Stevens County, Washington Building Permit Guide

In unincorporated Stevens County, building permits come from the Building Division of Stevens County Land Services, in the Annex at 260 S. Oak Street, Colville (509-684-8325), open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Applications are taken in person, by mail or by email, plan review currently takes about two to three weeks, and a new house is charged 0.75 percent of its valuation under the fee resolution in force since January 2, 2025. Colville, Chewelah and Kettle Falls run their own permit offices, and electrical permits come from L&I.

What requires a building permit in Stevens County?

The county’s FAQ sorts projects into yes, maybe and no. Anything with plumbing, habitable space (living, sleeping, eating or cooking) or a commercial or public use needs a building permit and land use approval from the Planning Division. A residential utility building of 200 square feet or less, with no plumbing, no habitable space and no permanent foundation, needs neither. In between, a larger utility building or one on a permanent foundation may not need a permit if it stands at least 20 feet from every property line and every structure with habitable space; the Planning Division’s Site Analysis decides, and a plat restriction can require a permit for every structure.

The exemptions in the second panel come from the county’s fee resolution, which also points to sections 105.2 of the 2021 IBC and R105.2 of the IRC for the rest of the model code exemptions. Any work on a manufactured or mobile home itself is for L&I.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state code governs here: the county’s own Building Code Ordinance 02-1984 still refers to the 1982 Uniform Codes and has not been amended since 1984. The Building Division’s pages give March 15, 2024 as the energy code date and July 1, 2024 for the 2021 codes, while the State Building Code Council’s rules made the 2021 codes effective statewide on March 15, 2024; the 2024 codes follow on May 3, 2027. The commissioners held a hearing on September 19, 2023 that began an update of the county’s building regulations; the department’s page calls it the beginning of a process expected to take several months or longer.

Stevens County building department: who handles permitting

Land Services, led by Director Erik Johansen, houses both the Building Division and the Planning Division. Building reviews plans, issues permits and inspects; Planning runs the Site Analysis, zoning, critical areas, shoreline and SEPA reviews that come first.

Cities and towns in Stevens County

Stevens County permit types and what comes first

Residential permits

The residential application, with its checklist, covers houses, residential utility buildings and true modular homes built to IRC standards. Manufactured and mobile homes use a separate placement permit, which covers setting the home and connecting it to water and sewage; a conventional foundation or basement under it can add building permit fees. Weatherization and stand-alone mechanical jobs have short forms that can be filed through the Online Permit Center. Supplementary forms include driving directions, a potable water certification, a pump testing form, an authorized agent affidavit and the 2021 energy code worksheet. Every field must be filled in, including the owner’s phone number, site address and parcel number, or the application comes back.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings, including commercial coaches, use the commercial checklist and application, and the county asks applicants to call about a pre-application conference, which it requires for most commercial projects and changes of use and holds at no charge. Communication towers, antenna upgrades and other tower-mounted equipment have their own permit, and plant extraction systems need a $1,000 fire code permit.

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

• Site Analysis: Planning’s $50 Site Analysis checks zoning setbacks, plat restrictions and other land use rules, and decides whether some utility buildings need a permit at all.
• Critical areas and shorelines: under Planning’s fee Resolution 25-2023 (effective March 1, 2023), a critical areas letter of consistency is $100, a buffer reduction $500, a shoreline exemption $150 and a substantial development permit $500; SEPA review is $500.
• Water: a new domestic connection to an exempt well constructed after January 19, 2018 in WRIA 55 (Little Spokane) or WRIA 59 (Colville) can owe a $500 domestic water use fee, with a recorded water use notice.
• Septic: every dwelling needs a permanent potable water source and a wastewater system approved by the Northeast Tri County Health District; the county does not allow dry cabins.

Stevens County building permit fees

Building fees are set by Resolution 119-2024, adopted by the commissioners on December 16, 2024 and in force since January 2, 2025; it replaced Resolution 100-2021. Valuation is square footage times the ICC February 2019 Building Valuation Data cost, and the fee is the valuation times a multiplier.

Valuation rates: $122.46 per sq ft for living space, finished basements, attached garages, habitable attics, decks and covered patios; $22.45 for an unfinished basement or a foundation only; $48.73 for a utility building and $38.98 for a shell. In the county’s own words, “There is imposed a fee of $6.50 on each residential building permit and a fee of $25.00 for each commercial building permit, plus an additional surcharge of $2.00 for each residential unit” after the first (RCW 19.27.085). Remodel values must include labor and materials; where labor is donated, the materials figure is doubled.

Worked example: a 2,000 sq ft house valued at $122.46 per square foot comes to $244,920. At 0.0075 the building permit is $1,836.90, plus the $6.50 state fee. Mechanical work that comes with new construction is included in the building permit fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The Building Division permits mechanical work (propane tank sets and lines, wood, propane, gas and oil appliances, and exhaust systems) and plumbing, which always needs a permit. Electrical permits and inspections come from L&I everywhere in the county, including Colville, Chewelah and Kettle Falls, because no Stevens County city appears on L&I’s list of local electrical programs. Manufactured and mobile home modifications are L&I’s alone.

• Owner-builders: the county processes an owner/builder exemption for $50 and records the owner/builder notice with the Auditor.
• Agents: a contractor or anyone else applying for the owner files the county’s authorized agent affidavit with the application.
• Propane and appliances: a tank set, gas line or new wood, propane, gas or oil appliance in an existing building is a $100 mechanical permit (per unit or system on commercial work), filed on the short form or through the Online Permit Center.
• Tiny houses: the county points to L&I’s tiny house guidance to decide whether a county permit applies.

The registration and license rules for paid contractors, and the owner exemptions for wiring and plumbing, are statewide; our Washington licensing guide summarizes them.

How to apply for a Stevens County building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county says plan reviews currently take about two to three weeks, and the permit usually follows within a few days once Planning’s land use approvals and all other application material are in. March to November is its busiest season. Incomplete applications are returned rather than held. Permits and applications are treated as abandoned after 180 days without activity, so call between inspections or ask for an extension; an abandoned permit needs a new one, at $280 if inspections had already been done.

Inspections in Stevens County

Request inspections on 509-684-8325 or through the online portal at least two working days ahead, with the owner’s last name and job site address; a staff member has to confirm the booking. Inspections are scheduled for a day, not a time. To learn the approximate time, call between 8:30 and 9 a.m. that morning, as inspectors usually leave the office soon after 9.

A project is complete, and the building may be occupied, only when every required inspection, including the final, is approved on the inspection record. The county then issues a certificate of occupancy or a certificate of compliance. L&I inspects the wiring separately.

Code editions and flood maps

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Stevens County, Chewelah, Colville and Springdale as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (Springdale with an original flood map issued by letter). Northport is in the list of communities not in the program, and Kettle Falls and Marcus do not appear in either list.

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

Stevens County building permit FAQ

Do I need a permit for a shed in Stevens County?

Not for a residential utility building of 200 square feet or less with no plumbing, no habitable space and no permanent foundation. Larger sheds may be exempt if they stand 20 feet from property lines and occupied buildings, once a Site Analysis confirms it.

How much is a permit for a new house?

0.75 percent of the valuation, at least $150, plus the $6.50 state fee; a 2,000 sq ft house valued at $244,920 pays $1,836.90.

How long does plan review take?

About two to three weeks at present; March to November is the department’s busiest season.

When does a permit expire?

After 180 days with no activity. Call between inspections or request an extension to keep it alive.

Can I build a hunting cabin without water or septic?

No. Every dwelling, whatever its size or use, needs a permanent potable water source and a health-district-approved wastewater system.

Who permits electrical work?

Washington L&I, throughout the county; its Spokane office is on 509-324-2600.

Will I owe a water fee for a new well?

Possibly: new domestic connections in WRIA 55 or 59 on exempt wells drilled after January 19, 2018 can owe $500.

Permit search and official resources

The Building Division keeps inspection records and certificates for county permits; ask Land Services on 509-684-8325 for a property’s permit history, or use the Online Permit Center for permits filed there. Chewelah’s online portal lets the public search previously issued city permits, and Colville and Kettle Falls hold their own files. L&I keeps electrical permits.

• Stevens County Building Division
• Building applications and forms
• Building FAQs
• Building codes and Ordinance 02-1984
• Building ordinance revision
• Resolution 119-2024 building fee schedule
• Resolution 25-2023 planning fee schedule
• Online Permit Center information
• Stevens County SmartGov portal
• Northeast Tri County Health District septic
• City of Colville Building Department
• City of Chewelah building
• City of Kettle Falls Building & Planning
• L&I electrical permits and inspections
• FEMA Community Status Book, Washington

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