Olympia building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Olympia, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 601 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98507
- Phone
- (360) 753-8447
- 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 - OLYMPIA FOLLOWS WHATEVER THE STATE HAS ADOPTED. Show full textShow less
NO EDITION YEAR IS NAMED - OLYMPIA FOLLOWS WHATEVER THE STATE HAS ADOPTED. OMC 16.04.020: "The current State adopted edition of the International Building Code, (“IBC”), as adopted by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-50 WAC ... as published by the International Code Council, Inc. (ICC), including ICC A117.1-2017 “Accessible and usable buildings and facilities”". The accessibility standard is the only thing carrying a year.
- THE CHAPTER NAMES ITSELF. OMC 16.04.010: "This Chapter shall be known as the “Building Code,” may be cited as such, and will be referred to herein as “this code.” The codes adopted in this Chapter shall be collectively the “Building Code.”"
- THE ADOPTION IS MADE UNDER THE STATE STATUTE. "Pursuant to RCW 19.27.031, the City of Olympia hereby adopts the following codes, as amended by the Washington State Building Code Council, and as thereafter amended by the City of Olympia".
- FOUR SPECIFIC PIECES OF IBC CHAPTER 1 ARE CUT OUT, AND ONE OF THEM IS ODDLY SPECIFIC: "excluding Chapter 1, Section 101.4.3 “Plumbing”; excluding Chapter 1, Section 105.2 “work exempt from permit”, item 3, “Oil Derricks”; excluding Chapter 1, Section 110.3.5 “Exception”; excluding Chapter 1, Section 113, Board of Appeals".
THE RESIDENTIAL APPENDICES ADOPTED ARE UNUSUALLY BROAD: "Appendix F Passive Radon Gas Controls", "Appendix Q, Tiny Houses", "Appendix T, Solar-Ready Provisions-Detached One-and Two-Family Dwellings, Multiple… Show full textShow less
THE RESIDENTIAL APPENDICES ADOPTED ARE UNUSUALLY BROAD: "Appendix F Passive Radon Gas Controls", "Appendix Q, Tiny Houses", "Appendix T, Solar-Ready Provisions-Detached One-and Two-Family Dwellings, Multiple Single-Family Dwellings (Townhouses)" and "Appendix U, Dwelling Unit Fire Sprinkler Systems". IRC Chapter 1 Section R112, Chapter 11 and Chapters 25 through 43 are excluded, "except that Chapter 29, Section P2904 is adopted".
- The International Mechanical Code is adopted the same way - "The current State adopted edition" under Chapter 51-52 WAC, excluding Chapter 1, Section 109, Means of Appeals.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Olympia. The city adopts the current state edition rather than a named year, requires residential fire sprinklers with five exceptions, and prices a renewal on the work left to do.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Olympia does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Olympia's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Olympia 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 Olympia lands. Privacy.
Tips & gotchas
- OLYMPIA NAMES NO EDITION YEAR - it follows the current state adopted edition, so what governs moves when the state moves.
- AND THAT MATTERS MOST IF A PERMIT LAPSES: a replacement permit is judged against the codes current AT RE-ISSUANCE.
- The 180-day expiry clock is measured by the gap between REQUIRED INSPECTIONS, not by a date in a diary.
- Eighteen months is an absolute cap on an ongoing permit.
- A renewal is priced on the PERCENTAGE OF INCOMPLETE WORK.
- Residential fire sprinklers are required, but detached ADUs served by an unsprinklered existing house are exempt - the opposite of Camas.
- IRC Appendix T Solar-Ready Provisions is adopted, so solar-readiness is a code requirement here rather than an option.
- Fee amounts are not in Title 16; OMC Title 15 is a separate IMPACT FEES title and was not opened for this entry.
- The code is served from codepublishing's LEGACY FRAMESET, so a plain read of the landing page returns nothing - the content is in frames.