Camas building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Camas, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 616 NE 4th Avenue, Suite 4, Camas, WA 98607
- Phone
- 360-817-1568
- Office hours
- Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, excluding holidays - but the Permit Center is CLOSED 12-1 PM DAILY
- 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.
CAMAS NAMES NO EDITION YEAR AT ALL. CMC 15.04.010 provides that "the City of Camas adopts the most current edition of building codes adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council, as amended, pursuant to RCW… Show full textShow less
CAMAS NAMES NO EDITION YEAR AT ALL. CMC 15.04.010 provides that "the City of Camas adopts the most current edition of building codes adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council, as amended, pursuant to RCW 19.27.074 and as set forth in WAC 51-50 IBC/IEBC; WAC 51-51 IRC; WAC 51-52 IMC/IFGC; WAC 51-54 IFC; WAC 51-56 UPC; and WAC 51-11 energy code as amended in Section 15.04.030 of this Chapter." To learn which edition applies you must go to the WAC chapters or ask the city - the municipal code will not tell you.
- WHICH CYCLE THE CITY SAYS IT IS ON. The Building Division page states "2021 I-Codes will be effective, Friday, March 15, 2024". That sentence is written in the future tense and was still on the page when it was read on 2026-09-16, so it is an announcement that has since taken effect rather than a current-status statement. Confirm the governing edition with the Building Division before you design to it.
APPENDICES CAMAS SPECIFICALLY ADOPTS, WHICH OTHER CITIES OFTEN DO NOT. Show full textShow less
APPENDICES CAMAS SPECIFICALLY ADOPTS, WHICH OTHER CITIES OFTEN DO NOT. Under the IRC: Appendix AJ Existing Buildings and Structures; Appendix AH Patio Covers; Appendix AF Radon Control Methods; Appendix AQ Tiny Homes; Appendix AWU Dwelling Unit Fire Sprinkler Systems; and Appendix AWV Fire Sprinklers. Under the IBC: Appendix H, Signs. Under the IFC: Appendices A Board of Appeals, B Fire Flow, C Hydrants, E Hazard Categories and F Hazard Ranking.
- For liquefied petroleum gas, CMC 15.04.010(C) provides that "the standards for liquefied petroleum gas installations shall be NFPA 58 (Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases) and ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code)" rather than the IMC's own.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Camas. The city adopts whatever edition of the I-Codes the Washington State Building Code Council currently has in force, rather than a named year.
See fee scheduleAccessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Camas applies its residential fire sprinkler requirement to new detached accessory dwelling units, which is a substantial design and cost consideration many owners do not expect.
See fee schedulePatio Cover
Camas specifically adopts IRC Appendix AH, Patio Covers, so the appendix's provisions apply here rather than being optional.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Camas does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Camas's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Camas 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 Camas 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 (2026-07)
- 5units
5 buildings · $1.2M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 143units
12 of 12 months reported · #12 in Washington coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 85units
85 buildings · $44.2M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 237units
235 buildings · $126.8M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Washington building activity
Tips & gotchas
- THE PERMIT CENTER IS CLOSED 12-1 PM EVERY DAY, on top of normal Monday-Friday 8-5 hours.
- Camas's code names no code edition. It adopts whatever the State Building Code Council currently has in force, so you cannot read the governing edition off the municipal code.
- If your application expires and a new code cycle has begun, you start over - new application, resubmitted plans, new plan review fee.
- A building permit is void if work does not start within 180 days or is abandoned for 180 days, but renewal is half the original permit fee.
- The permit belongs to the property owner, not the contractor who pulled it.
- A new DETACHED ADU needs fire sprinklers in Camas. So does a dwelling in a substantial remodel.
- Plan review is 65% of the permit fee; a genuinely identical second house plan is reviewed at half that.
- Starting work without a permit adds an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, owed even if no permit is ever issued.
- Camas adopts IRC Appendix AQ, Tiny Homes, and Appendix AH, Patio Covers - both optional appendices that many Washington cities leave out.
- Chapter 15.40 of the Camas code is BLASTING. Its "Fees" section is not the building fee.