Pullman building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Pullman, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 190 SE Crestview St., Pullman, WA 99163
- Phone
- (509) 334-4555
- 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.
PCC 2.10.010 defines “the Construction Code” as: “(1) The Washington State Building Code as now existing and in accordance with any amendments that may hereafter be made thereto except as specifically provided otherwise… Show full textShow less
PCC 2.10.010 defines “the Construction Code” as: “(1) The Washington State Building Code as now existing and in accordance with any amendments that may hereafter be made thereto except as specifically provided otherwise in this Title; (2) The Building Code (Chapter 2.15); (3) The Plumbing Code (Chapter 2.20); (4) The Mechanical Code (Chapter 2.25); (5) The Fire Code (Chapter 3.16); (6) The Energy Code (Chapter 2.30); (7) The Electrical Code (Chapter 2.35)”.
- IBC — PCC 2.15.010(1): “the most current edition of the International Building Code … and Appendix ‘J’ (Grading) as adopted by the State of Washington and its additions, deletions, and exceptions noted in WAC 51-50 as now existing and in accordance with any amendments that may hereafter be made thereto”.
- IRC — PCC 2.15.010(2): “the most current edition of the International Residential Code … as adopted by the State of Washington”, WAC 51-51, same rolling terms.
- UPC — PCC 2.20.010: “the most current edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code … as adopted by the State of Washington”, Chapter 51-56 WAC, same rolling terms.
- IMC and IFGC — PCC 2.25.010: both at “the most current edition … as adopted by the State of Washington”, Chapter 51-52 WAC, same rolling terms.
- Washington State Energy Code — PCC 2.30.010: “The most current edition of the ‘Washington State Energy Code’ (Commercial Provisions and Residential Provisions), as now existing and in accordance with any amendments that may hereafter be made thereto as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council (as codified in Chapters 51-11C and 51-11R WAC).”
- NEC — PCC 2.35.010: “the most current edition of the ‘National Electrical Code,’ as published by the National Fire Protection Association and adopted by the State of Washington”, together with the state “Electrical Safety Standard, Administration, and Installation” regulations at Chapter 296-45B WAC.
- THE FIRE CODE IS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION CODE BUT LIVES AT CHAPTER 3.16, OUTSIDE TITLE 2, and was NOT opened for this entry.
Permit types & fees
Residential building permit
Permit to build, alter or add to a house or other residential structure in Pullman, under the International Residential Code as adopted at PCC 2.15.010.
See fee scheduleCommercial building permit
Permit for commercial, industrial and institutional construction in Pullman under the International Building Code as adopted at PCC 2.15.010.
See fee schedulePlumbing permit
Permit for plumbing installations in Pullman under the Uniform Plumbing Code as adopted at PCC 2.20.010.
See fee scheduleMechanical permit
Permit for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and fuel-gas work in Pullman under the International Mechanical Code as adopted at PCC 2.25.010.
See fee scheduleElectrical permit
Permit for electrical work in Pullman under the National Electrical Code and the state electrical safety standards, as adopted at PCC 2.35.010.
See fee schedule
Pullman's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Pullman 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 Pullman lands. Privacy.
Tips & gotchas
- THE CASH YOU NEED AT ISSUANCE IS ROUGHLY TWICE THE PERMIT FEE. PCC 2.15.070 adds to every permit “a cash deposit equal to the cost of the building permit”, except where the work requires no earthmoving or transportation of earth or debris. It is refundable security for keeping the public right-of-way clear of earth, concrete, rock rubble and debris — a deposit, not a fee, and the code states no dollar figure for it because it is defined as a multiple.
- NO EDITION YEAR APPEARS ANYWHERE IN THE CONSTRUCTION CODE. Building, residential, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical are all adopted at “the most current edition … as adopted by the State of Washington” with state amendments rolling automatically. What binds you is whatever the state carries the day you apply.
- NO DOLLAR FEE IS PUBLISHED IN THE CODE — PCC 2.15.020 sets fees by resolution of the City Council, and the resolution was not opened for this entry. Two details are easy to miss: the council's fees SUPERSEDE the fee schedules printed in the IBC and IRC, and some fees are “specifically set forth in this Chapter” rather than in the resolution.
- IF TWO CODES CONFLICT, THE FIRST ONE LISTED WINS — AND PULLMAN'S LIST IS NOT ITS NEIGHBOURS'. PCC 2.10.050 with the list at 2.10.010 ranks: state building code, building, PLUMBING, mechanical, fire, energy, ELECTRICAL last. Walla Walla publishes the same mechanism with plumbing last instead. Do not carry the ordering across city lines.
- THE CONSTRUCTION CODE INCLUDES THE FIRE CODE, WHICH IS NOT IN TITLE 2. PCC 2.10.010 lists Chapter 3.16 as a component, so reading Title 2 from end to end still leaves one part unread.
- A SHED IS EXEMPT AT 120 SQUARE FEET OR 200, DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE IBC OR THE IRC APPLIES — both numbers sit in the same sentence at PCC 2.15.035.
- NO PERMIT-EXPIRY PERIOD WAS FOUND IN THE CHAPTERS READ, which is unusual in this Washington set. PCC 2.10.060 routes administration to the IBC's own general administrative provisions, so the model code may supply expiry and review rules. Treat that as unread rather than as an absence.