Skip to main content
PermitBase

Building Permit — Earth Subsidence and Landslide Hazard Area in Edmonds, Washington

A separate and substantially heavier permit track for any site lying wholly or partly within the North Edmonds earth subsidence and landslide hazard area or its buffer, governed by Chapter 19.10 ECDC.

Verified 2026-09-16 · Source

When you need this permit

  • 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

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet — 0 of 6 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our checklist will assemble all of them, free →

Fee schedule

Building permit
ECDC 19.70 is titled “Fees” and contains no monetary figure. Show full citationECDC 19.70 is titled “Fees” and contains no monetary figure. Its five live sections were opened in full this session: 19.70.010 states “Fee schedules are on file in the city clerk’s office.” while 19.70.010(C) and 19.70.020 both state the amounts are “set forth in this chapter” — a cross-reference that points at its own chapter and is wrong. The one pointer that leaves the chapter, ECDC 15.00.020(A), was also opened in full and ends outside the code: “Fees are established by resolution of the city council and can be accessed at the following hyperlink: Development Fees.” No dollar amount is therefore published in the Edmonds code, and none is asserted here.
Set by council resolution; not in code
Third-party peer review
ECDC 19.10.060(A): the city requires professional peer review of the plan set by a civil, geotechnical, structural engineer or geologist, and “the full cost of such peer review shall be paid in full… Show full citationECDC 19.10.060(A): the city requires professional peer review of the plan set by a civil, geotechnical, structural engineer or geologist, and “the full cost of such peer review shall be paid in full by the owner/applicant within 30 days of billing by the city. Failure to make timely payments shall result in a stay of city plan review services on the application.” No amount is published because the cost is the consultant's.
Peer review billed at full cost to you
Permit extension (third year)ECDC 19.10.010(A)(5)(b). Here the extension is conditional as well as priced: the plans must be unchanged from the original application and “at least one (1) required progress inspection” must have been conducted before the extension.
3rd-year renewal: 25% of original fee

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Building Permit — Earth Subsidence and Landslide Hazard Area permit actually take in Edmonds?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Site Access Approval (before any equipment enters)

    ECDC 19.10.080(A) requires the building official's approval before entering the site with excavating, grading or clearing equipment for any purpose, including creating access.

  2. 2

    Progress Inspections During Construction

    At least one required progress inspection must have been conducted by the city building inspector before any third-year permit extension will be granted.

See the full Edmonds inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • The season is a permit condition here, not a scheduling preference. ECDC 19.10.010(A)(7)(a) lets the building official limit all excavation, drainage systems and foundation installation to the drier season between May 1st and September 30th, and any request for site access between October 1st and April 30th needs your geotechnical engineer's written concurrence.
  • Five things are simply prohibited inside the hazard area regardless of design: swimming pools or hot tubs, ponds or other artificial impoundments, watering or irrigation systems, temporary or permanent fill stockpiles at the top or bottom of slopes, and rockeries. A waiver is possible but ECDC 19.10.070(F) puts the burden on you “by a clear preponderance of the evidence”.
  • Budget for peer review as a real line item and pay it fast. The city can require it on any plan set, the full cost is yours, it is due within 30 days of billing, and late payment triggers a stay of city plan review — the review simply stops until you pay.
  • The peer reviewer, not the building official, effectively decides. ECDC 19.10.060(C) makes the final peer review recommendation “binding upon the building official”, appealable only to superior court under the Land Use Petition Act.

Frequently asked questions

Edmonds requires a building permit — earth subsidence and landslide hazard area for: 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)). If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Edmonds Planning and Development Department – Building Division at (425) 775-2525 before starting work.

In Edmonds, the published Building permit is: Set by council resolution; not in code. Additional published fees: Third-party peer review — Peer review billed at full cost to you; Permit extension (third year) — 3rd-year renewal: 25% of original fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Edmonds does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Edmonds Planning and Development Department – Building Division at (425) 775-2525 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Geotechnical Report; Topographic Map and Survey; Civil-Engineered Plans; Owner and Professional Declarations; Recorded Covenant; Site Bond or Frozen Fund and Contractor Insurance. Depending on your project, Edmonds may also ask for: Tree Cutting / Land Clearing Plan; Bluff Retreat Analysis. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Edmonds Planning and Development Department – Building Division at 121 5th Ave N, Edmonds, WA 98020. Phone: (425) 775-2525. Official information: https://www.edmondswa.gov/.

The area is the North Edmonds earth subsidence and landslide hazard area including its buffer, “designated in the 2007 report of Landau Associates and as may be amended in future adopted earth subsidence and landslide hazard maps” (ECDC 19.10.020). Copies of the reports and maps are kept in the building official's office and are available for inspection during normal working hours. Every permit application must disclose within the geotechnical report whether any part of the site lies within or adjacent to the area, and the building official may require a preliminary geotechnical investigation to decide the question. A determination that your property lies within or adjacent to the area is appealable to superior court under the Land Use Petition Act.

Yes, and the code states quantified grounds. ECDC 19.10.070(C) requires denial where the director finds the land unsuitable due to excessively steep slopes, unsatisfactory foundation support, instability or unsuitable topography; where development would increase soil movement to an unacceptable risk; for excessive flooding, seepage, high water table or inadequate drainage; where a bluff retreat analysis shows the structure would be unreasonably endangered during its normal useful life; or “if the applicant’s geotechnical engineer determines that there is a greater chance than 30 percent in a 25-year period that landslide damage on site will occur.”

The code explains itself at ECDC 19.10.000(C): the IRC/IBC “does not specify a standard regarding lot stability”, the city's request for an interpretation from the State Building Code Council to designate an acceptable level of lot stability was denied, and the city wanted permit issuance to remain “a ministerial and not a discretionary act” as state law requires. Chapter 19.10 exists to supply that missing certainty — “not to lessen the minimum requirements of the current adopted building code, but rather to define its requirements for city implementation.”

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

Edmonds's permit history isn't searchable here yet

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

Other permits in Edmonds

Residential Building Permit (New Construction)Commercial Building PermitDemolition PermitMechanical PermitPlumbing PermitSwimming Pool, Hot Tub and Spa PermitElectrical Permit

Compare building permit — earth subsidence and landslide hazard area fees across Washington →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Now live

Build your Edmonds project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Edmonds — in one checklist. Free, for any city and any number of projects.

Get started →