Richland building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Richland, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 625 Swift Blvd, Richland, WA 99352
- Phone
- (509) 942-7390
- Website
- Official site
Codes adopted
The State Building Code is in effect in every county and city in Washington, and its minimum performance standards may not be diminished locally. A local amendment that affects single-family or multifamily residential buildings is not effective unless the State Building Code Council approves it; amendments to non-residential provisions carry no such approval requirement.
RICHLAND ADOPTS WHATEVER THE STATE ADOPTS, WITHOUT NAMING A SINGLE CODE. Show full textShow less
RICHLAND ADOPTS WHATEVER THE STATE ADOPTS, WITHOUT NAMING A SINGLE CODE. RMC 21.01.010: "All building and building-related codes as currently adopted, or as shall be adopted in future enactments by the state of Washington pursuant to RCW 19.27.031, together with all amendments as currently enacted, or as shall be enacted by the state of Washington, are hereby adopted as, and are herein referred to as, the building codes for the city of Richland". The operative sentence names no code and no year - it delegates to the state statute.
THE LIST THAT FOLLOWS TAKES THE LATEST EDITIONS. The city "shall adopt the following building codes consisting of the latest published editions of the following, as amended by the Washington State Building Code Council… Show full textShow less
THE LIST THAT FOLLOWS TAKES THE LATEST EDITIONS. The city "shall adopt the following building codes consisting of the latest published editions of the following, as amended by the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC)": the International Building Code including Appendix J; ICC/ANSI A117.1-09; the International Existing Building Code; the International Residential Code; the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code; the International Mechanical Code; NFPA 58 for LP gas; NFPA 54 for LP gas installations; the International Fuel Gas Code; the International Fire Code "except as amended by RMC Title 20"; the Uniform Plumbing Code; and the Washington State Energy Code.
- ONE STANDARD IS PINNED WHILE THE REST ROLL. Item B is "ICC/ANSI A117.1-09, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, with statewide amendments (adopted as part of the IBC)." The accessibility standard carries a fixed 09 edition designator inside an adoption that otherwise follows the latest published edition. Sammamish pins the same standard at 2017.
- ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS LIVE IN TWO PLACES. The adoption is subject to "all additions, deletions, and amendments as set forth in this title and in RMC Title 20" - so Title 20 Life Safety is part of the answer and is NOT covered by this entry.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Richland. The city adopts whatever the state adopts under RCW 19.27.031, prices permits from a 1997 table, and ties permanent utilities to the certificate of occupancy.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries - AND Richland separately requires a city business licence for contractors and subcontractors.
See fee schedule
Richland's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Richland yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.
Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Richland lands. Privacy.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-08)
- 22units
22 buildings · $9.3M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 312units
10 of 12 months reported · #17 in Washington coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-08)
- 382units
313 buildings · $119.8M valuation
8 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 777units
345 buildings · $178.8M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-08 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Washington building activity
Tips & gotchas
- READ THE CURRENT COPY. Richland's code is published by TWO publishers at once and they are five months apart. ecode360 is current through 08-18-2026; the codepublishing copy is current only through an ordinance passed March 3, 2026, and nothing on that page says so.
- The permit fee is computed on the GREATER of the city's table valuation or your declared valuation - you cannot lower it by declaring less.
- The building permit fee still comes from the 1997 Uniform Building Code's Table 1-A, exactly as in neighbouring Kennewick.
- The NREC fee is capped: $1,550 maximum, reached at a valuation of $1,020,000.
- NO CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, NO PERMANENT UTILITIES - the finance director is directed to refuse them.
- The certificate waits on all city departments AND state AND FEDERAL agencies with jurisdiction. Budget time for approvals that are not the city's to give.
- Cedar shakes and shingles are banned on new construction; existing roofs may be repaired with Class C or higher fire-retardant treated material. Wood SIDING is expressly not banned.
- Every contractor AND subcontractor needs a City of Richland business licence under Title 5.
- Part of the answer lives in RMC Title 20 Life Safety, which this entry does not cover.