Edmonds building permits

Requirements

• Reviewed under the 2021 IRC (ECDC 19.05.000) with Appendix Chapters E, F, K, Q, T, U and Y; IRC Chapter 1, Chapter 11, Part VII (Plumbing) and Part VIII (Electrical) are not adopted
• Design to the city's own climatic criteria: 25 psf non-reducible ground and roof snow load, 98 mph basic wind speed, Seismic Design Category D1, 18-inch frost depth (12 inches for porches and decks)
• Automatic fire sprinklers required if the dwelling exceeds 3,000 square feet of fire area, counting attached garages and covered porches and patios
• Rights vest when a “fully complete” application is filed under ECDC 19.00.025(I), per RCW 19.27.031 and 19.27.074
• Applications expire 12 months after filing; one extension up to 6 months is available, for an 18-month total application life (ECDC 19.00.025(H))

Required documents

• RequiredBuilding Permit ApplicationMust be executed by the owners of the property or their duly authorized agent(s) and be “substantially complete in all respects” to vest under ECDC 19.00.025(I).
• RequiredConstruction DrawingsPlans required by IBC Section 107 as referenced through ECDC 19.00.025; structural details must be stamped by the structural engineer of record where applicable.
• RequiredEnergy Code Compliance DocumentationDemonstrating compliance with the 2021 Washington State Energy Code, Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R WAC (ECDC 19.30.000).
• RequiredEvidence of Potable Water SupplyECDC 19.20.010 requires substantive evidence of an adequate potable water supply from the purveyor before any building permit issues for new development. Applicants relying on a well must supply state approval for the appropriation and a current water-quality test from a qualified laboratory.
• OptionalFire Sprinkler Plans (NFPA 13D)Required where fire area exceeds 3,000 square feet. Must show the main pressure gauge, a main drain plumbed to the exterior, and the required red placards at the main supply and drain valves.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Reviewed under the 2021 IBC (ECDC 19.00.020) with Appendix Chapters E, G, H, I, J and P
• Projects subject to Architectural Design Board review may file an “augmented ADB application” under ECDC 19.00.030 to vest building permit, development and impact fees early
• Phased approval for grading, shoring and foundation is available under ECDC 19.00.025(M), but only after ADB approval and only on approved civil plans signed by the city engineer, with a performance bond posted under Chapter 17.10 ECDC
• Address numerals must be at least 6 inches high with a stroke of at least .75 inch, in a colour contrasting the building base (ECDC 19.00.025(P))
• Buildings destroyed or damaged “in an amount equal to 75 percent or more of its replacement cost” are reconstructed as new construction (ECDC 19.00.045)

Required documents

• RequiredFully Complete Building Permit ApplicationECDC 19.00.025(I): executed by the owners or their duly authorized agent(s), “containing each and every document required under the terms of these ordinances and the IBC”, and accompanied by all required intake fees including plan review fees.
• RequiredPlans and Specifications (IBC Section 107)Stamped and certified by the appropriate engineering, surveying or other professional consultants where required.
• OptionalArchitectural Design Board ApprovalRequired for development as defined in ECDC 20.10.010. An augmented ADB application under ECDC 19.00.030 vests rights at filing but expires with them six months later if final design approval is not received.
• OptionalPerformance Bond or Frozen FundRequired for phased approval under ECDC 19.00.025(M)(3) and conforming to Chapter 17.10 ECDC, covering the estimated cost of constructing site improvements to city standards.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Applies to all building, grading, fill and excavation permits where any portion of the site lies within the hazard area or its buffer; minor plumbing, mechanical, reroof and interior alteration permits are exempt (ECDC 19.10.000(E))
• The hazard area is the one “designated in the 2007 report of Landau Associates” and later adopted hazard maps (ECDC 19.10.020)
• Many ordinary permit exemptions are switched off inside the hazard area, including sheds, fences, retaining walls, rockeries, water tanks, driveways, grading under 50 cubic yards, decks under 30 inches and sport courts (ECDC 19.10.010(A)(2))
• The site must meet the code definition of “stable”; for single-family proposals a deep-seated risk is acceptable only if “the risk of probability of earth movement is 30 percent or less within a 25-year period”
• The general contractor must “carry general public liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000” naming the city as an additional insured, effective through final occupancy (ECDC 19.10.020, 19.10.050(B)). THIS IS A COVERAGE LIMIT THE BUILDER MUST HOLD, NOT A SUM PAYABLE TO THE CITY, so it is recorded here rather than among the fees.
• Applications expire two years after filing rather than the usual twelve months, and the building official “may not extend the time for action” except on the four listed grounds (ECDC 19.10.010(A)(3))

Required documents

• RequiredGeotechnical ReportSigned and stamped by a geotechnical engineer with at least four years in responsible charge including landslide evaluation. Must reference the Landau Associates Summary Report (2007), be based on best available science, and analyse borings or test pits “to a minimum depth of six feet below the proposed lowest footing or pile”.
• RequiredTopographic Map and SurveyStamped by a licensed land surveyor and prepared before the geotechnical studies. Existing grade contours at two-foot intervals, distances to existing structures on adjacent sites within 50 feet of property lines, and lowest footing or basement slab elevations on this and adjacent properties.
• RequiredCivil-Engineered PlansStamped by a Washington licensed civil engineer under Chapter 18.30 ECDC and the current city stormwater manual — storm drainage with calculations, foundation drainage, temporary and permanent erosion control, slope protection, shoring, and top and toe of slope setbacks.
• OptionalTree Cutting / Land Clearing PlanRequired where significant trees are proposed for removal. A significant tree is “a tree with a trunk diameter of six inches or greater measured four feet from the ground”, and none may be removed until the permit is approved.
• OptionalBluff Retreat AnalysisFor properties containing or adjacent to bluffs, a geologist must estimate the bluff retreat amount and regression rate “for periods of 25 and 125 years”. If retreat would unreasonably endanger the structure during its normal useful life, the application is denied.
• RequiredOwner and Professional DeclarationsA written owner declaration accepting the risk and undertaking to advise prospective purchasers or residential lessees of the slide potential, plus disclosure letters from the geotechnical, civil and structural engineers confirming the plans conform to the geotechnical recommendations.
• RequiredRecorded CovenantA covenant running with the land, on a city form, filed with the Snohomish County auditor — carrying the legal description, a statement that the site is in a potential hazard area, and an indemnity holding the city harmless for loss resulting from soil movement.
• RequiredSite Bond or Frozen Fund and Contractor InsuranceA surety bond in an amount set by the director, or an equivalent frozen fund, to restore areas disturbed or damaged by slides during construction. Exonerated on occupancy approval.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• ECDC 19.00.025(E): “Before the partial or complete demolition of any building or structure (interior or exterior), a demolition permit shall be obtained from the building official.”
• A performance bond or frozen fund conforming to Chapter 17.10 ECDC must be posted BEFORE permit issuance, in an amount set by the building official
• City requirements must be satisfied no later than 180 days after permit issuance
• Construction debris, vegetation and garbage must be removed from the site and from unopened street right-of-way within 30 days of written notice
• Temporary erosion control must be installed and maintained per Chapter 18.30 ECDC

Required documents

• RequiredDemolition Permit ApplicationFiled with the building official under ECDC 19.00.025(E).
• RequiredPerformance Bond or Frozen FundConforming to Chapter 17.10 ECDC, posted with the city prior to permit issuance, in an amount determined by the building official. It is not released until all six numbered completion conditions are met.
• OptionalStructural Fill Compaction VerificationWhere basements are filled, compaction to 90 percent modified proctor per ASTM D1557 must be verified by a special inspector.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• 2021 IMC as amended by the WSBCC in Chapter 51-52 WAC (ECDC 19.15.000); IMC Chapter 1 is not adopted, administration comes from IBC Chapter 1 via ECDC 19.00.015
• 2021 IFGC as amended in Chapter 51-52 WAC “inclusive of NFPA 54 and 58” (ECDC 19.15.010)
• Fuel gas is deliberately routed out of the plumbing code: UPC Chapter 12 (fuel piping) is deleted and the UPC is adopted “provided, that any provisions that affect fuel gas piping are not adopted” (ECDC 19.20.000, 19.20.005)
• Where a residential fire sprinkler system is installed, all fuel fired equipment under combustible construction must be protected by at least one sprinkler head, except under exterior projections less than 48 inches (ECDC 19.05.020(B)(3)(d))

Required documents

• RequiredMechanical Permit ApplicationFiled with the building division under Chapter 19.15 ECDC.
• RequiredEquipment Specifications and LayoutShowing appliance locations, venting, and combustion air provisions to the 2021 IMC and IFGC as amended in Chapter 51-52 WAC.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• 2021 UPC published by IAPMO, including Appendices A, B, I and M, as amended by the WSBCC in Chapter 51-56 WAC (ECDC 19.20.000)
• UPC Chapter 1 is not adopted; Chapter 12 (fuel piping) and Chapter 14 (firestop protection) are deleted (ECDC 19.20.005)
• IRC Part VII (Plumbing) is not adopted for residential work either — ECDC 19.05.015 routes it to Chapter 19.20 ECDC
• Evidence of an adequate potable water supply from the purveyor is required before any building permit issues for new development (ECDC 19.20.010)

Required documents

• RequiredPlumbing Permit ApplicationFiled with the building division under Chapter 19.20 ECDC.
• RequiredEvidence of Potable Water SupplyECDC 19.20.010. Inside the Edmonds water utility service area, notification from a duly authorized representative of the city's water utility is sufficient. Applicants relying on a well must supply the applicable state approval for the appropriation and a current test of water quality by a qualified laboratory.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• 2021 ISPSC adopted at ECDC 19.35.000 — the only chapter in Title 19 adopted with no WSBCC amendment clause
• The ISPSC applies to pools for the sole use of residents and invited guests at a single-family dwelling, or of a resident-owned duplex, or operated exclusively for physical therapy or rehabilitation under a licensed medical practitioner; other “water recreation facilities” per RCW 70.90.110 fall under Chapters 246-260 and 246-262 WAC
• Public swimming pool barriers are regulated by WAC 246-260-031(4), not by the ISPSC
• Setbacks are measured “from property lines to the inside face of the pool, hot tub or spa” as required by the zoning code for accessory structures (ECDC 19.00.025(Y))
• No direct connection may be made to any storm drain, city sewer main, drainage system, seepage pit, underground leaching pit or sub-soil drain; a sanitary tee is required for draining treated water to the sanitary sewer (ECDC 19.00.025(AA))
• PROHIBITED OUTRIGHT inside the North Edmonds earth subsidence and landslide hazard area (ECDC 19.10.070(E)(1))

Required documents

• RequiredPool / Spa Permit Application and PlansShowing location and setbacks to the inside face of the pool shell, equipment locations, and the wastewater disposal route, which must be reviewed and approved by the public works director.
• RequiredCross-Connection Control DocumentationWashington State Department of Health approved cross connection devices are required on potable water systems used to fill any pool, hot tub or spa (ECDC 19.00.025(Z)).
• RequiredBackflow Assembly Test ReportsAll backflow assemblies must be tested by state certified backflow assembly testers on initial installation and annually thereafter, with copies of all test reports submitted to the city water division for review and approval.

Fee schedule

Requirements

• ECDC 19.55.000 lets the city enforce “the same permitting and inspection standards applicable to basic electrical work as are enforced by the Department of Labor and Industries” under RCW 35A.70.050 and 19.28.141
• The governing code is “the version of the National Electrical Code that the Department of Labor and Industries has most recently adopted by rule” — the city names no edition year
• IRC Part VIII (Electrical) is not adopted; ECDC 19.05.015 routes residential electrical here
• Where codes conflict, ECDC 19.55.015 applies whichever provision the building official considers to provide “the greatest public safety”

Required documents

• RequiredElectrical Permit ApplicationConfirm with the city or with L&I which body is issuing for your project before filing — ECDC 19.55 sets the standard by reference to L&I rather than establishing a separate city code edition.

Fee schedule