University Place, Washington Building Permit Guide

University Place’s Planning and Development Services department reviews and issues building, plumbing, mechanical, fire alarm and fire sprinkler permits and inspects the work; completed applications are sent by email to Permits@cityofup.com. Electrical permits and inspections come from Tacoma Public Utilities, water from Tacoma Water and sewer permits from Pierce County. Building plan review costs 65% of the permit fee, and a 12% development services support fee is added to every building permit fee.

The department works from the City offices at 3609 Market Place West, Suite 200, open Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the main number is 253-566-5656, and the City has posted an alert that City Hall calls are temporarily routed through Public Works. University Place had 35,479 residents in the Census estimate for 2025, and its permits cover the city limits only.

What requires a building permit in University Place?

The City’s permit page puts it broadly: a permit is needed to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, or to install or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. The exemptions are narrower than the state’s residential list, because section 14.05.100 of the University Place Municipal Code (UPMC) deletes the residential code’s exempt-work list and uses the International Building Code’s list instead, for houses as well as commercial buildings.

What the city decides and what the state holds

The codes adopted in UPMC 14.05.030 are the state’s 2021 editions, including the Wildland Urban Interface Code. University Place adds its own layer: the IBC exempt list for houses, the stricter retaining-wall test, sprinklers in any group of three or more townhouses and in houses that need 2,000 gallons per minute of fire flow, a site development permit before any work in a mapped flood hazard area, and construction hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. Fees are set by City Council resolution under UPMC 14.05.060.

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

University Place building department: who handles permitting

Planning and Development Services handles zoning, critical areas, shoreline, building, plumbing, mechanical and fire code review in one department; the City’s own Fire Code Official reviews and inspects fire alarm and suppression systems. For larger projects the department runs a weekly Technical Review Committee meeting, booked with its request form, to talk through code issues before you apply.

Permit types

Residential permits

The residential checklist (updated May 2021) shows what each job needs, from a new house to a deck or demolition. A new house needs the residential application, a site plan and a reduced copy, construction and engineered drawings, a recorded aquifer title notification, proof of water availability from Tacoma Water, a Pierce County sewer permit (which must be issued before the building permit), a geotechnical report where required, and a copy of the contractor’s state license. If the lot is on septic, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department approval (253-798-6470) must come with the application. Small project drainage review applies once more than 2,000 sq ft of new impervious surface is created. The site plan must be to scale and show every property line, easement and street frontage.

The City publishes its design loads for engineers and builders: seismic design category D1 for houses built to the IRC (D for IBC buildings), a 25 psf snow load and an 80 mph basic wind, with most of the city in wind exposure B and some sites facing Puget Sound in exposure C or D.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings use the commercial application and submittal requirements, and multi-building or phased sites use the master plan cover sheet. Fire alarm, sprinkler, underground sprinkler and kitchen hood work each has its own plan review checklist and a combined fire suppression and fire alarm application. Revisions go in on the building revision form, or the planning and fire revision form.

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

What comes before the building permit

Before review, the City may require a critical area checklist, a wetland review, a shoreline substantial development permit under its Shoreline Master Program, administrative design review in some zones, a tree removal permit, and one of its recorded title notifications for aquifers, floods, landslides, sewer, trees, wetlands or fish and wildlife habitat. Work in mapped flood hazard areas needs a floodplain development permit ($160). Driveway approaches and utility connections in the street need separate right-of-way permits and financial guarantees.

University Place permit costs and fees

The building fee sheets the City posts carry Resolution No. 988, adopted by the City Council on September 19, 2022 and in force since January 1, 2023. Valuation uses the most current ICC building valuation table, and for a residential remodel the valuation is half of the new-construction figure. None of University Place’s posted fee sheets carries a line for the state building code fee.

Worked example. Work valued at $60,000 is in the $50,001 to $100,000 band: $751.95 plus 10 × $7.65 gives a building permit fee of $828.45. The 12% support fee adds $99.41 and plan review at 65% of the permit fee adds $538.49; for a residential remodel or addition the $64.70 energy code fee brings the total to $1,531.05, before mechanical, plumbing or Tacoma Public Utilities electrical permits.

New housing also pays a park impact fee of $3,644 per single-family home ($2,660 per multifamily unit) and a traffic impact fee of $3,193 per peak-hour trip, adopted in Ordinance 758 on June 21, 2022.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Plumbing and mechanical permits are City permits: a new house pays a flat $269.80 for each, and other permits pay a $32.40 issuance fee plus unit fees such as $14.05 per plumbing fixture or $18.35 per furnace up to 100,000 Btu/h. Commercial plumbing and mechanical work is priced from its own valuation table, with plan review at 50%. Electrical work is outside the City’s permit system: UPMC 14.05.030 adopts the National Electrical Code “as adopted and enforced by Tacoma Public Utilities”, and L&I’s own guidance sends Pierce County jobsites served by Tacoma Power to that utility.

How to apply for a University Place building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The City’s own tips for a fast turnaround are a complete, accurate application from the right checklist; plumbing, mechanical, energy and window details on the plans; legible plans that meet current codes; and a scaled site plan showing property dimensions, easements, existing and proposed buildings and street frontages. Any change after submittal needs a revision form, and extra review is billed at $125 an hour. An expired permit can be reissued on the City’s re-issuance request form, priced on the share of work left.

Inspections in University Place

Book building, plumbing, mechanical and fire inspections on the automated line, 253-460-2540, or by email to the Inspections Division, giving the date wanted, permit number, site address, inspection type, a contact and an AM or PM preference. Requests made before 3 p.m. are for the next business day; you will not get a confirmation call, only a message if the date cannot be met, and the inspector will not call to set up a time with you. Fire inspections are done on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or by appointment with the Fire Code Official (253-460-5439). Changes or cancellations go to 253-460-5406.

An inspection is refused, and a re-inspection fee may be charged, if the approved permit, plans and inspection card are not on site, the address is not posted or the inspector cannot get in; the person asking for the inspection supplies any ladder needed. Right-of-way and site development inspections are booked on 253-460-5417, electrical inspections with Tacoma Power and sewer inspections with Pierce County. An occupancy permit costs $107.90.

University Place permit search and official resources

For the status of a permit, contact the department or the permit email; files for past projects are requested through the City’s public records process. University Place is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program; FEMA’s status book gives March 7, 2017 as the date of both its first and its current flood map, and UPMC 14.15 requires a site development permit before building in those areas.

• University Place permit information
• Building, plumbing and mechanical permits
• Inspections and outside-agency permits
• Applications and forms
• Residential submittal requirements (PDF)
• City fee schedules
• Building code fees, Resolution No. 988 (PDF)
• Miscellaneous building and energy code fees (PDF)
• Fire alarm and fire suppression permits
• University Place Municipal Code, Title 14

University Place building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in University Place?

Planning and Development Services, at 3609 Market Place West, Suite 200. Applications go by email to Permits@cityofup.com.

Who issues electrical permits in University Place?

Tacoma Public Utilities (253-502-8436), with inspections booked through Tacoma Power (253-502-8277).

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Yes, if it is larger than 120 sq ft. The City replaced the residential code’s 200 sq ft shed exemption with the building code’s 120 sq ft limit.

Do I need a permit for a retaining wall?

Yes, unless it is no more than 4 feet high, set back from property lines and buildings by at least its height, holds back ground sloping no steeper than 1 in 2 and carries no surcharge.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not for a fence up to 7 feet high, under the building code exemption list the City applies to houses.

How much is a building permit?

For $60,000 of work the permit fee is $828.45, plus a 12% support fee ($99.41) and 65% plan review ($538.49).

When can I get an inspection?

Call 253-460-2540 or email the Inspections Division before 3 p.m. for the next business day.

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