City of Tacoma building permits: fees, timelines & requirements (2026)
What needs a permit in City of Tacoma and what triggers one — each row quoted from the city's own code or permit page, with the source linked and the source page checked daily for changes. Fees and review times appear where the city publishes them. Covers ADU, addition, kitchen, bathroom, basement, deck, fence, siding, windows, flooring, roofing, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and ancillary permits (Pierce County).
21 of 24 project types have authoritative rules on file · 11 always require a permit · 11 depend on the scope · 0 do not.
Get your lot in 3D with zoning, setbacks, and the exact permits your project needs — cited to City of Tacoma's source.
Permit department
Tacoma Planning & Development Services
Adopted code cycles
2021 IRC w/ WA amendments · 2021 WSEC
Resources
Construction permits
| Project | Permit? | Threshold | Fee | Review days | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel | Depends on scope | No permit for cabinets, counters, paint or tile. A permit once you move plumbing, add circuits, run gas or change walls. Cabinets, countertops, painting, tiling, carpeting and similar finish work are exempt. New circuits, fixture relocation, or plumbing modifications require respective trade permits. | Fees set by jurisdiction. WA Building Code Council surcharge: $6.50 per building permit. Trade permits separate. | 10–21 days | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Bathroom remodel | Depends on scope | No permit for tile, paint or a same-spot fixture swap. A permit once plumbing moves, circuits are added or the tub or shower goes. Tile, paint, fixture-replacement-without-relocation are exempt under "finish work". Pipe rearrangement, new circuits, or relocated fixtures require permits. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. | 10–21 days | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Basement finish | Always | Finishing a basement into habitable space needs a building permit; egress and ceiling height are the usual review items. 2021 IRC R310: every sleeping room below grade requires emergency escape and rescue opening (egress window). Min sill height 44in, min net clear opening 5.7 sq ft (5.0 grade-floor), min width 20in, height 24in. Ceiling height min 7ft (R305). Entire newly conditioned area must comply with WSEC R402. | Plan-review fee scales with valuation. State surcharge $6.50. | 14–30 days | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Deck | Depends on scope | A free-standing deck 30 in or under is exempt. Higher, or attached, needs a permit. Tacoma TMC 13.05: permit if deck >30in above grade or attached. Apply via Accela ACA. | Most jurisdictions handle decks as field-inspection or simplified plan review. | 10–21 days | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Fence | Depends on scope | No permit for a fence 7 ft or under with no masonry wall over 4 ft. Fences ≤7ft high are exempt. Any fence over 7ft, OR any masonry wall over 4ft, requires a building permit. Fences in critical areas/buffers may also require a critical-areas permit (TMC 13.11). Fences over 3ft within sight-triangle areas are prohibited. | Typically no fee unless permit required. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Siding | Depends on scope | Like-for-like siding is an ordinary repair and exempt. Changing sheathing, adding insulation, or changing the weather barrier needs a permit. 2021 IRC R105.2(1)(g) exempts "ordinary repairs" — like-for-like siding replacement on existing structure. Permit required if changing structural sheathing, adding insulation that affects WSEC compliance, or modifying weather-resistive barrier (WRB) detailing. | Typically minimal fee — like-for-like usually exempt. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-26 |
| Window replacement | Depends on scope | Same-size replacement in the existing opening is exempt. A new, enlarged or reduced opening, a header change, or anything that affects a bedroom escape window needs a permit. 2021 IRC R105.2(1)(g) exempts like-for-like window replacement (same rough opening, same R-value class). Permit required for: new openings, enlarged/reduced openings, egress-affecting changes (R310), and any change that crosses a structural element. | Like-for-like usually no permit fee. Structural changes scale with valuation. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-26 |
| Flooring | Depends on scope | Floor finishes are exempt; subfloor, joist or radiant work needs a permit. 2021 IRC R105.2(1)(j) exempts floor finishes (carpet, vinyl, hardwood, tile). Permit required if subfloor structure is modified, joists altered, or radiant heat installed. | No permit fee for surface flooring. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| ADU / DADU | Always | An ADU or DADU always needs a building permit, and usually trade permits with it. Two ADUs per lot allowed (any lot size/width in residentially-zoned districts). Living area limited to 1,000 sqft (excluding non-living areas). Detached ADU setbacks: 5ft side property line (8ft if main entrance faces side), 15ft rear property line (no setback from alleys). Subject to standard zone height limits. | Apply via https://aca-prod.accela.com/tacoma/Default.aspx (Accela ACA portal) or in person at 747 Market Street, 3rd Floor. | 21–60 days | Cite verified 2026-09-25 |
| Roofing | Depends on scope | Exempt only as a full tear-off with new material at 2.5 lb per sq ft or less, no framing change, and not an unreinforced-masonry building. Reroofing exempt only if ALL of: existing roof coverings removed prior, new material ≤2.5 psf (or vegetated roof same weight as previously-permitted vegetated roof), no roof framing changes, building NOT unreinforced masonry. Otherwise permit required. | Flat fee or valuation-based, per the city's fee schedule. | 1–5 days | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| HVAC | Depends on scope | Portable appliances and minor part replacements are exempt; anything fixed needs a mechanical permit. Exempt: portable heating/ventilation/cooling appliances; portable evaporative coolers; steam/hot/chilled-water piping within heating/cooling equipment regulated by code; minor part replacements that don't alter equipment approval; self-contained refrigeration systems with ≤10 lb refrigerant or ≤1 hp motors; portable-fuel-cell appliances not connected to fixed piping or power grid. | Mechanical permit + electrical permit (if new circuit) + plumbing permit (if condensate to drain). | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Electrical | Depends on scope | Essentially all electrical work needs a permit. The only exemption is like-in-kind replacement on the L&I minor list — and an exempt job still needs an inspection request. WAC 296-46B (WA-adopted 2020 NEC) requires an electrical permit for essentially all electrical work. L&I issues them in most jurisdictions; some cities run their own program. L&I publishes the exemption list, and it is narrower and more specific than "ordinary repairs": travel trailers; plug-in household appliances; and the LIKE-IN-KIND replacement of lamps, a single set of fuses, a single battery under 150 amp-hour, control components such as contactors, relays, timers, starters and circuit boards, one household appliance, circuit breakers (branch-circuit overcurrent protection only, per NEC 100), single-family residential luminaires, up to five snap switches, dimmers, receptacle outlets, thermostats, heating elements or identical luminaire ballasts, sign and outline-lighting components replaced on-site by an electrical contractor without modifying the system, and one motor of ten horsepower or smaller. AN EXEMPTION FROM THE PERMIT IS NOT AN EXEMPTION FROM INSPECTION: L&I requires an inspection request before any electrical work is covered, no later than 3 business days after the work is finished or 1 business day after any part is energized, whichever comes first, and failure to request one can carry civil penalties. | Electrical permit fees are set by circuit count and service size in the issuing agency's fee schedule. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Plumbing | Depends on scope | Leak repair, clearing stoppages and resetting a toilet are exempt. Replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures — including a defective concealed pipe — needs a permit. Exempt: stopping leaks in drains/water/soil/waste/vent pipe; clearing stoppages; repairing leaks in pipes/valves/fixtures; removing and reinstalling water closets — provided no replacement or rearrangement of valves, pipes, or fixtures. Defective concealed-trap or drainpipe replacement = new work, permit required. | Plumbing permit fees are set by fixture count in the city's fee schedule. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
| Addition | Always | Adding floor area always needs a building permit. Permit required for any addition to an existing building, OR any new accessory structure ≥200 sqft. Alteration/addition <80% of building valuation = Residential Alteration (BLDRA) permit. ≥80% = Residential New Construction (BLDRN) permit (which subsumes site-development review). | Plan-review fee scales with valuation per UBC Table 1-A. State surcharge $6.50 per building permit. Trade permits (E/P/M) separate. | 30–90 days | Cite verified 2026-04-29 |
Ancillary & non-building permits
| Project | Permit? | Threshold | Fee | Review days | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition | Always | Demolishing a structure or a substantial part of one needs a permit; asbestos and lead notifications are separate. 2021 IBC Section 105.1 + WA-adopted IRC R105.1: demolition of any structure or portion thereof requires a permit. Tear-out of interior finishes only is generally treated as alteration. Asbestos / lead notification often required separately under WAC 173-303 / 296-62. | Demolition fees commonly charged as flat fee or by structure size. State surcharge $6.50 applies. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-05-02 |
| Right-of-way | Always | Any work in or occupation of the public right of way needs a right-of-way permit from public works. Issued by city public works (or SDOT in Seattle) under local ROW ordinance. Triggered by physical occupation of or work within the public ROW including driveway aprons, curb cuts, sidewalk replacement, utility tie-ins, hauling routes, and temporary construction staging. | Right-of-way permit fees vary by city: a base fee for a residential driveway or curb cut, plus a per-day occupancy charge if the street is obstructed. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-05-02 |
| Side sewer | Always | A new side-sewer connection, a repair beyond about 2 ft, relining or capping needs a permit from whichever utility owns the main. The side-sewer permit is issued by whichever utility owns the sanitary sewer — the city, a sewer or water district, or a regional utility — under that utility's own code, with WAC 51-56 (2021 UPC) governing how the building sewer is laid. WHICH UTILITY IS A PER-PROPERTY FACT: a lot can sit inside a city for permitting and outside its sewer district, so confirm the owner of the main before applying. Triggered by a new connection, repair of more than about 2 ft of pipe, relining (CIPP), or capping at the property line for a demolition. | Side-sewer permit fees are set by the utility that owns the main; some add a depth-based surcharge. Utility-issued, not building-permit-issued. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-09-06 |
| Stormwater / drainage | Always | New or replaced impervious surface and land disturbance are reviewed under the drainage manual this jurisdiction adopts; the threshold is the manual's. Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. WHICH MANUAL APPLIES IS A PER-JURISDICTION FACT and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Drainage review fees are commonly tiered by project size in the city's fee schedule. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-09-05 |
| Land-use / zoning | Always | A variance, conditional use, plat or design review is a land-use decision that precedes the building permit. Triggered when a project does not conform to the strict letter of the zoning code. Variances require a hardship finding under most city codes. Design review thresholds vary (Seattle: most multifamily + non-residential >4,000 sqft; many cities: design review only in designated districts). | Land-use fees vary widely; a variance usually carries an application fee plus cost recovery for the hearing examiner. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-05-02 |
| Tree removal | Not verified | This city protects trees under its own ordinance and Kolmo has not verified the size threshold. Ask the city before cutting; some cities prohibit removal above a size rather than permit it. Triggered by removal of a tree that the city's own tree ordinance protects — commonly defined by a diameter at breast or standard height, a listed-species table, a grove or heritage designation, or a canopy-cover target. This baseline row carries NO verified local threshold; read the city's tree chapter before quoting a number. Some cities do not permit removal above a size at all — they prohibit removal of regulated trees outside enumerated exceptions, so a "permit required at X inches" reading is wrong there. | Tree-removal permit fees are set per permit or per tree in the city's fee schedule; some cities require replacement bonds. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-05-02 |
| Signs | Always | Permanent signs need a sign permit; small temporary residential signs are usually exempt. City sign code (typically Title 22 or 23) governs. Wall, freestanding, projecting, awning, and electronic message signs all require permits. Most cities exempt small temporary residential signs (real-estate, political) under area thresholds (~6 sqft). | Sign permit fees are set in the city's fee schedule, plus an electrical sub-permit for an illuminated sign. | Not published by the city | Cite verified 2026-09-25 |
Building in City of Tacoma?
Kolmo Construction is a licensed Washington general contractor — KOLMOL*753JS, bonded and insured — working throughout City of Tacoma and Pierce County. We pull the permits listed above and build the project.
How this page is built
Each row is the most-recently-verified authoritative rule on file for City of Tacoma and the listed project type. “Pending verification” means we have City of Tacoma in our database but haven't yet personally checked the city page for that project — those rows fall back to Pierce-County or Washington-state baselines until verified.
See the data-quality leaderboard for how we keep these current, or run an address-specific lookup on the main permits page.