Spokane building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Spokane, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA 99201
- Phone
- (509) 755-2489
- Office hours
- Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 8am to 5pm. Wednesdays: 11am to 5pm.
- 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 NAMES NO EDITION. SMC 17F.040.010 adopts "the Washington State Building Code (chapter 19.27 RCW and chapter 19.27A RCW) as modified by chapter 51-50 WAC", and lists the "International Building Code (IBC), current… Show full textShow less
SPOKANE NAMES NO EDITION. SMC 17F.040.010 adopts "the Washington State Building Code (chapter 19.27 RCW and chapter 19.27A RCW) as modified by chapter 51-50 WAC", and lists the "International Building Code (IBC), current adopted Edition, as published by the International Code Council, including Washington State amendments, ICC/ANSI A117.1, and the current adopted Edition International Existing Building Code". The phrase "current adopted Edition" does the work of a year.
THE RESIDENTIAL CODE IS ADOPTED WITH THREE WHOLE PARTS CUT OUT. Show full textShow less
THE RESIDENTIAL CODE IS ADOPTED WITH THREE WHOLE PARTS CUT OUT. SMC 17F.040.010 adopts the "International Residential Code, current adopted Edition (except Part IV - Energy Efficiency, Part VII - Plumbing, and Part VIII - Electrical) as published by the International Code Council, and chapter 51-51 WAC; and Appendix Q: Dwelling Unit Fire Sprinkler Systems, WAC 51-51-60105". Energy, plumbing and electrical come from elsewhere.
- The same section adopts the "International Energy Conservation Code, current adopted Edition, chapter 51-11C and 51-11R WAC."
- Spokane splits construction law across eleven chapters of Title 17F: General Provisions (17F.010), Alternative Methods and Materials for Mixed-use Residential Buildings (17F.020), Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (17F.030), Building Code (17F.040), Electrical Code (17F.050), Elevator Code (17F.060), Existing Building and Conservation Code (17F.070) and Fire Code (17F.080) among them.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Spokane under SMC Title 17F. The city adopts the state building code at whatever edition is currently in force rather than naming a year.
See fee scheduleDeck Permit
Residential decks in Spokane are built to the IRC as adopted at SMC 17F.040.010, using the city's own design criteria table.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Spokane does not issue it. Note that Spokane's boiler and pressure vessel inspection program also moved to Labor & Industries on 1 July 2026.
See fee schedule
Property Access
Spokane's permit history is searchable by address
58,272 permits in our copy of Spokane's register — searchable by street address, with permit type, status, issued date and valuation where the city publishes them. This is what we hold, not a statement of everything Spokane has issued.
None of Spokane's records carry an issued date, so this history cannot be filtered or sorted by date. The permits are here and searchable by address — but “when” is not a question they can answer.
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)
- 204units
36 buildings · $66.2M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 927units
12 of 12 months reported · #5 in Washington coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 693units
157 buildings · $166.8M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 692units
231 buildings · $178.2M 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
- THE PERMIT CENTER OPENS AT 11AM ON WEDNESDAYS, so staff can clear plan reviews. Every other weekday it is 8am to 5pm.
- Spokane's code names no edition - it adopts the IBC and IRC at the "current adopted Edition", so you cannot read the governing year off the code.
- The design criteria table IS published, which is unusual and useful: snow 39 lbs/ft2, wind 110 mph ULTIMATE, seismic C, frost 24 inches.
- Read the wind label. Spokane states an ULTIMATE speed; nearby Airway Heights states a GUST speed. The numbers are not comparable as printed.
- On snow load, seismic category, frost depth and minimum roof snow load, Spokane and Airway Heights are identical - the wind figure is the only one that differs, and it differs in unit.
- The design criteria ordinance dates from 2016 while the code adoption rolls forward. Confirm the table is current.
- The code section titled "Fees" contains no fees - it deletes IBC Section 108.
- FRAUD WARNING, FROM THE CITY: it will never request permit payment by emailed wire transfer instructions. Verify any invoice before paying.
- Boiler and pressure vessel inspection moved to Washington State Labor & Industries on 1 July 2026.
- The IRC is adopted without its energy, plumbing and electrical parts - those are separate adoptions, so a single IRC reference will not tell you the whole rule.