Bothell building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Bothell, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 18415 101st Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011
- Phone
- (425) 806-6150
- 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 IBC, NAMED, WITH CHAPTER 1 OUT. BMC 20.04.015: "The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code, as adopted by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-50 WAC, as published by the International Code Council, excluding Chapter 1, is adopted."
- THE 2021 IRC, WITH A LONGER EXCLUSION LIST. BMC 20.04.080: "The 2021 Edition of the International Residential Code, as adopted by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-51 WAC, as published by the International Code Council, excluding Chapters 1, 11 and 25 through 43, is adopted."
THREE RESIDENTIAL APPENDICES, UNDER A LETTER SCHEME OTHER CITIES DO NOT USE. Show full textShow less
THREE RESIDENTIAL APPENDICES, UNDER A LETTER SCHEME OTHER CITIES DO NOT USE. "Appendix AWF, Radon Control Methods, Appendix AWQ, Tiny Homes, and Appendix AWU, Dwelling Unit Fire Sprinkler Systems, are incl[uded]". Lakewood calls the same three F, Q and U; Camas writes "IRC Appendix AH" where Shoreline writes "Appendix H". THIS ENTRY DOES NOT ADJUDICATE which scheme is canonical - each city's letters are quoted as that city prints them.
- ADMINISTRATION IS THE CITY'S OWN. Chapter 1 is excluded from both codes, so permits, inspections and fees come from BMC Chapter 20.02, the Construction Administrative Code.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Bothell. The city adopts the 2021 IBC and IRC with Chapter 1 excluded, and runs administration through its own Construction Administrative Code.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Bothell does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Bothell's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Bothell 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 Bothell lands. Privacy.
Tips & gotchas
- BOTHELL SPANS KING AND SNOHOMISH COUNTIES - 61 percent and 39 percent by population. Confirm your parcel's county before relying on a county-level requirement.
- The snow load is a FLOOR: "shall not be less than 25 psf", not a fixed design value.
- The building title was RECODIFIED from Title 15 to Title 20 by Ord. 1635, so older citations point at the wrong number.
- IRC appendices are named AWF, AWQ and AWU here; other Washington cities call the same ones F, Q and U.
- Chapter 1 is excluded from both the IBC and the IRC - administration is BMC Chapter 20.02.
- Eight sections of Chapter 20.04 are repealed but still numbered.
- The code is on the ICC's municipal.codes platform, as Sammamish's, Lakewood's and Lacey's are.