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Kirkland building permits

Kirkland, Washington — as published 2026-09-16.

Reviewed 2026-09-16 · Source

Codes adopted

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 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.

Reviewed 2026-09-16 · Source

Requirements

  • Built to the 2021 Edition of the International Building Code as adopted by the State Building Code Council, excluding IBC Chapter 1
  • Procedure is governed by KMC Chapter 21.06, not by IBC Chapter 1
  • Plan review fees are payable when submittal documents are submitted
  • The inspection sequence in KMC Chapter 21.06 Article IX applies

Required documents

  • RequiredSubmittal documentsSubmittal documents as required by Article VI of KMC Chapter 21.06; the plan review fee is payable when they are submitted.

Fee schedule

Fee typeAmountNotes
Building permit feeNot stated in this guide - see notes
KIRKLAND'S PERMIT FEE AMOUNTS ARE NOT IN ITS CODE. Show full citation

KIRKLAND'S PERMIT FEE AMOUNTS ARE NOT IN ITS CODE. KMC 21.06.390 provides that on the listed work "a fee for each permit shall be paid as required, in accordance with the schedule as established by the Kirkland city council" - so the schedule is a council document outside the code. TWO PROCEDURAL FEE RULES ARE IN THE CODE: plan review fees are payable "at the time of submitting the submittal documents for plan review" (KMC 21.06.395), and "The building official may have the option to charge a deposit, in lieu of the full plan review fee, if the full amount is not known at the time", with the deposit applied against the eventual fee. The chapter also carries sections on related fees, refunds and address change compensation.

Verify a Contractor Licence

Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Kirkland does not issue it.

Reviewed 2026-09-16 · Source

Requirements

  • Check contractor registration with Washington State Labor & Industries

Required documents

  • OptionalNo city document requiredNo city document - check the state register.

Fee schedule

Fee typeAmountNotes
Building permit feeNot stated in this guide - see notes
KIRKLAND'S PERMIT FEE AMOUNTS ARE NOT IN ITS CODE. Show full citation

KIRKLAND'S PERMIT FEE AMOUNTS ARE NOT IN ITS CODE. KMC 21.06.390 provides that on the listed work "a fee for each permit shall be paid as required, in accordance with the schedule as established by the Kirkland city council" - so the schedule is a council document outside the code. TWO PROCEDURAL FEE RULES ARE IN THE CODE: plan review fees are payable "at the time of submitting the submittal documents for plan review" (KMC 21.06.395), and "The building official may have the option to charge a deposit, in lieu of the full plan review fee, if the full amount is not known at the time", with the deposit applied against the eventual fee. The chapter also carries sections on related fees, refunds and address change compensation.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-16.

Department & other records

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 Kirkland building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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Permalink: /washington/king-county/kirkland/as-of/2026-09-16/

Snapshot date: 2026-09-16

Commit: 6cf9cee

Reproducible from PermitBase’s version-controlled dataset, commit 6cf9cee.