Skamania County, Washington Building Permit Guide

Skamania County Community Development runs building, planning and environmental health from one counter at 170 NW Vancouver Avenue in Stevenson, open Monday to Thursday. Its Building Division permits construction on unincorporated land and also reviews and inspects projects in the City of Stevenson, and building permits currently take at least six to eight weeks. Inside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area a separate land use approval comes first.

What requires a building permit in Skamania County?

The Building Division covers all regulated construction, remodels, roofing, plumbing and mobile home placement. Its FAQ puts it simply: most new construction, remodeling and repair work that affects a building needs a permit, including any structural, mechanical or plumbing work.

Those are the county’s own amendments in its residential code chapter; the commercial chapter (SCC 15.08.030) limits the shed exemption to buildings without plumbing. The Building Division adds two conditions: none of the exemptions apply on a parcel inside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and exempt work must still meet every setback.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Title 15 of the county code still names the 2003 editions of the International Building and Residential Codes, while the state codes in force statewide are the 2021 editions adopted by the State Building Code Council. What the county sets itself is its exemption list, the Scenic Area ordinance (Title 22), zoning, critical areas and shoreline rules, and a building-code setback rule for unzoned lots in SCC 15.04.060: buildings stay at least 45 feet from the centerline of a public road (35 feet from a private road) or 15 feet from the front line, whichever is greater, with 5-foot side and 15-foot rear yards. Electrical work is outside the county’s role: the county issues no electrical permits and makes no electrical inspections.

Skamania County building department: who handles permitting

One department, Community Development, holds three divisions: Building (permits and inspections), Planning (zoning, critical areas, shoreline and Scenic Area review) and Environmental Health (septic and water). Planners also review building permits and lead grading, clearing, filling and forest conversion approvals. David Waymire is the Public Works and Community Development Director.

The cities

The Building Division’s apply page sends users to separate Cloudpermit workspaces for Skamania County, Stevenson and North Bonneville (plus Bingen, in neighboring Klickitat County).

Permit types and what comes first

Residential permits

Applications go through Cloudpermit, or a paper packet can be collected at the office. The Building Division publishes handouts for the common jobs: accessory dwelling units, decks and porches, foundations and stem walls, egress windows, stairs and handrails, generators, propane container separation, radon mitigation, slab-on-grade, roof-mounted solar, wood and pellet stoves, water heaters, tiny houses and yurts, plus a typical site plan example. Owner-builders sign the county’s Owner-Builder Affidavit. Washington energy code worksheets for single-family and multi-family homes go in with the plans.

Pole barns built to the county’s Non-Engineered Pole Building Requirements need only an application and a site plan, with no construction drawings; they skip the plan review fee and review is quicker, but inspections still apply.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and residential fees use the same valuation method, and an ADA accessibility guidelines manual is posted with the building handouts. Commercial projects in the Scenic Area or on a shoreline go through the planning steps below before building review.

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

• National Scenic Area: almost all structural development and ground disturbance in the Gorge needs a Scenic Area land use decision under Title 22 (in effect since July 13, 2022). Review normally takes seven to nine months, or three to four months for small projects that qualify for expedited review under section 22.10.050. Visible buildings must use dark earth tones, metal siding and roofing are typically not allowed, and accessory buildings are capped (1,500 sq ft of combined footprint on most lots; 2,500 sq ft, with no single building over 1,500, on Agriculture or Forest parcels over 10 acres). The planner rules on completeness within 20 days, the Gorge Commission, Forest Service and state agencies get 20 days to comment, owners within 500 feet get 20 days (tribal governments 30), and the decision can be appealed within 20 days. It must be recorded with the county before work starts, and the building permit is a separate application.
• Shorelines: the county Shoreline Master Program, first adopted in 1974 and last revised in 2020, has packets for exemptions, substantial development permits, conditional uses and variances; in-water work also uses the state JARPA form.
• Critical areas and zoning: planners check every building permit against zoning, the critical areas code and the Carson, Swift and West End subarea plans.
• Floodplain: the county’s flood damage prevention chapter (SCC 15.18) requires the lowest floor of a new or substantially improved home, basement included, at or above the base flood elevation, and fully enclosed areas below it that can flood are allowed only for parking, access or storage with flood openings.
• Septic and water: Environmental Health must have the site evaluation, water verification and septic design in hand; see the trades section.

Skamania County building permit fees

Fee schedules are set by the Board of County Commissioners, and the Building Division links its current Environmental Health & Building Fee Schedule from its page. The calculation is laid out on the page itself:

For an estimate, email the Building Division the project details, including the square footage of any new structure; staff also help identify which other permit processes a project triggers, since planning and health reviews carry their own fees. In North Bonneville, the city charges its own permit fee before the county’s. County code section 15.08.040 sets only the method: permit fees by valuation “as per current resolution”, and extra plan review charges when submittals are incomplete, changed or deferred.

Demolition permits carry their own code conditions in SCC 15.08.020: the permit lasts 60 days, foundations and slabs come out to 18 inches below grade, wells are filled or capped, sewage is removed and the site is graded and left clean, and the building official may require a bond before issuance.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are county permits in unincorporated Skamania County, and residential plumbing and mechanical jobs can be applied for, paid and printed in Cloudpermit.

• Electrical: permitted and inspected only by L&I; no city in the county runs its own electrical program.
• Manufactured homes: placement is a county permit, while alterations to the home itself are referred to L&I.
• Contractors: the Building Division keeps a list of Washington-licensed contractors who ask to be added; owner-builders file the county affidavit instead.
• Septic: the county Environmental Health Division handles it in five steps: a site evaluation with test pits (for new builds, expansions, or repairs without records), water adequacy verification (a public water letter, or a W.A.V. application for private and shared wells), a design by a licensed designer, installation by a licensed installer with a final inspection before the system is covered, and an as-built drawing. From February 1, 2027 a third-party property transfer inspection will be required when a septic-served property is sold or otherwise transferred.

Before signing the affidavit or hiring from the list, read how L&I registration and the owner exemptions work in the licensing section of our Washington guide.

How to apply for a Skamania County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county says building permits are running at least six to eight weeks after submittal. Its own list of what lengthens review: coordination with Planning, Environmental Health and Public Works, and the need for more information or plan revisions to reach minimum code compliance. A Scenic Area application can add seven to nine months on its own. Owners of older open permits who want online access can call (509) 427-3925 to be invited to the permit’s Cloudpermit workspace.

Inspections

Request inspections in Cloudpermit, by email or at (509) 427-3925; requests made directly to the building official are not accepted. Allow two business days, and treat every booking as a request: an inspection may be moved to a day when the inspector is in that part of the county. The Swift area is typically visited once a week, so next-day and two-day inspections are not possible there. The office is closed on Fridays, concrete should not be scheduled for the same day as the inspection, and the address must be posted at the street or the inspection may fail.

A permit stays active if the first inspection happens within 180 days of issuance and no more than 180 days pass between inspections. Septic systems get their own final inspection from Environmental Health before backfill.

Washington building code and flood maps

Skamania County enforces the statewide codes adopted under chapter 19.27 RCW. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Skamania County, North Bonneville and Stevenson as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with current flood maps dated May 22, 2024.

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

Skamania County building permit FAQ

How long does a Skamania County building permit take?

At least six to eight weeks after submittal, and longer if planning, health or public works coordination is needed.

How is the building permit fee worked out?

From the project value, based on the February 2020 ICC valuation data, with plan review added at 65 percent of the permit fee.

Do I need a permit for a pole barn?

Yes, but a pole barn that meets the county’s non-engineered specifications needs only an application and site plan, and pays no plan review fee.

Is my farm building exempt?

No. The agricultural building exemption was repealed by Ordinance 2018-07.

What extra approval do I need in the Columbia River Gorge?

A National Scenic Area land use decision under Title 22, which usually takes seven to nine months, before the building permit.

Can I get an inspection on a Friday?

No. The office is closed Fridays, and requests need two business days’ notice.

Who issues electrical permits?

Washington L&I; the county issues none.

Permit search and official resources

The Building Division’s Cloudpermit public search shows building permit information for the county, Stevenson and North Bonneville; it does not provide documents, so request copies through the county’s public information request process.

• Skamania County Building Division
• Skamania County Cloudpermit
• Cloudpermit public permit search, Skamania County
• Community Development Department
• Planning Division
• National Scenic Area development guide
• Shoreline Master Program
• Environmental Health Division
• On-site sewage program and septic steps
• City of North Bonneville forms and permits
• City of Stevenson permits in Cloudpermit
• L&I list of cities with their own electrical inspections
• L&I contractor registration
• FEMA Community Status Book, Washington

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