Lynnwood building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Lynnwood, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 19100 44th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036
- Phone
- (425) 670-5000
- 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.
- NO EDITION YEAR IS NAMED FOR ANY CODE, AND THE CITY USES THREE DIFFERENT PHRASINGS FOR IT. The IBC is “the latest edition”, the IRC “the latest adopted version”, and the NEC “the Washington State adopted National Electrical Code”. A delegated binding has no canonical wording, so it cannot be found by searching for a phrase.
IBC — LMC 16.04.010: “As amended by the provisions of this chapter and the State of Washington Building Code Council, under Chapter 51-50 WAC, the latest edition of the International Building Code, published by the… Show full textShow less
IBC — LMC 16.04.010: “As amended by the provisions of this chapter and the State of Washington Building Code Council, under Chapter 51-50 WAC, the latest edition of the International Building Code, published by the International Code Council, together with Appendices E, G, and J, one copy of which, along with the State of Washington Building Code Council’s amendments, shall be on file in the office of the Lynnwood city clerk, are adopted by reference.”
- IRC — LMC 16.09.010: “… the latest adopted version of the International Residential Code (IRC), published by the International Code Council, except Chapters 11 and 25 through 43 … is adopted by reference.” Chapter 11 (energy) and Chapters 25 through 43 (the plumbing, mechanical and electrical parts of the IRC) are excluded, which is why plumbing and mechanical sit in LMC Title 15 and electrical in LMC Chapter 16.10.
- IECC — LMC 16.05.010: “As amended by this chapter and the State of Washington Building Code Council, under Chapters 51-11R and 51-11C WAC, the latest edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), as published by the International Code Council … is adopted by this reference.”
- UPC — LMC 15.04.010: “… under Chapters 51-56 and 51-57 WAC, the latest edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) less Chapters 12 and 15 published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials … are adopted by this reference; provided, that in the event of a conflict between the International Fire Code and the Uniform Plumbing Code, the International Fire Code shall govern.”
- IMC — LMC 15.08.010: “As amended by this chapter and the State of Washington Building Code Council, the latest edition of the International Mechanical Code (IMC), as published by the International Code Council … are adopted by this reference.” NOTE THE ASYMMETRY: this is the ONLY adoption section in either title that does not cite a Chapter 51-xx WAC number. Every sibling names one.
- NEC — LMC 16.10.050: “As amended by the provisions of this chapter, the Washington State adopted National Electrical Code (NEC) issued by the National Fire Protection Association including Annex A, B, and C is adopted by reference.”
- STRUCTURE: the mechanical code lives in the PLUMBING title. LMC Title 15 is headed “PLUMBING” and contains exactly two chapters — 15.04 Uniform Plumbing Code and 15.08 International Mechanical Code. Title 16 (Building) carries the IBC, IRC, IECC, electrical, ISPSC, IPMC and flood provisions, and its own footnote directs: “for plumbing, see LMC Title 15”.
- NOT OPENED FOR THIS ENTRY and therefore not asserted: LMC 16.24 (International Swimming Pool and Spa Code), 16.44 (International Property Maintenance Code), 16.46 (Flood Hazard Area Regulations), 16.08 (Regulation and Abatement of Unsafe and Unsanitary Structures), 16.20 (Building Moving), 16.14 (Underground Utilities), 16.40 (Temporary Sales/Leasing Office) and 16.50 (Appeals).
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses in Lynnwood, reviewed under whichever International Residential Code edition the Washington State Building Code Council currently adopts in Chapter 51-51 WAC.
See fee scheduleCommercial Building Permit
Required for commercial construction, alterations and additions in Lynnwood, reviewed under whichever International Building Code edition the Washington State Building Code Council currently adopts in Chapter 51-50 WAC.
See fee scheduleMechanical Permit
Required for mechanical work in Lynnwood under LMC Chapter 15.08 — which sits inside Title 15, headed “Plumbing”.
See fee schedulePlumbing Permit
Required for plumbing work in Lynnwood under LMC Chapter 15.04, using the Uniform Plumbing Code rather than the International Plumbing Code.
See fee scheduleElectrical Permit
Electrical work in Lynnwood is permitted under LMC Chapter 16.10, which adopts the National Electrical Code as adopted by Washington State.
See fee schedule
Lynnwood's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Lynnwood 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 Lynnwood lands. Privacy.
Tips & gotchas
- Lynnwood names NO edition year for any code. The IBC is “the latest edition”, the IRC “the latest adopted version” and the NEC “the Washington State adopted” code — three different phrasings for the same thing. To learn which edition applies you read the cited Chapter 51-xx WAC, not the municipal code.
- Almost all of Lynnwood's local building amendments were REPEALED in 2021 by Ord. 3396. Chapter 16.04 lists about forty-two sections and only three are live: adoption, board of appeals and the fee schedule. If you are looking for a local variation from the model code here, there is very little left to find — which is itself the useful fact.
- Fees are set by a fee ORDINANCE of the city council (LMC 16.04.100 and four sibling sections), not by resolution as in Edmonds and not by executive order as in Puyallup, and no amount appears anywhere in the code. Ask for the current fee ordinance.
- THE MECHANICAL CODE IS IN THE PLUMBING TITLE. LMC Title 15 is headed “Plumbing” and holds both Chapter 15.04 (Uniform Plumbing Code) and Chapter 15.08 (International Mechanical Code). Title 16 (Building) points you there in its own footnote.
- Appeals go to the hearing examiner under Chapter 16.50 LMC, and the examiner “shall have no authority to waive requirements of this code.” An appeal has to argue that the code was misread, does not fully apply, or that an equally good or better form of construction is proposed — not that the requirement is unreasonable.
- PUBLISHED DESIGN FIGURE WORTH CHECKING BEFORE YOU RELY ON IT: Lynnwood's air freezing index is published as 1500 (LMC 16.09.100) while adjoining Edmonds publishes 175 — same county, about eight miles apart, a factor of 8.6. Both are reproduced here as published. This entry does not determine which is right; confirm with the building official if your foundation design turns on it.
- Other design criteria differ from Edmonds in ways that look ordinary: 110 mph wind against 98, Seismic Design Category D2 against D1, winter design temperature 22 against 27. Ground snow load 25 and an 18-inch frost line agree between the two.
- The IRC here excludes Chapters 11 and 25 through 43, so its energy, plumbing, mechanical and electrical parts do not apply — those come from the IECC chapter, LMC Title 15 and LMC Chapter 16.10 instead.
- A conflict rule is written straight into the plumbing adoption: where the International Fire Code and the Uniform Plumbing Code disagree, “the International Fire Code shall govern” (LMC 15.04.010). The UPC is also adopted “less Chapters 12 and 15”.
- Five chapters of Title 16 appear in the contents with the word “Repealed” as their entire name (16.06, 16.07, 16.16, 16.32, 16.36). That is readable from the contents — unlike Puyallup, where a repealed chapter keeps its old name and simply lists no sections, and unlike Lakewood, where a note saying a title was repealed does not mean the title is dead.
- LMC Title 21, Zoning, is listed as “Expired June 30, 2025”. Zoning provisions live in Title 8, the Unified Development Code. An expiry date printed in a title's own name is a fourth distinct way this state's codes signal that something is no longer live.
- The code is current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026 — about two and a half months behind Edmonds on the same publisher, which prints its currency in the same form. The city clerk's office holds the official version.