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Dock and Over-Water Structure Permit in Lake Stevens, Washington

Lake Stevens expressly requires a building permit for docks, bridges and other over-water structures — a distinct requirement for a city built around a lake.

Verified 2026-09-16 · Source

When you need this permit

  • “Building permits shall be required for all docks, bridges or other over-water structures and shall comply with the regulations of this title.” (LSMC 14.80.080)
  • “This title” is Title 14, the Land Use Code, so shoreline, critical-areas and dimensional provisions elsewhere in Title 14 apply as well
  • LSMC Chapter 14.92 (Shoreline Management) and Chapter 14.88 (Critical Areas) are likely to apply and were NOT opened for this entry

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Permit fee
LSMC 14.80.040: “The City shall collect fees for all services rendered and activities performed in reviewing and issuing building permits. Show full citationLSMC 14.80.040: “The City shall collect fees for all services rendered and activities performed in reviewing and issuing building permits. Said fees shall be set by resolution.” No dollar amount appears in the code and none is asserted here. Across this Washington set the INSTRUMENT varies and is worth knowing: Edmonds and Lake Stevens use a council RESOLUTION, Lynnwood a fee ORDINANCE, and Puyallup an EXECUTIVE ORDER of the city manager. Ask the city for the current resolution.
Set by city council resolution
Appeal feeLSMC 14.80.030(e)(3): “The written appeal and the appeal fee, if any, must be received by the Department of Planning and Community Development no later than 4:00 p.m. on the fourteenth day following the date of the notice of decision.” The code says “if any” and states no amount.
Set by resolution; due with the appeal

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Dock and Over-Water Structure Permit permit actually take in Lake Stevens?

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

Inspection process

    Tips

    • A dock is building-permit work here, not merely a shoreline matter. LSMC 14.80.080 puts docks, bridges and other over-water structures squarely inside the building chapter and then requires compliance with the whole of Title 14, which also holds the shoreline management and critical areas chapters — so expect more than one review track on the same structure.

    Frequently asked questions

    Yes. LSMC 14.80.080 states: “Building permits shall be required for all docks, bridges or other over-water structures and shall comply with the regulations of this title.” Because the building chapter sits inside Title 14 (Land Use Code), that compliance requirement reaches the rest of Title 14 as well, including Chapter 14.92 (Shoreline Management) and Chapter 14.88 (Critical Areas). Those chapters were not opened when this entry was compiled, so their specific requirements are not stated here.

    In Lake Stevens, the published Permit fee is: Set by city council resolution. Additional published fees: Appeal fee — Set by resolution; due with the appeal. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Lake Stevens does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Lake Stevens – Department of Planning and Community Development at (425) 334-1012 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Building Permit Application. Depending on your project, Lake Stevens may also ask for: Shoreline and Critical Areas Review Materials. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through City of Lake Stevens – Department of Planning and Community Development at 1812 Main St, Lake Stevens, WA 98258. Phone: (425) 334-1012. Official information: https://www.lakestevenswa.gov/.

    Lake Stevens, Washington has adopted: EDITIONS ARE NAMED HERE — 2021 THROUGHOUT. LSMC 14.80.010 opens: “The below-listed model codes, as approved, adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council (SBCC) are hereby adopted by this reference. These codes shall apply to all new construction, remodeling, or repairs. Copies of the codes are on file in the office of the Building Official.”; IBC — “The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code (IBC) including Appendix E, and the adoption of ICC/ANSI A117.1-2017, Requirements for Accessible and Useable Buildings and Facilities, as adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-50 WAC…”; IEBC — “The 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) is included in the adoption of the International Building Code as provided by IBC Section 101.4.7 as adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council.”; IRC — “The 2021 Edition of the International Residential Code … provided, that Chapters 11 and 25 through 43 of this code are not adopted. Energy Code is regulated by Chapter 51-11R WAC; Plumbing Code is regulated by Chapter 51-56 WAC; Electrical Code is regulated by Chapter 296-46B WAC or Electrical Code as adopted by the local jurisdiction. Appendix F, Radon Control Methods, and Appendix Q, Tiny Homes, are included in adoption of the International Residential Code.”; UPC — “2021 Edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code, including Appendices A, B and I … provided, that Chapters 12 and 15 of this code are not adopted; provided further, that those requirements relating to venting and combustion air of fuel-fired appliances as found in Chapter 5 and portions of the code addressing building sewers are not adopted (WAC 51-56-003).”; IMC — “2021 Edition of the International Mechanical Code published by the International Code Council, including 2021 International Fuel Gas Code, 2020 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 58 (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code) and 2021 NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code) with exceptions noted in WAC 51-52-003.” NOTE THE THREE DIFFERENT YEARS IN ONE SENTENCE: the IMC and IFGC are 2021, NFPA 58 is 2020, NFPA 54 is 2021. These are real edition years of four different documents, not a typo.; ENERGY — “2021 International Energy Conservation Code of the State of Washington regulated by Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R WAC.”; IPMC — “The 2021 Edition of the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), including Sections 107.4 and 107.6 (IPMC) … Provided, Sections 103.5, 106, 111, and 112 are not adopted.” The code then re-routes each excluded section to LSMC Chapter 17.20.; ISPSC — “The 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) is included in the adoption of the International Building Code as provided by IBC Section 3109.1 and amended in WAC 51-50-3109, and as provided by IRC Section R328 and amended in WAC 51-51-0328.” Adopted THROUGH the IBC and IRC rather than as a standalone chapter.; WUI — A NAMED EDITION WITH A DELEGATED OVERRIDE, WHICH IS A SHAPE OF ITS OWN. “The 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (WUI) as published by the International Code Council adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-55 WAC; provided, that it includes adoption of Appendix B as Chapter 7, Appendix C as Chapter 8, Appendix D as Chapter 9 and re-numbers referenced standard as Chapter 10.” Then: “Exception: If State Building Code Council votes to change or not adopt and or delay the implementation of 2021 WUI code or portion thereof then delay, not adopt and/or delay implementation in accordance with State Building Code Council.” The year is named AND contingent on the state — neither purely named-and-static nor purely delegated.; NOT OPENED FOR THIS ENTRY and therefore not asserted: LSMC Chapter 14.84 (Fire Code, which carries the sprinkler and address-identification provisions this chapter points to), 14.64 (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 14.50 (Land Disturbance), 14.52 (Fences, Hedges and Walls), 14.68 (Signs), 14.60 (Utilities), 14.124 (Deferred Collection of Impact Fees for Residential Construction), 14.112 and 14.120 (impact fees), and Title 17 (Uniform Enforcement Code).. Local amendments apply — see the Lake Stevens overview page for the full list.

    Sources & verification

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

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