Electrical permit — Mercer Island, Washington · Requirements sheet
Verified 2026-09-16 · Source: https://library.municode.com/wa/mercer_island/codes/city_code?nodeId=CICOOR_TIT17COCO
PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency. Requirements change and vary by project — confirm current details with the building department before you submit.
Electrical permit in Mercer Island, Washington
Permit for electrical work on Mercer Island under the city's own electrical code, which adopts part of the 2023 Washington Cities Electrical Code at MICC 17.13.
Verified 2026-09-16 · Source
When you need this permit
- >>> THE FIRST CITY IN THIS SET TO PUT AN EDITION YEAR ON THE WASHINGTON CITIES ELECTRICAL CODE, AND IT ADOPTS ONLY PART OF IT. MICC 17.13.020: “The 2023 Edition of the Washington Cities Electrical Code (WCEC) Part 1 and Part 3, excluding Part 2, Administration, is adopted by reference, together with the following amendments, additions and exceptions.” SeaTac and Des Moines both adopt the WCEC and neither names a year; Des Moines names a publisher and SeaTac names none. Mercer Island names a year AND carves out the administration part, so the administrative provisions come from the city's own Construction Administrative Code instead. MICC 17.13.010 gives the chapter its own short title: “the electrical code of the city of Mercer Island”. 2023 IS THE LATEST EDITION YEAR ANY CITY IN THIS WASHINGTON SET NAMES FOR ANY CODE.
- MICC 17.13.010 states the short title: “This chapter shall be known as the electrical code of the city of Mercer Island”. The adoption at 17.13.020 comes “together with the following amendments, additions and exceptions”, which were not read for this entry.
- BECAUSE PART 2, ADMINISTRATION, IS EXCLUDED, the administrative provisions for electrical work come from the city's Construction Administrative Code at MICC 17.14 rather than from the WCEC itself. WHO PERFORMS ELECTRICAL INSPECTIONS IS NOT ASSERTED HERE — no such provision was read.
- MERCER ISLAND REPRODUCES A WHOLE CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATIVE CODE INLINE RATHER THAN AMENDING THE MODEL CODES' ADMINISTRATIVE CHAPTERS. MICC Chapter 17.14 has just two sections — 17.14.010 Adoption and 17.14.020 Appeals — and the adoption section carries the full administrative code beginning “SECTION 101 GENERAL 101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the Construction Administrative Code of the city of Mercer Island”. Permit expiry, application limits, fees, plan review and consultant reimbursement all live there rather than in the individual code chapters.
- >>> A FLAT TWO-YEAR PERMIT LIFE WITH NO COMMENCE TRIGGER AND NO ABANDONMENT TRIGGER, WHICH IS STRUCTURALLY UNLIKE EVERY OTHER CITY IN THIS SET. Construction Administrative Code Section 105.5 as adopted: “Every permit issued shall expire two years from the date of issuance.” Most cities here void a permit if work does not start within 180 days or is abandoned for 180 days; Tumwater adds a third trigger on approved inspections; SeaTac keys the life to what is being built. Mercer Island publishes ONE clock and it runs from issuance regardless of what happens on site. TWO EXTENSIONS EXIST AND ONE OF THEM IS UNIQUE HERE. For nonresidential or mixed-use construction the building official “may approve a request for an extended expiration date where a construction schedule is provided by the applicant and approved PRIOR TO PERMIT ISSUANCE” — so that extension has to be arranged before the permit exists, not when it is running out. And “During or after a declared emergency covered under RCW Chapter 38.52, the building official may authorize one 6-month” extension. No other city in this set publishes an emergency-linked extension.
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Fee schedule
A TWO-STEP INSTRUMENT, WHICH IS NEW IN THIS WASHINGTON SET. Show full citationHide
A TWO-STEP INSTRUMENT, WHICH IS NEW IN THIS WASHINGTON SET. Construction Administrative Code Section 109.2, adopted at MICC 17.14.010: a fee is paid “in accordance with a schedule of fees to be recommended by the building and/or code official and approved by city council by resolution.” The official proposes and the council adopts, where most cities here simply say “by resolution”. Section 109.1 gates validity on payment: “A permit shall not be valid until applicable development and construction permit fees established by City Council by resolution have been paid, nor shall an amendment to a permit be released until any additional fee required, if any, has been paid.” NO DOLLAR AMOUNT APPEARS IN THE CODE and the resolution is a separate document. Plan review fees are due at submittal under Section 109.3, not at issuance.AN OPEN-ENDED COST THE CODE DOES NOT CAP, AND IT IS NOT A FEE. Show full citationHide
AN OPEN-ENDED COST THE CODE DOES NOT CAP, AND IT IS NOT A FEE. Construction Administrative Code Section 107.3.1 as adopted: where an application “requires retention by the jurisdiction for professional consulting services, the applicant shall reimburse to the jurisdiction the cost of such professional consulting services. This fee shall be in addition to the normal plan review and building permit fees. The jurisdiction may require the applicant to deposit an amount with the jurisdiction estimated in the discretion of the building official to be sufficient to cover anticipated costs.” The deposit is security against an actual-cost reimbursement, so the code publishes neither an amount nor a ceiling — only who estimates it.Review timeline
Inspection process
Tips
- MERCER ISLAND NAMES A 2023 EDITION, THE LATEST ANY CITY IN THIS WASHINGTON SET NAMES FOR ANY CODE. SeaTac and Des Moines also adopt the Washington Cities Electrical Code and neither gives it a year, so do not carry an edition across a city line.
- PART 2 OF THE WCEC IS EXCLUDED. If you are looking for administrative rules on electrical permits, they are in the city's Construction Administrative Code at MICC 17.14, not in the electrical code.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-16.
Codes & ordinances
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 Mercer Island building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
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