University Place building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for University Place, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 3609 Market Place West, Suite 200, University Place, WA 98466
- Phone
- (253) 566-5656
- 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.
- UPMC 14.05.030 opens: “The following codes are hereby adopted by this reference as if fully set forth in this chapter and as specifically modified or amended as set forth in this chapter:”
- IBC — “The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code, including Appendix E, and ICC/ANSI A117.1-2017, and the 2021 International Existing Building Code and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code published by the International Code Council, is hereby adopted b…” (extract ends there). Three codes and an accessibility standard in one sentence.
- IRC — “The 2021 Edition of the International Residential Code including Appendices F, Q and U as published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted as amended by the Washington State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-51 WAC…” Appendices F (Radon), Q (Tiny Houses) and U (Dwelling Unit Fire Sprinkler Systems) — the same three Issaquah takes, where Lake Stevens takes only F and Q.
IMC / FUEL GAS — “The 2021 Edition of the International Mechanical Code, including adoption of and amendments to the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54), published by the International Code Council, and the 2021… Show full textShow less
IMC / FUEL GAS — “The 2021 Edition of the International Mechanical Code, including adoption of and amendments to the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54), published by the International Code Council, and the 2021 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code (NFPA 58), published by the National Fire Protection Association, is hereby adopted by reference with the exceptions noted in Chapter 5152 WAC.” NOTE TWO THINGS AS PUBLISHED: NFPA 58 is named at 2021 here, and the WAC chapter is printed “5152” without its hyphen.
- IFC — “The 2021 Edition of the International Fire Code, including Appendix B, published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted by reference with the additions, deletions, and exceptions co…” and those amendments run to roughly half the chapter.
- UPC — “The 2021 Edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code, including Appendices A, B, I and M, published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, is hereby adopted by reference with the additions, deletions and exceptions contained in Chapter 51-56 WAC.” Four appendices, where Lake Stevens takes A, B and I.
- ENERGY — “The 2021 Edition of the Washington State Energy Code, including commercial and residential provisions and appendices, is hereby adopted by reference with the additions, deletions and exceptions contained in Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R WAC.”
- NO ELECTRICAL CODE APPEARS in the UPMC 14.05.030 list as read. The absence is bounded: the adoption paragraphs were read in sequence and cover the IBC/IEBC/ISPSC, IRC, IMC/IFGC/NFPA 58, IFC, UPC and energy code. Electrical permitting in Washington is the Department of Labor and Industries' under Chapter 19.28 RCW; this entry does not establish the arrangement for University Place.
NOT OPENED FOR THIS ENTRY: UPMC 14.10 (Moving of Buildings), 14.15 (Flood Damage Prevention), 14.20 (RETAINING WALLS — a whole chapter, §§ 14.20.010–.080, unusual to find separated out), UPMC 14.05.090 (Administrative… Show full textShow less
NOT OPENED FOR THIS ENTRY: UPMC 14.10 (Moving of Buildings), 14.15 (Flood Damage Prevention), 14.20 (RETAINING WALLS — a whole chapter, §§ 14.20.010–.080, unusual to find separated out), UPMC 14.05.090 (Administrative provisions), 14.05.100 (Building code amendments), 14.05.120 (Penalties and enforcement), 14.05.130 (Liability), 14.05.140 (Hearings Examiner) and UPMC § 9.05.040, which the construction-hours section cross-references.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new one- and two-family dwellings in University Place, under the 2021 International Residential Code as adopted at UPMC 14.05.030.
See fee scheduleCommercial Building Permit
Required for commercial construction and alteration in University Place, under the 2021 International Building Code — with locally lowered sprinkler thresholds that catch most buildings.
See fee scheduleMechanical Permit
Mechanical and fuel gas work in University Place, under the 2021 International Mechanical Code together with the 2021 fuel gas codes.
See fee schedulePlumbing Permit
Plumbing work in University Place, under the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with four appendices adopted.
See fee scheduleFire Sprinkler and Alarm Permit
Required for automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems in University Place, under the 2021 International Fire Code as heavily amended by UPMC 14.05.110.
See fee scheduleElectrical Permit
University Place adopts no electrical code in its building and construction chapter.
See fee schedule
University Place's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for University Place 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 University Place lands. Privacy.
Tips & gotchas
- THE CODE IS THE OLDEST IN THIS WASHINGTON SET BY SOME MARGIN. The landing page states “Includes legislation through 12-01-2025.” — about nine months behind Edmonds and Issaquah, which are both current through ordinances passed 3 August 2026. Nothing here is wrong because of that, but anything adopted in University Place during 2026 will not appear in the published code.
- You may work on Sundays and holidays here, unlike several neighbours. UPMC 14.05.070 allows construction “Monday through Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.” and “Sunday and legal holidays: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.” Issaquah, forty minutes north, bans nonemergency construction on weekends and legal holidays entirely without a separate permit.
- SPRINKLERS AT 5,000 SQUARE FEET IS THE HEADLINE NUMBER. University Place amends the fire code so that essentially every commercial occupancy group — A-1 through A-4, B, E, F, M and S — needs an approved automatic sprinkler system above 5,000 square feet, which is far below the model code's thresholds. Budget for sprinklers on anything of any size.
- Two uses drop to 2,500 square feet: woodworking operations generating finely divided combustible waste, and the manufacture or the display and sale of upholstered furniture or mattresses. If that is your tenant, the threshold halves.
- There is a construction-type escape at the top end: Groups B, F-2 and S-2 built as Type IA/IB, IIA/IIB, IV/VA or IIB/IIIB can reach 12,000 square feet before sprinklers are required. Worth pricing against the cost of the system.
- A FIRE WALL WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM SPRINKLERS. The city amended the definition specifically to close that route: “A Fire Wall shall not be allowed to create a separate building that avoids the requirement for approved automatic fire sprinkler systems.”
- For houses the trigger is fire flow rather than size: any Group R-3 requiring 2,000 gallons per minute per IFC Appendix B must sprinkler. But there is relief in the other direction — a one- or two-family dwelling with an NFPA 13D system can have Appendices B and C modified by the Fire Code Official, provided a hydrant is within 500 feet.
- Alarm technology is fixed by device count, not by building size: 30 or more actuating devices requires an addressable system, and more than 75 smoke detectors or 200 total devices requires an analog intelligent system. A remodel over 50 percent of the building brings an existing system into compliance within 18 months of permit application.
- Two false alarms in any 90-day period is the free allowance; beyond that the Chief may charge for the response, and the panel has to carry a sign saying so.
- Fire lane striping and signage are specified to the inch — six-inch red lines, four-inch white lettering at 25-foot intervals, signs 12 by 18 inches at 6'6” above grade no more than 50 feet apart. These are the kind of details that fail a final inspection rather than a plan review.
- Note who decides what: the Fire Code Official inspects and enforces the fire code, but “conflicts of code interpretation shall be determined by the Building Official” (UPMC 14.05.050).
- Retaining walls have their own chapter here, UPMC 14.20, separate from grading or the building code. It was not opened for this entry — read it before designing one.