Kirkland building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Kirkland, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Phone
- 425-587-3000
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Kirkland — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
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 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE, NAMED, WITHOUT ITS ADMINISTRATIVE CHAPTER. Show full textShow less
THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE, NAMED, WITHOUT ITS ADMINISTRATIVE CHAPTER. KMC 21.08.010: "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, "Administration," is adopted, together with the following amendments. The Construction Administrative Code, as set forth in Chapter 21.06, shall be used in place of IBC Chapter 1, Administration."
- SO THE PROCEDURAL RULES ARE KIRKLAND'S OWN. Everything a reader expects in IBC Chapter 1 - permits, submittal documents, fees, inspections, certificates of occupancy, appeals, stop work orders - is in KMC Chapter 21.06 instead, organised into fifteen Articles.
THE SCOPE OF EACH ADOPTED CODE IS SET SECTION BY SECTION. KMC 21.06.040 provides that "The codes listed in Sections 21.06.045 through 21.06.085 and referenced elsewhere in this chapter shall be considered part of the… Show full textShow less
THE SCOPE OF EACH ADOPTED CODE IS SET SECTION BY SECTION. KMC 21.06.040 provides that "The codes listed in Sections 21.06.045 through 21.06.085 and referenced elsewhere in this chapter shall be considered part of the requirements of this chapter to the prescribed extent of each such reference", and those sections scope the Building, Residential, Mechanical, Liquid propane gas, Natural gas, Plumbing, Property maintenance, Energy, Existing structures, Swimming pools and spas, Wildland-Urban Interface and Electrical codes individually.
- A WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE CODE IS SCOPED HERE. KMC 21.06.080 is headed "International Wildland-Urban Interface Code - Scope". THE SECTION ITSELF WAS NOT OPENED, so this entry records that the chapter exists and says nothing about what it requires. Federal Way and Bellingham also carry one.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Kirkland. The city adopts the 2021 IBC by name but replaces the model code's administrative chapter with its own Construction Administrative Code, which sets out the permit, fee and inspection procedure in detail.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Kirkland does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Kirkland's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Kirkland 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 Kirkland 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)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- No data reported
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
- KIRKLAND PUBLISHES ITS INSPECTION SEQUENCE IN THE CODE - nine stages from footing to final, each with its own trigger condition. Most cities in this guide do not.
- Several inspections must happen BEFORE the work is covered: exterior wall sheathing, and flashing and weather barrier. Cover first and you will be uncovering.
- No roof coverings until the roof sheathing inspection is approved.
- No connections to primary utilities until the rough-in inspection is approved.
- The energy code inspection is IN ADDITION to the state-required ones.
- IBC Chapter 1 does not apply here - KMC Chapter 21.06 is the administrative code.
- Plan review fees are due at submittal, and may be charged as a deposit if the full amount is not yet known.
- Fee amounts are a Kirkland city council schedule, not part of the code.
- This entry did NOT read Chapter 21.10, the Residential Code, so it says nothing about Kirkland's IRC amendments or residential design criteria.