Auburn building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Auburn, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 25 W Main St, Auburn, WA 98001
- Phone
- (253) 931-3000
- 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.
- THE 2021 EDITIONS, NAMED - BUT NOT IN THE CHAPTER YOU WOULD LOOK IN. ACC 15.07(D) adopts "The 2021 International Building Code ... by reference with the amendments, deletions, and additions provided in Chapter 15.08A ACC, Building Code", "The 2021 International Residential Code", "The 2021 International Mechanical Code", "The 2021 International Fire Code" and "The 2021 ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54 National Fuel Gas Code".
THE BUILDING CODE CHAPTER ITSELF NAMES NO YEAR. ACC 15.08A.011: "The International Building Code, as adopted in Chapter 15.07 ACC and hereafter amended by the State Building Code Council, and included in Chapter 51-50… Show full textShow less
THE BUILDING CODE CHAPTER ITSELF NAMES NO YEAR. ACC 15.08A.011: "The International Building Code, as adopted in Chapter 15.07 ACC and hereafter amended by the State Building Code Council, and included in Chapter 51-50 WAC, is adopted as the building code of the city; provided, that the amendments, deletions and additions thereto as provided in this chapter shall govern over the published provisions of the International Building Code." Read alone that is an unnamed adoption; the year is one cross-reference away.
- THE RESIDENTIAL CODE IS ADOPTED WITH THREE BLOCKS CUT OUT. ACC 15.07(D)(2): the 2021 IRC is adopted "excluding Chapter 11, "Energy Efficiency," Chapters 25 through 33, "Plumbing," and Chapters 34 through 43, "Electrical."" Those come from separate adoptions, so a single IRC reference will not give you the whole rule for a house.
- THE ADOPTED CODES MUST BE FILED WITH THE CITY CLERK. ACC 15.07(D): "The building official shall file with the city clerk each code codified in this chapter."
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Auburn. The city adopts the 2021 editions in its Construction Administrative Code and amends them in separate chapters, with the building code at ACC 15.08A rather than the repealed 15.08.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Auburn does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Auburn's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Auburn 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 Auburn lands. Privacy.
Tips & gotchas
- THE BUILDING CODE IS AT ACC 15.08A. Chapter 15.08 is repealed, along with nine other Title 15 chapters; the live ones carry an "A" suffix.
- One of the two contents listings on the 15.08A page shows a repealed section under its original title with no marker. Trust the section body, not the index.
- The edition year (2021) is in ACC 15.07, not in the building code chapter that uses it.
- The IRC is adopted WITHOUT its energy, plumbing and electrical chapters.
- Fire review runs through the Valley Regional Fire Authority, not a city fire department.
- AUBURN SPANS KING AND PIERCE COUNTIES - its own code names both superior courts. Confirm which county your parcel is in.
- Local amendments govern over the model code text wherever they conflict.