Commercial building permit in Walla Walla, Washington

Walla Walla requires a commercial building permit for: WWMC 15.04.010: “The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., including the following appendices: Appendix A, Employee Qualifications; Appendix E, Supplementary Accessibility Requirements; Appendix F, Rodentproofing; Appendix G, Flood-Resistant Construction; Appendix H, Signs; Appendix I, Patio Covers; Appendix J, Grading; as amended by Chapter 51-50 of the Washington Administrative Code, is hereby adopted by reference and further amended as follows”. SEVEN APPENDICES IS THE LONGEST LIST IN THIS WASHINGTON SET — SeaTac, for comparison, names E and H.; APPEALS ARE WRITTEN INTO THE CODE ITSELF RATHER THAN LEFT TO A BOARD. WWMC 15.04.010(A) replaces IBC Section 113 so that “an aggrieved party may appeal to a Hearing Examiner” rather than to the Board of Appeals the model code contemplates.; The city also adopts the International Existing Building Code (15.04.016), the International Fire Code (15.04.017), the International Energy Conservation Code (15.04.018), the International Fuel Gas Code (15.04.019), the International Property Maintenance Code (15.04.020), the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (15.04.021), the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (15.04.022), and the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings (15.04.015). Their individual adopting sentences were NOT opened for this entry and no edition year is asserted for any of them.; AN INTERNATIONAL GREEN CONSTRUCTION CODE IS ADOPTED AT WWMC 15.04.014 — no other city in this Washington set names one. Its adopting sentence was not opened and its edition year and scope are not asserted here.; THE CODE PUBLISHES ITS OWN TIE-BREAKER, AND THE ORDER IS EXPLICIT. WWMC 15.04.005(A): the general provisions beat any referenced code, and “In the event of conflict between the following identified codes, the code first listed shall have priority over those latter listed: the International Building Code, the International Residential Code, the International Mechanical Code, the International Fire Code, and, then, the Uniform Plumbing Code.” Wenatchee publishes the same idea in different words; the ORDER is what matters and it is specific to each city.; A THREE-TRIGGER EXPIRY, AND ANY ONE OF THEM VOIDS THE PERMIT. WWMC 15.04.005(G): “All permits shall expire by limitation and be declared void if: 1. Work is not started within one hundred eighty days of obtaining a permit, 2. Work is abandoned for one hundred eighty days or more after beginning work, or 3. After two years from the date of permit issuance, regardless of whether the work is finished.” The third is absolute — steady visible progress does not save a permit at two years. This matches the structure Puyallup and Wenatchee publish, and differs from SeaTac, which times a permit by what it builds rather than by whether work is happening.; RE-PERMITTING AFTER EXPIRY IS CHEAPER THAN A FRESH PERMIT, AND THE CODE PICKS THE CHEAPER OF TWO MEASURES FOR YOU. WWMC 15.04.005(G): “If a permit is expired for time, a new permit shall be obtained for one-half the permit fee or based on the value of the remainder of the work to finish the original permit, whichever is less.”; AN APPROVED APPLICATION CAN STILL GO VOID BEFORE YOU HOLD A PERMIT. WWMC 15.04.005(G): “When an applicant has been notified that their permit application has been approved and is ready to purchase, the applicant shall obtain the permit within thirty days of notification or said permit application shall become void.”; WWMC 15.04.005(F): “City of Walla Walla development permits shall be issued only to the property owner or the property owner's authorized agent.”; A LICENSED WASHINGTON DESIGN PROFESSIONAL IS REQUIRED ABOVE A SIZE THRESHOLD. WWMC 15.04.005(D) requires a Washington design professional licensed under Chapter 18.08 RCW, 308-12 WAC or 18.43 RCW to prepare or oversee plans for buildings at or above the threshold the subsection sets; the full threshold text runs past the extract read for this entry and the exact cut-off is NOT ASSERTED here.; THE ROLLING CLAUSE IS NOT IN THE ADOPTING SENTENCE — IT IS ITS OWN SECTION, AND A PHRASE-BASED AUDIT WOULD MISS IT. WWMC 15.04.030: “The amendment, addition or repeal of any section of any of the adopted codes, regulations, or statutes shall be deemed to amend this chapter and the codes, regulations, and statutes contained in this chapter are adopted by reference in conformity with the amendment, addition or repeal, and it shall not be necessary for the legislative authority of this city to take any action with respect to such addition, amendment or repeal as provided by RCW 35A.12.140.” MEASURED, NOT ASSUMED: a regular expression for the usual rolling formulations (“as now or hereafter amended”, “as the same exists”, “may hereafter be amended”, “as now in effect”) returns NOTHING across all 75,567 characters of Chapter 15.04. The years are named and the state layer still rolls; the two facts just live in different sections.. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Walla Walla at (509) 527-4522 before starting work.

In Walla Walla, the published Building permit fee (valuation-based) is: From $30.00, tiered by valuation. Additional published fees: Plan review and state surcharge — 65% of permit fee, plus surcharge; Hourly and reinspection charges — $65.00/hour or actual cost, if higher; Valuation basis — ICC building valuation data table. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Walla Walla does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Walla Walla at (509) 527-4522 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building permit application; Project valuation for fee calculation. Depending on your project, Walla Walla may also ask for: Plans prepared or overseen by a Washington design professional. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Walla Walla at 15 North 3rd Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Phone: (509) 527-4522. Official information: https://www.wallawallawa.gov/.

WWMC 15.04.010 names seven: Appendix A (Employee Qualifications), E (Supplementary Accessibility Requirements), F (Rodentproofing), G (Flood-Resistant Construction), H (Signs), I (Patio Covers) and J (Grading). That is the longest appendix list of any city in this Washington set.

To a Hearing Examiner. WWMC 15.04.010(A) rewrites IBC Section 113 so that an aggrieved party appeals to a Hearing Examiner rather than to the Board of Appeals the model code provides for. The mechanical code carries a parallel amendment.