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PermitBase

Building Permit in Shoreline, Washington

Required for construction in Shoreline. The city adopts whatever edition the state has adopted, with no year named, and makes the signed permit card serve as the certificate of occupancy.

Reviewed 2026-09-16 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Built to the CURRENT edition of the IBC and IRC as adopted by the State Building Code Council, as now or hereafter amended
  • IRC Appendices A, B, H and Q (Tiny Houses) are specifically adopted
  • Automatic residential fire sprinklers are required in one- and two-family dwellings
  • A waste diversion plan is required before issuance for work over the thresholds
  • A waste diversion report is required before finalization or certificate of occupancy

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Permit fee (set by Chapter 3.01 SMC)
SHORELINE DOES NOT PUBLISH PERMIT FEE AMOUNTS IN ITS BUILDING TITLE - THIS ENTRY DECLINES TO STATE A FIGURE RATHER THAN INVENT ONE. Show full citationSHORELINE DOES NOT PUBLISH PERMIT FEE AMOUNTS IN ITS BUILDING TITLE - THIS ENTRY DECLINES TO STATE A FIGURE RATHER THAN INVENT ONE. SMC 15.05.020(A): "All city of Shoreline permit fees shall be established by Chapter 3.01 SMC." Chapter 3.01 is a different title of the same code and was not read for this entry. WHAT THIS CHAPTER DOES PUBLISH IS A REFUND SCHEDULE, WHICH FEW CITIES IN THIS SET DO. The city manager or designee may authorise refunding of "One hundred percent of any fee erroneously paid or collected"; "Up to 80 percent of the permit fee paid when no work has been done under a permit issued in accordance with this code"; and "Up to 80 percent of the plan review fee paid when an application for a permit for which a plan review fee has been paid is with-drawn or canceled before any plan reviewing is done". THERE IS A HARD DEADLINE AND IT IS EASY TO MISS: no refund may be authorised "except on written application filed by the original permittee not later than 180 days after the date of fee payment." The clock runs from PAYMENT, not from cancellation, and only the ORIGINAL PERMITTEE can file.
Set by Chapter 3.01 SMC - see notes

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Building Permit permit actually take in Shoreline?

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Inspection process

    Tips

    • The signed permit card under the Final inspection IS your certificate of occupancy - keep it
    • A partial or temporary certificate of occupancy can issue before the waste diversion report, but the permit cannot be finalized without it
    • Fee amounts live in Chapter 3.01 SMC, not in the building title
    • If you cancel, claim the refund within 180 days OF PAYMENT and it must be the original permittee who files

    Frequently asked questions

    Not where no structural elements are being revised. SMC 15.05.040 adds IRC R105.2(11) exempting "Re-roofing of existing buildings where there are no structural elements being revised, including the roof diaphragm." Note this is a Shoreline answer only - Seattle, in the same county, does issue a re-roof permit.

    In Shoreline, the published Permit fee (set by Chapter 3.01 SMC) is: Set by Chapter 3.01 SMC - see notes. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Shoreline does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Shoreline at (206) 801-2700 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Permit application and plans. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through City of Shoreline at 17500 Midvale Avenue N, Shoreline, WA 98133. Phone: (206) 801-2700. Official information: https://www.shorelinewa.gov/.

    Shoreline names no edition year at all. SMC 15.05.010 adopts "The current edition" of the International Building Code and International Residential Code "as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council" in Chapters 51-50 and 51-51 WAC, "as now or hereafter amended". Whatever the state adopts applies here automatically. Years do appear in the chapter - 1997, 2010, 2021 - but they are ordinance dates and a flood study date, not edition years.

    Not as a separate document. SMC 15.05.040 amends IRC R110.3 so that "An issued permit card affixed with a dated, authorized signature entered under the 'Final' inspection shall constitute the certificate of occupancy required by this code." The signed card is the certificate, so keep it with the property records.

    Sources & verification

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

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

    Shoreline's permit history isn't searchable here yet

    This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Shoreline 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 Shoreline lands. Privacy.

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