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Commercial building permit in Moses Lake, Washington

Permit for commercial, industrial and institutional construction in Moses Lake, under the state building code with the appendices and amendments adopted at MLMC 16.02.

Verified 2026-09-16 · Source

When you need this permit

  • >>> MOSES LAKE ADOPTS NO MODEL CODE AND NO WAC CHAPTER. IT ADOPTS APPENDICES. MLMC 16.02.020 opens: “Pursuant to Chapters 19.27 and 35.21 RCW the state building code is established. Effective July 1, 2004, the following appendixes to the state building code are adopted for use within the city”. The base code is not adopted by the city at all — it arrives by operation of state statute, and the ordinance only picks up the appendices the state leaves optional. SO THERE IS NO EDITION YEAR AND NO EDITION PHRASE IN THE BASE ADOPTION, BECAUSE THERE IS NO BASE ADOPTION. Des Moines adopts the WAC chapters themselves, which is already a step removed from naming a model code; Moses Lake does not even do that. The audit rule keys on the absence of a year, and here there is not even a sentence for a year to be absent from. A YEAR-CONTEXT TRAP SITS IN THE SAME SENTENCE: “Effective July 1, 2004” is the date the appendix adoptions took effect, not an edition. THE SUPPLEMENTARY CODES DO CARRY AN EDITION PHRASE, AND IT IS ONE ALREADY SEEN: MLMC 16.02.020(D) adopts the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, the Uniform Housing Code and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, each at “most current edition” — the same wording SeaTac and Pullman use, now a third and fourth city on that phrase.
  • THE APPENDICES ARE THE WHOLE OF THE LOCAL ADOPTION, SO THEY ARE WHERE THE LOCAL RULES LIVE. MLMC 16.02.020 adopts, from the IBC: Appendix C (Agricultural Buildings), Appendix I (Patio Covers) and Appendix J (Grading); and from the IRC: Appendix AH (Patio Covers) and Appendix AQ (Tiny Houses). >>> APPENDIX J IS ADOPTED CONDITIONALLY, WHICH IS NEW IN THIS SET. It applies only “when: a. Grading involves more than five hundred (500) cubic yards, and/or b. Regulated by either Chapter 19.03 or 19.06, and/or c. Regulated by City of Moses Lake Shorelines Management Master Plan.” Every other city in this series adopts a grading appendix outright or not at all.
  • Three supplementary codes are adopted at MLMC 16.02.020(D), each at “most current edition”: the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, the Uniform Housing Code “published by the International Conference of Building Officials”, and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Recorded as published: the International Conference of Building Officials is named as the Uniform Housing Code's publisher.
  • THE PERMIT EXEMPTIONS ARE AMENDED AWAY FROM AREA AND TOWARDS COUNT, USE AND PROPORTION — NOT ONE OF THEM IS A SQUARE-FOOTAGE THRESHOLD. MLMC 16.02.050 amends the state building code: (B) 105.2(1) of the IBC and IRC becomes “One-story detached accessory structures, provided that only one (1) may be placed on a lot without a permit.” NO FLOOR AREA LIMIT AT ALL — the test is how many are already on the lot. Every other city in this set uses 120 or 200 square feet. (C) sidewalks, decks and driveways exempt when “not more than thirty inches (30″) (762mm) above grade and not over any basement or story below and which are not part of an accessible route”. (D) a new IRC 105.2(11): “Reroofing a single family dwelling or private garage, provided that no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the existing roof sheathing is being replaced.” (E) a new IRC 105.2(12) and IBC 105.2(14): “Replacing siding over existing siding or exterior sheathing.” Also not adopted: IBC 105.1.1 and 105.1.2, and Section 105.3 of both the IBC and the IRC.
  • MLMC 16.02.050(G) replaces IBC and IRC Section 108.3: “The determination of value or valuation under any of the provisions of this code shall be made by the building official. The value to be used in computing the building permit and building plan review fees shall be the total value of all const[ruction]…” — the remainder of that subsection is not reproduced here. Because the fee schedule is a council resolution that is not part of the code, the valuation rule is the only part of the fee calculation the code publishes.
  • POLE BUILDINGS ARE PROHIBITED OUTRIGHT, NOT REGULATED. MLMC 16.02.080: a “pole building” is “a wood frame structure which is built using post and beam construction without concrete footings or foundation”, and “No pole building as defined in subsection A of this section shall be constructed or erected in any area or zone of the City of Moses Lake.” A flat citywide ban rather than a standard to meet.
  • >>> MOSES LAKE IS THE FIRST CITY IN THIS SET TO PUBLISH WHO INSPECTS ELECTRICAL WORK, AND THE ANSWER IS NOT THE CITY. MLMC 16.65.010: “This chapter is enacted to establish the requirement for electrical inspections, performed by the Department of Labor and Industries, for all work that requires an electrical permit.” Every other Washington entry in this project leaves that question open; this one answers it in its own code. >>> AND THE STATE'S INSPECTION GATES THE CITY'S OWN MILESTONES, WHICH IS THE PART THAT STALLS PROJECTS. MLMC 16.65.030: “The applicant shall coordinate with the DL&I for the rough in electrical inspection. The city will not complete the framing inspection until the DL&I has approved the rough in electrical inspection. The DL&I approval will be evidenced by their signature on their job card.” And 16.65.040: the city “will not issue a certificate of occupancy until” the DL&I final electrical inspection is complete. TWO AGENCIES, ONE SEQUENCE, AND THE COORDINATION IS THE APPLICANT'S JOB.
  • MLMC 16.02.045 is headed “Building Prior to Filing Final Plat” and 16.02.100 “Revocation of Business License”. Neither is summarised here.

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Permit fee
MLMC 16.02.085: “All fees for permits issued pursuant to this chapter shall be established by a resolution of the City Council.” No dollar amount appears in the chapter and the resolution is a separate document. Show full citationMLMC 16.02.085: “All fees for permits issued pursuant to this chapter shall be established by a resolution of the City Council.” No dollar amount appears in the chapter and the resolution is a separate document. >>> THE FIRST FEE EXEMPTION IN THIS WASHINGTON SET, AND IT IS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT. 16.02.085(A): the fees “shall not apply to single-family dwellings or duplex dwellings when all the following conditions are present: 1. The residential structure is constructed for low income families as defined by the Community Development Director. 2. The structure is being constructed by an organization classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by the United States Internal Revenue Service.” Both conditions, not either. PLAN REVIEW IS A PUBLISHED PERCENTAGE OVER AN UNPUBLISHED BASE: 16.02.085(B) requires it “at the time of submitting the submittal documents” and sets it at “sixty-five percent (65%) of the permit fees as established” — the same 65% Walla Walla publishes, but Walla Walla prints the base table and Moses Lake does not.
Set by city council resolution
Investigation fee (work without a permit)
MLMC 16.02.087 doubles the cost of starting early and says plainly why. Show full citationMLMC 16.02.087 doubles the cost of starting early and says plainly why. An investigation fee “shall be collected whether or not a permit is then or subsequently issued” and “shall be equal to the amount of the permit fee required by this code”, with a minimum matching the fee resolution's minimum. THE CODE CALLS IT WHAT IT IS: “This fee is an additional, punitive fee”. No other city in this Washington set uses that word; SeaTac and Walla Walla impose the same doubling and describe it neutrally.
Equal to the permit fee; punitive
Refund of a paid fee
MLMC 16.02.085(C) publishes a refund rule: any fee “erroneously paid or collected”, then “not more than eighty percent (80%) of the permit fee paid when no work has been done under a permit”, and not… Show full citationMLMC 16.02.085(C) publishes a refund rule: any fee “erroneously paid or collected”, then “not more than eighty percent (80%) of the permit fee paid when no work has been done under a permit”, and not more than eighty percent of the plan review fee in the parallel case. Note “not more than” — 80% is a ceiling on the Building Official's discretion, not an entitlement, which is a weaker guarantee than Tumwater's flat 80%.
Up to 80% if no work has been done

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Commercial building permit permit actually take in Moses Lake?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

    Tips

    • THE CITY ADOPTS NO BUILDING CODE OF ITS OWN — the state code is established by RCW and Moses Lake adopts only appendices and amendments. Do not look for a local edition year; there is no local adoption sentence for one to sit in.
    • APPENDIX J (GRADING) APPLIES ONLY SOMETIMES: more than 500 cubic yards, or work regulated by Chapter 19.03 or 19.06, or by the Shorelines Management Master Plan. Below those triggers the grading appendix is not in play.
    • BUDGET 1.65x THE PERMIT FEE AT SUBMITTAL. Plan review is 65% of the permit fee and is due “at the time of submitting the submittal documents”, not at issuance (MLMC 16.02.085(B)).

    Frequently asked questions

    Moses Lake requires a commercial building permit for: >>> MOSES LAKE ADOPTS NO MODEL CODE AND NO WAC CHAPTER. IT ADOPTS APPENDICES. MLMC 16.02.020 opens: “Pursuant to Chapters 19.27 and 35.21 RCW the state building code is established. Effective July 1, 2004, the following appendixes to the state building code are adopted for use within the city”. The base code is not adopted by the city at all — it arrives by operation of state statute, and the ordinance only picks up the appendices the state leaves optional. SO THERE IS NO EDITION YEAR AND NO EDITION PHRASE IN THE BASE ADOPTION, BECAUSE THERE IS NO BASE ADOPTION. Des Moines adopts the WAC chapters themselves, which is already a step removed from naming a model code; Moses Lake does not even do that. The audit rule keys on the absence of a year, and here there is not even a sentence for a year to be absent from. A YEAR-CONTEXT TRAP SITS IN THE SAME SENTENCE: “Effective July 1, 2004” is the date the appendix adoptions took effect, not an edition. THE SUPPLEMENTARY CODES DO CARRY AN EDITION PHRASE, AND IT IS ONE ALREADY SEEN: MLMC 16.02.020(D) adopts the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, the Uniform Housing Code and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, each at “most current edition” — the same wording SeaTac and Pullman use, now a third and fourth city on that phrase.; THE APPENDICES ARE THE WHOLE OF THE LOCAL ADOPTION, SO THEY ARE WHERE THE LOCAL RULES LIVE. MLMC 16.02.020 adopts, from the IBC: Appendix C (Agricultural Buildings), Appendix I (Patio Covers) and Appendix J (Grading); and from the IRC: Appendix AH (Patio Covers) and Appendix AQ (Tiny Houses). >>> APPENDIX J IS ADOPTED CONDITIONALLY, WHICH IS NEW IN THIS SET. It applies only “when: a. Grading involves more than five hundred (500) cubic yards, and/or b. Regulated by either Chapter 19.03 or 19.06, and/or c. Regulated by City of Moses Lake Shorelines Management Master Plan.” Every other city in this series adopts a grading appendix outright or not at all.; Three supplementary codes are adopted at MLMC 16.02.020(D), each at “most current edition”: the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, the Uniform Housing Code “published by the International Conference of Building Officials”, and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Recorded as published: the International Conference of Building Officials is named as the Uniform Housing Code's publisher.; THE PERMIT EXEMPTIONS ARE AMENDED AWAY FROM AREA AND TOWARDS COUNT, USE AND PROPORTION — NOT ONE OF THEM IS A SQUARE-FOOTAGE THRESHOLD. MLMC 16.02.050 amends the state building code: (B) 105.2(1) of the IBC and IRC becomes “One-story detached accessory structures, provided that only one (1) may be placed on a lot without a permit.” NO FLOOR AREA LIMIT AT ALL — the test is how many are already on the lot. Every other city in this set uses 120 or 200 square feet. (C) sidewalks, decks and driveways exempt when “not more than thirty inches (30″) (762mm) above grade and not over any basement or story below and which are not part of an accessible route”. (D) a new IRC 105.2(11): “Reroofing a single family dwelling or private garage, provided that no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the existing roof sheathing is being replaced.” (E) a new IRC 105.2(12) and IBC 105.2(14): “Replacing siding over existing siding or exterior sheathing.” Also not adopted: IBC 105.1.1 and 105.1.2, and Section 105.3 of both the IBC and the IRC.; MLMC 16.02.050(G) replaces IBC and IRC Section 108.3: “The determination of value or valuation under any of the provisions of this code shall be made by the building official. The value to be used in computing the building permit and building plan review fees shall be the total value of all const[ruction]…” — the remainder of that subsection is not reproduced here. Because the fee schedule is a council resolution that is not part of the code, the valuation rule is the only part of the fee calculation the code publishes.; POLE BUILDINGS ARE PROHIBITED OUTRIGHT, NOT REGULATED. MLMC 16.02.080: a “pole building” is “a wood frame structure which is built using post and beam construction without concrete footings or foundation”, and “No pole building as defined in subsection A of this section shall be constructed or erected in any area or zone of the City of Moses Lake.” A flat citywide ban rather than a standard to meet.; >>> MOSES LAKE IS THE FIRST CITY IN THIS SET TO PUBLISH WHO INSPECTS ELECTRICAL WORK, AND THE ANSWER IS NOT THE CITY. MLMC 16.65.010: “This chapter is enacted to establish the requirement for electrical inspections, performed by the Department of Labor and Industries, for all work that requires an electrical permit.” Every other Washington entry in this project leaves that question open; this one answers it in its own code. >>> AND THE STATE'S INSPECTION GATES THE CITY'S OWN MILESTONES, WHICH IS THE PART THAT STALLS PROJECTS. MLMC 16.65.030: “The applicant shall coordinate with the DL&I for the rough in electrical inspection. The city will not complete the framing inspection until the DL&I has approved the rough in electrical inspection. The DL&I approval will be evidenced by their signature on their job card.” And 16.65.040: the city “will not issue a certificate of occupancy until” the DL&I final electrical inspection is complete. TWO AGENCIES, ONE SEQUENCE, AND THE COORDINATION IS THE APPLICANT'S JOB.; MLMC 16.02.045 is headed “Building Prior to Filing Final Plat” and 16.02.100 “Revocation of Business License”. Neither is summarised here.. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Moses Lake at (509) 764-3701 before starting work.

    In Moses Lake, the published Permit fee is: Set by city council resolution. Additional published fees: Investigation fee (work without a permit) — Equal to the permit fee; punitive; Refund of a paid fee — Up to 80% if no work has been done. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Moses Lake does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Moses Lake at (509) 764-3701 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Building permit application; Department of Labor and Industries electrical job card. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through City of Moses Lake at 401 S Balsam, Moses Lake, WA 98837. Phone: (509) 764-3701. Official information: https://www.cityofml.com/.

    The city does not name one, because it does not adopt the building code. MLMC 16.02.020 states that “Pursuant to Chapters 19.27 and 35.21 RCW the state building code is established” and then adopts appendices to it. The operative edition is whatever the state code carries; ask the Building Official. The “Effective July 1, 2004” in that section is the date the appendix adoptions took effect, not an edition year.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-16.

    Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Moses Lake building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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