Spokane Valley building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Spokane Valley, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 10210 East Sprague Avenue, Spokane Valley, WA 99206
- Phone
- 509-720-5000
- 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.
- SPOKANE VALLEY NAMES NO EDITION FOR THE BUILDING CODES. SVMC 24.40.020(A): "Pursuant to Chapters 19.27 and 19.27A RCW, and Chapter 51-50 WAC, the City adopts the Washington State Building Code, as presently constituted or subsequently amended, together with all amendments and additions provided in SVMC Title 24."
THE ADOPTED LIST, EACH WITHOUT A YEAR: the International Building Code (Chapter 51-50 WAC); the International Residential Code (Chapter 51-51 WAC); the International Energy Conservation Code (Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R… Show full textShow less
THE ADOPTED LIST, EACH WITHOUT A YEAR: the International Building Code (Chapter 51-50 WAC); the International Residential Code (Chapter 51-51 WAC); the International Energy Conservation Code (Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R WAC); the International Mechanical Code and International Fuel Gas Code, NFPA 58 and NFPA 54 (Chapter 51-52 WAC); the International Fire Code (Chapter 51-54A WAC); and the Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Plumbing Code Standards (Chapter 51-56 WAC) - each "including Washington State Amendments".
- ONE ADOPTION CONTRADICTS ITSELF, AND YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU RELY ON IT. SVMC 24.40.020(B): "The City hereby adopts the 2018 Edition of the International Property Maintenance Code, current adopted edition, as published by the International Code Council, Inc." A fixed year and a rolling reference sit in the same phrase. THIS GUIDE DOES NOT DECIDE which controls - ask the city which IPMC edition it enforces.
- AND A LONG LIST OF IPMC SECTIONS IS NOT ADOPTED: "Sections 106, 111, 302.3, 302.4, 302.8, 304.2, 304.8, 304.13 through 304.19, 305.3, 305.6, 308, 309.2 through 309.5, 404.1, 506.3, 507, and 606 are not adopted." A property maintenance argument that rests on one of those sections does not rest on anything here.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Spokane Valley. The city adopts the state building code without naming an edition - but unusually, a complete application vests you to the edition in force when it was accepted.
See fee scheduleShed or Detached Accessory Structure
Spokane Valley sets its permit exemption for detached accessory structures at 200 square feet - notably higher than several other Washington cities.
See fee scheduleDeck Permit
Low decks are exempt in Spokane Valley, but only where all four conditions in the local amendment are met.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Spokane Valley does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Spokane Valley's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Spokane Valley 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 Spokane Valley lands. Privacy.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-07)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- 462units
11 of 12 months reported · #7 in Washington coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 412units
139 buildings · $82.7M valuation
6 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 855units
212 buildings · $186.1M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Washington building activity
Tips & gotchas
- A COMPLETE APPLICATION VESTS YOU TO THE STATE CODE EDITION in force when it was accepted - a genuine protection, and a local one.
- Kent limits vesting to LAND USE regulations only. Same state, opposite answer. Check the city you are actually in.
- The vesting is bounded by the code cycle: extensions cannot run past it.
- An expired application loses the vesting AND costs a new fee, and is judged under the code as it stands at refiling.
- Applications last one year; issued permits die if work has not commenced in two years.
- The shed exemption is 200 square feet here - higher than the 120 used in Tukwila, Camas and Lynden.
- Low decks are exempt only if all four conditions hold: 30 inches, no guardrail required, nothing below, not an accessible route.
- The IPMC adoption names "the 2018 Edition" and "current adopted edition" in one phrase. Ask the city which governs.
- A long list of IPMC sections is NOT adopted - check before relying on one.