not replace the City’s own plan review.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial work uses the commercial tenant improvement, multifamily, and commercial plumbing and mechanical applications. A new business moving into an existing space needs a certificate of occupancy whenever the tenant changes, with or without construction; exceptions in POMC 20.200.012 include R-3 dwellings, a second business with the same use classification, and a change of owner or name with no change of use or structure, which the Permit Center records on an updated certificate. The tenant certificate costs $75 and a revised one $60. The Permit Center offers a free 30-minute walk-through with the Building Official and other staff before you sign a lease. Fire alarm, sprinkler, hood and standpipe permits are priced on contract cost through the same valuation table and may go to a contract reviewer.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

Land use steps sit in Title 20 of the code: a pre-application meeting ($150), SEPA review, the Shoreline Master Program (a shoreline exemption letter is $150, a shoreline substantial development permit $900 plus hearing examiner costs), critical areas review in chapter 20.162 (an exemption request is $135), flood rules in chapter 20.170, and land disturbing activity and stormwater permits in chapters 20.140 and 20.150, which can also set the life of the building permit. New homes need a Capacity Reservation Certificate for water, sewer and transportation ($460 for all three, including the technology fee), or availability letters if West Sound Utility District or Bremerton Utilities serves the lot.

On a septic lot, Kitsap Public Health District reviews the project before the City issues the permit: a Building Site Application when the work adds bedrooms or wastewater, or a Building Clearance Application for most other new structures and additions. The district exempts re-roofs, window, deck or siding replacement and remodels that add no bedrooms.

Port Orchard permit costs and fees

Resolution 022-25, effective May 3, 2025, is the fee schedule for Community Development and Public Works. Valuation comes from the ICC building valuation data (the February 2025 table) or, for alterations, from the contractor’s bid; for work you do yourself, the construction cost is the price of materials, plus the fair market value of donated or found materials, times two.

Worked example from the City’s own estimate. The Permit Center’s March 31, 2026 estimate prices a two-story, three-bedroom, 2,000 sq ft house with a 400 sq ft attached garage at a valuation of $364,660. That falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $1,237 plus 265 × $7 ($1,855) gives a $3,092 building permit, and plan review at 65% adds $2,009.80. With plumbing ($116.50), mechanical ($153.95), the $10 technology fee and the $6.50 state surcharge, the permit fees come to $5,388.75. Park ($4,966.59), traffic ($7,678.34) and school ($1,120) impact fees and a $3,087 storm drainage capital facility charge bring the total to $22,240.68, before water and sewer connection fees of about $14,810 and $15,812 on City utilities.

The impact fees in force since March 1, 2026 are $1,655.53 per bedroom for parks, $7,678.34 per detached house for transportation ($2,368.85 for an ADU of 450 sq ft or less), and the South Kitsap School District fee of $0.56 per sq ft, at least $546.62 and at most $2,009.27 per home. Park and transportation fees rise with the Seattle-area CPI-U every March 1.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are City permits, applied for on the residential or commercial plumbing and mechanical forms; on a new house the fixture and equipment fees ride on the building permit. Port Orchard issues no electrical permits at all, and its estimate sheet sends applicants to L&I. Fire code permits, from sprinklers to tents, are City permits too, because the Building Official acts as fire code official. For the state side (contractor registration with L&I and the electrician and plumber certificates), see our Washington licensing summary.

How to apply for a Port Orchard building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Since June 9, 2026, after building department staff left, a first review of a single-family permit has averaged 4 to 8 weeks, and the Permit Center says it cannot give a firm date for issuance. Because building permits are Type I decisions, POMC 20.200.005 exempts them from the permit-issuance time limits that apply to land use permits. A permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days of issue or stops for 180 days; the Building Official may grant written extensions of up to 180 days each for a justified written request, and a permit expired for less than a year can be reactivated for 50% of the original fee if the plans have not changed. Refund requests must be made within one year of payment and before the permit expires, and no refund exceeds 80% of the plan review fee.

Inspections in Port Orchard

Since August 1, 2025, every inspection has to be requested through the SmartGov portal; the City no longer takes requests by phone or email. To link a permit to your portal account, email the Permit Center for an access code, giving the permit number and your role. Requests made by 3:30 p.m. can be inspected as soon as the next day, though the City warns that it may take several days when inspectors are short. Once the same inspection has failed a second time, each further re-inspection is billed at $75 an hour. All fees must be paid before the final inspection, and no temporary or final certificate of occupancy is issued while any fee on the project is unpaid.

Port Orchard permit search and official resources

The SmartGov portal shows inspection results for permits linked to your account (the City says its new portal will add status tracking and a public record search by address), and the City posts a list of permits issued in the last two months in its records library. Older permits are a public records request. Port Orchard, FEMA community 530094, takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program; building in a mapped flood area also has to meet POMC chapter 20.170, and the current FEMA map is dated February 3, 2017.

• Port Orchard Permit Center information: inspections and review times
• Building forms and online applications
• DCD and Public Works fee schedules, Resolution 022-25 (PDF)
• Single-family building permit fee estimate, March 31, 2026 (PDF)
• Residential impact fees from March 1, 2026 (PDF)
• SmartGov public portal: inspection requests and results
• Permits issued in the last two months
• Port Orchard Municipal Code, Title 20

Port Orchard building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Port Orchard?

The Permit Center of the Department of Community Development, 720 Prospect Street (360-874-5533), for land inside the city limits.

Does Port Orchard issue electrical permits?

No. L&I issues and inspects electrical permits in Port Orchard.

How much are the permit fees on a new house?

The City’s March 2026 estimate for a 2,000 sq ft house shows $5,388.75 in permit fees and $22,240.68 once impact fees and the storm drainage charge are added, before utility connections.

How long does plan review take?

Since June 9, 2026 the City has reported 4 to 8 weeks for a first review of a single-family permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Fences over 6 feet need a permit, as do detached accessory buildings over 200 sq ft, under POMC 20.200.014.

Do I need a permit to re-roof?

Not for up to 21 squares (2,100 sq ft) over existing sheathing with no structural work; larger or structural jobs need a roofing permit.

Can I call in an inspection?

No. Since August 1, 2025 all inspections are requested in the SmartGov portal, by 3:30 p.m. for the next day at the earliest.

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