Bainbridge Island building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-15 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 280 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
- Phone
- (206) 842-7633
- Office hours
- Not published on the pages read for this entry — confirm before travelling.
- 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.
- 2021 International Building Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(A), as amended by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-50 WAC, together with ICC A117.1, Appendix C (Agricultural Buildings), Appendix E (Supplementary Accessibility Requirements), Appendix J (Grading), and the 2021 International Existing Building Code.
- 2021 International Residential Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(B), Chapter 51-51 WAC, together with Appendix F (Radon Control Measures), Appendix J (Existing Buildings and Structures), and Appendix Q (Tiny Homes).
- 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(C), Chapter 51-56 WAC, including Appendices A, B, I and M.
- 2021 International Mechanical Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(D), Chapter 51-52 WAC, "except that the standards for handling liquefied petroleum gas installations shall be NFPA 58 (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code) and NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code)".
- 2021 International Energy Conservation Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(E), amended in Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R WAC.
- 2021 International Fuel Gas Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(F).
- 2021 International Green Construction Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(G): "International Green Construction Code (IGCC), 2021 Edition, is adopted by reference as an optional alternative to the 2021 IBC and/or 2021 IRC".
- 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code — BIMC § 15.04.020(H).
- RCW 19.27 — the Washington State Building Code, the statewide instrument beneath all of the above.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction, alteration and repair work on Bainbridge Island, reviewed under the 2021 International Building Code as adopted at BIMC § 15.04.020(A).
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Bainbridge Island does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Bainbridge Island's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Bainbridge Island 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 Bainbridge Island 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)
- 13units
6 buildings · $3.6M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 72units
12 of 12 months reported · #15 in Washington coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 40units
33 buildings · $9.6M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 67units
38 buildings · $31.3M valuation
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
- APPENDIX Q (TINY HOMES) IS ADOPTED HERE. Many Washington cities adopt no appendices at all; Bainbridge Island names several, and which ones changes what is permissible.
- IBC Appendix J (Grading) is adopted, so grading is inside the building code rather than beside it.
- The city code governs over the adopted International codes in a conflict (BIMC § 15.04.020).
- Liquefied petroleum gas follows NFPA 58 and NFPA 54, NOT the International Mechanical Code.
- The Green Construction Code is an OPTIONAL ALTERNATIVE to the IBC/IRC, not an extra burden.
- Amendments live partly in Resolution 99-31, not only in the municipal code — reading BIMC alone is not reading all of it.
- Fee amounts are not printed here: the city's fee document does not preserve the link between a valuation bracket and its amount under extraction.