Tumwater, Washington Building Permit Guide

The Community Development Department of the City of Tumwater issues building, mechanical, plumbing, sign, fence and fire system permits, reviews the plans and inspects the work; the City does not issue electrical permits, which come from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Plans can be uploaded online or taken to the Permit Services counter at City Hall. Fees come from the City’s 2026 fee resolution, R2025-018, which charges plan review on a single-family home over 1,200 sq ft at 50% of the building permit fee.

Permit Services is on the main floor of Tumwater City Hall, 555 Israel Road SW, and serves walk-in customers first come, first served on weekdays except holidays; permit technicians answer 360-754-4180. Brad Medrud is the Community Development Director. Tumwater had 28,010 residents in the Census estimate for 2025, and its permits stop at the city limits: Thurston County handles unincorporated land around the city.

What requires a building permit in Tumwater?

The City’s permit page restates the residential code: you need a permit before you build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, or install, alter or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. Tumwater Municipal Code (TMC) chapters 15.04 and 15.06 then rewrite the first two exemptions in both the building and residential codes.

What the city decides and what the state holds

Fences show where City pages and code part ways: the permit services page lists fence permits for fences over 6 feet 6 inches, while TMC 15.06.015 exempts fences up to 7 feet. Tumwater’s other local rules include the shed spacing condition, the residential code appendices it adds (patio covers, sound transmission, tiny homes and solar-ready provisions), its own permit and application time limits, hearing examiner appeals, and a rule that no business license is issued for a building without a valid certificate of occupancy.

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

Tumwater building department: who handles permitting

Community Development combines permitting, plan review, inspections, code enforcement and planning. On commercial projects the City’s Development Review Committee may run a site plan review first, and the building official checks fire code compliance as part of that review; the Tumwater Fire Department (360-754-4170) carries out annual fire safety inspections of businesses afterwards.

Permit types

Residential permits

The City publishes paired applications and checklists for each residential job: additions, decks and patio covers, demolition, detached garages and accessory buildings, fire sprinklers, generators, manufactured homes, new one- and two-family homes, new multifamily buildings, remodels, retaining walls, solar panels and underground tanks, plus single-page applications for mechanical, plumbing, re-roofing, floodplain, house moving and “miscellaneous” work such as siding and windows. A permit extension request, a stormwater pollution prevention form and an impact fee deferral application ($100) are on the same page. Some forms are not posted online, and the permit technicians at 360-754-4180 can supply them.

Fees for homes depend on size and affordability. Plan review for a single-family or middle housing home over 1,200 sq ft is 50% of the permit fee; homes that meet the federal definition of low-income housing, with a recorded affordability restriction and an affidavit, pay half the building permit fee and lower plan review percentages, down to 12.5% for small low-income homes and ADUs.

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

Commercial permits

A commercial building permit follows the Development Review Committee’s site plan review when one is required; the City notes that minor work such as fences or small detached buildings usually does not need it, and building can begin only after site plan review is complete, final plans are approved and fees are paid. Commercial and multifamily plan review is 65% of the permit fee, and commercial mechanical and plumbing permits are priced by valuation with 65% plan review.

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

Planning and environmental permits sit on the same applications page: preapplication meetings, site plan review, SEPA checklists, shoreline substantial development permits (on the state’s JARPA form), wetland permits and reasonable use exceptions, land clearing permits, transportation concurrency and zoning certification. A floodplain application is required for work in a mapped flood area. If the lot uses a septic system, the City charges $35 to review the septic application, which is permitted by Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (Environmental Health). Demolition rules changed in 2026, as described under inspections below.

Tumwater permit costs and fees

The City Council approved Resolution R2025-018, the 2026 fee schedule, by a unanimous voice vote on December 16, 2025, effective January 1, 2026; building fees are in its Table III. Value is the cost of the work including labor, materials and sales tax. The valuation bands do not chain (the $100,001 to $500,000 band restarts at $3,291.80), so price each project inside its own band. Table III itself carries no state building code fee line.

Worked example. A new single-family home of more than 1,200 sq ft valued at $400,000 falls in the $100,001 to $500,000 band: $3,291.80 plus 300 × $18.55 ($5,565) gives a building permit fee of $8,856.80. Plan review at 50% adds $4,428.40 and the energy code plan check $110, for $13,395.20 before plumbing, mechanical and L&I electrical permits and impact fees.

Impact fees for 2026 are a transportation fee of $4,467.36 for a single-family home ($3,350.51 under 1,200 sq ft, $2,174.92 for an ADU), a park fee of $3,726.86 ($2,795.15 under 1,200 sq ft), and the Tumwater School District fee of $5,081 per single-family home ($1,048 for an ADU or a unit in a building of three or more). Lots in the Olympia School District pay no school impact fee in 2026, because that fee is suspended. The Budget and Finance Committee’s October 23, 2026 agenda listed a fire impact fee overview from the Fire Department; the 2026 schedule has no fire impact fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Mechanical and plumbing permits are City permits. The City’s split is precise: an electric water heater is plumbing, a gas water heater and its piping are mechanical. Plumbing fixtures are $20 each and a building sewer $35. The City does not issue electrical permits at all; L&I does, and electrical contractors must buy their own permits for work on your property. Health-care, institutional and educational buildings need L&I electrical plan approval before work starts.

How to apply for a Tumwater building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Under TMC 15.01.050, an application expires if no permit is issued within 180 days. The building official can extend it for up to 180 days for circumstances beyond the applicant’s control, or for up to 90 days once it is approved for issuance, but never more than twice, and each extension carries a fee. TMC 15.01.045 exempts Title 15 permits from the project-permit timeline provisions of chapter 36.70B RCW, and the City says processing time depends on the permit type, the completeness and clarity of the plans, and the volume of applications; some projects are permitted over the counter in one visit. If you withdraw, the building official can refund 80% of an unused plan review fee before review starts, or 80% of the permit fee when no work has been done and the permit has not expired, on a written request within 60 days of payment. Appeals of building official decisions go to the hearing examiner within 14 days.

Inspections in Tumwater

Register on the Permits & Inspections portal as a new user, connect your permit or customer number, and schedule inspections there at least one day ahead; without a computer, call 360-754-4189. To ask for a set time with the inspector, request the inspection first and then call 360-754-4180. Every building, mechanical and plumbing permit needs a final inspection, and L&I books its own electrical inspections.

A permit expires if work has not started within 180 days or no inspection has been approved for 180 days. It can be renewed at half the new-permit fee if the plans are unchanged and the stop has lasted less than a year. Ordinance O2026-008, adopted on July 21, 2026, now requires a demolition to remove every foundation and slab unless the building official approves otherwise, which the ordinance allows when applications for a replacement building have been filed; it also requires a bond of the full demolition value (at least $250, which the building official may reduce or waive), an Olympic Region Clean Air Agency asbestos survey and a pest inspection, and the final inspection waits until debris, contaminated soil, paving, concrete, foundations and utilities are gone.

Tumwater permit search and official resources

The Permits & Inspections portal shows permit status once you have registered. Tumwater is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, and FEMA’s status book lists May 8, 2024 as the date of its current flood map.

• Tumwater permit services: applying, fees, inspections
• Permit applications and submittal checklists
• Fees, licenses and charges (2026 fee resolution)
• Resolution R2025-018 and 2026 fee schedule, council packet (PDF)
• Permits & Inspections portal
• Ordinance O2026-008, building demolition, council packet (PDF)
• Tumwater Municipal Code, Title 15
• Tumwater meetings portal: agendas and minutes

Tumwater building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Tumwater?

The Community Development Department, at the Permit Services counter on the main floor of City Hall, 555 Israel Road SW (360-754-4180).

Does Tumwater issue electrical permits?

No. L&I issues electrical permits and inspections in Tumwater.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

For a house over 1,200 sq ft valued at $400,000, the permit is $8,856.80, plan review $4,428.40 and the energy plan check $110 under the 2026 schedule.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story shed of up to 200 sq ft, as long as it sits at least 5 feet from other buildings on the lot and from every lot line.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

The code exempts fences up to 7 feet, while the City’s permit page lists fence permits for fences over 6 feet 6 inches.

Can I do the work on my own house?

Yes. The City says property owners may do work on their own property; any contractor you hire needs a state contractor license and a City of Tumwater business license.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Online through the Permits & Inspections portal at least a day ahead, or by phone on 360-754-4189.

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