City of Woodinville building permits: fees, timelines & requirements (2026)
What needs a permit in the City of Woodinville 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 (King County).
21 of 24 project types have authoritative rules on file · 12 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 the City of Woodinville's source.
Permit department
Woodinville 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 | Finish work (cabinets, counters, tile, paint) needs no permit; replacing a sink or faucet, even in the same spot, moving plumbing, new circuits, gas or venting, or any wall or structural change does. Cabinets, countertops, painting, tile and similar finish work need no building permit in Woodinville when no inspection is needed to verify code compliance (WMC 21.62.070 item 6). Moving or adding plumbing, replacing a sink or faucet, gas or venting work, and moving a wall or other structural work need permits; with a building permit, the plumbing and mechanical work is part of the City's Combined Building Permit. New or moved circuits need an electrical permit from L&I: the City issues none. | FeeAbout $1,112 for a $35,000 project, when a permit is needed | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Bathroom remodel | Depends on scope | Under the state code tile, paint and other finish work need no permit. Replacing a toilet, sink, faucet, shower valve, tub or shower, even in the same spot, or moving or adding plumbing needs a plumbing permit: the state plumbing code exempts only clearing a stoppage or fixing a leak with nothing replaced. New circuits need an electrical permit, and moving a wall a building permit. In Woodinville, tile, paint, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work need no building permit (WMC 21.62.070 item 6). The City leaves the state plumbing code's exemptions unchanged, so replacing a toilet, sink, tub, shower or faucet, even in the same spot, moving or adding plumbing, or replacing a defective trap or drain pipe needs a plumbing permit; replacing a single-family fixture is issued over the counter in the City's Permit Portal, with no plan review. Moving a wall or other structural work needs a building permit, which then covers the plumbing. New or moved circuits need an electrical permit from L&I: the City issues none. | FeeAbout $744 for a $22,000 project, when a permit is needed | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Basement finish | Always | Finishing or altering a basement needs a building permit in Woodinville; the City's exempt list covers only finish work such as paint, carpet, tile and cabinets (WMC 21.62.070 item 6). A bedroom needs an emergency escape opening and habitable rooms 7 ft ceilings. Finishing or altering a basement needs a building permit in Woodinville (WMC 21.62.010). The City's exempt list covers only finish work such as painting, carpet, tile and cabinets (WMC 21.62.070 item 6). A bedroom needs an emergency escape opening (IRC R310), and habitable rooms need 7 ft ceilings (IRC R305). Plumbing and mechanical work rides on the City's Combined Building Permit. Electrical work needs a permit from L&I: the City issues no electrical permits and does no electrical inspections. Woodinville must decide a building permit within 120 days of a complete application, not counting the time it waits on the applicant (WMC 21.80.210(3)). | FeeAbout $1,244 for a $40,000 project | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Deck | Depends on scope | A free-standing deck of 200 sq ft or less, no more than 30 in above finished grade at any point and not serving the required exit door, needs no permit; an attached, larger or higher deck does. Woodinville exempts a deck from a building permit only when it is 200 sq ft or less, its top is no more than 30 in above finished grade at any point, it is not attached to the house, and it does not serve the exit door the IRC requires (R311.4) (WMC 21.62.070 item 12). Any other deck needs a building permit. Woodinville's own list replaces the IRC's exempt list and keeps the same four limits. Woodinville must decide a building permit within 120 days of a complete application, not counting the time it waits on the applicant (WMC 21.80.210(3)). | FeeAbout $605 for an $18,000 project, when a permit is needed | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Fence | Depends on scope | A fence up to 7 ft high, measured to the top of the caps, needs no building permit; a taller fence does. Woodinville exempts a fence up to 7 ft high, measured from the finished grade to the highest point of the fence including caps (WMC 21.62.070 item 2); a taller fence needs a building permit (WMC 21.40.010(1)(b)). Zoning separately limits a fence, rockery or retaining wall inside a residential lot's setback areas to 6 ft, with post caps allowed up to 6 in more (WMC 21.40.010(1)(e) and (2)(a)). | FeeAbout $328 for a $6,000 project, when a permit is needed | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-10-02 |
| Siding | Always | Woodinville's exempt list (WMC 21.62.070) names no siding: re-siding needs a building permit. Patching a few boards without cutting into the wall is an ordinary repair. | FeeAbout $605 for an $18,000 project | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Window replacement | Always | Woodinville's exempt list (WMC 21.62.070) names no window replacement: replacing windows needs a building permit. Replacing broken glass is an ordinary repair, and a window awning on a house projecting no more than 54 in that needs no added support is exempt (item 11). | FeeAbout $328 for an $8,000 project | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Flooring | Depends on scope | New floor finishes (tile, carpet, wood) need no permit; changing the subfloor or joists, or adding radiant heat, does. New floor finishes, such as tile, carpet or wood, need no building permit in Woodinville (WMC 21.62.070 item 6). Changing the subfloor or joists needs a building permit, and radiant floor heat a mechanical permit (hydronic) or an L&I electrical permit (electric). | FeeAbout $328 for a $6,000 project, when a permit is needed | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| ADU / DADU | Always | An ADU or DADU always needs a building permit, and usually trade permits with it. Woodinville allows up to two accessory dwelling units per lot in R-1 through R-18 (WMC 21.41.020(1)): inside the house, attached, or detached, each with 300 to 1,500 sq ft of habitable floor area (21.41.020(3)(b)). An ADU meets the zone's own setbacks, height and lot coverage, except that a detached ADU may sit on a property line along a dedicated public alley (21.41.020(3)), and a legally built garage or other enclosed structure may be converted even where it does not meet today's coverage or setbacks (21.41.020(4)(a)). The City requires 1 parking stall per ADU (Table 21.37.060), except within half a mile of a major transit stop, where state law bars any (RCW 36.70A.681). An ADU may not be rented for fewer than 30 nights (21.41.020(5)). It needs a building permit, and new construction a Woodinville Water District certificate of water and sewer availability first. Woodinville must decide a building permit within 120 days of a complete application, not counting the time it waits on the applicant (WMC 21.80.210(3)). | FeeAbout $3,043 for an 800 sq ft ADU | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Roofing | Always | Woodinville's exempt list (WMC 21.62.070) names no re-roofing: replacing a roof needs a building permit. A small repair can be an ordinary repair. | FeeFlat fee or valuation-based, per the local fee schedule. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| HVAC | Depends on scope | Installing or replacing heating, cooling or ventilation equipment needs a mechanical permit; a portable unit or a minor part replacement does not. Installing or replacing heating, cooling or ventilation equipment needs a mechanical permit in Woodinville: the City leaves the state mechanical code's exemptions unchanged (WMC 21.62.070), and those exempt only portable appliances, minor parts and small self-contained refrigeration units. Replacing an appliance in a single-family house is issued over the counter in the City's Permit Portal, with no plan review; with a building permit, the mechanical work is part of the Combined Building Permit. The wiring needs an electrical permit from L&I. | FeeMechanical permit + electrical permit (if new circuit) + plumbing permit (if condensate to drain). | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| 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. The City of Woodinville issues no electrical permits and does no electrical inspections: L&I does, under the National Electrical Code as L&I adopts it (WMC 21.62.030). Nearly all electrical work needs an L&I permit; L&I exempts only like-in-kind replacement of items such as a lamp, up to five switches or receptacles, one appliance or a breaker. The nearest L&I office is in Bellevue (616 120th Ave NE, Suite C201; 425-990-1400). | FeeElectrical permit fees are set by circuit count and service size in the issuing agency's fee schedule. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Plumbing | Depends on scope | Under the state code stopping a leak or clearing a stoppage needs no plumbing permit. Replacing anything, even a faucet or a fixture in the same spot, or the water heater, needs one, and so do new or moved fixtures and piping. Woodinville leaves the state plumbing code's exemptions unchanged (WMC 21.62.070), so installing or replacing a fixture, faucet, valve or water heater, adding or moving a fixture, new piping, or replacing a defective trap or drain needs a plumbing permit; only clearing a stoppage, or repairing a leak without replacing a valve, pipe or fixture, is exempt (UPC 104.2). Replacing a single-family fixture or water heater is issued over the counter in the City's Permit Portal, with no plan review; with a building permit, the plumbing is part of the Combined Building Permit. | FeePlumbing permit fees are set by fixture count in the local fee schedule. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Addition | Always | Adding floor area needs a building permit in Woodinville: its exempt list (WMC 21.62.070) names no addition. An addition enlarges the house and needs a building permit in Woodinville: the City adopts the 2021 IRC with its permit chapter (WMC 21.62.010), and its list of work exempt from a building permit (WMC 21.62.070) names no addition. The City issues one Combined Building Permit that covers the addition's mechanical and plumbing work. Electrical work needs a permit from L&I: the City issues no electrical permits and does no electrical inspections. The addition must meet the zone's setbacks, height and lot coverage. For the fee, Woodinville values an addition by its floor area at the rates in Table 21.62.060, not by the contract price (WMC 21.62.060(1)). Woodinville must decide a building permit within 120 days of a complete application, not counting the time it waits on the applicant (WMC 21.80.210(3)). | FeeAbout $1,845 for a 400 sq ft addition | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
Ancillary & non-building permits
| Project | Permit? | Threshold | Fee | Review days | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition | Always | Demolishing a building or part of one needs a permit in Woodinville: its exempt list (WMC 21.62.070) names no demolition. Asbestos and lead notifications are separate. Demolishing a building or part of one needs a permit in Woodinville: the City adopts the IBC and IRC with their permit chapters (WMC 21.62.010), and its exempt list (WMC 21.62.070) names no demolition. Many demolition materials must be recycled: clean wood, cardboard, metal, gypsum scrap, asphalt paving, bricks and concrete. Asbestos and lead notifications are separate, and utilities are disconnected first. | FeeDemolition fees commonly charged as flat fee or by structure size. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Right-of-way | Always | Any land-disturbing work in a Woodinville street or other public right-of-way (trenching, boring, potholing, landscaping, a new or changed driveway) needs the City's Right-of-Way Permit, with plans and a traffic control plan. Woodinville requires a Right-of-Way Permit for any land-disturbing work in a public street or other public right-of-way, including trenching, boring, potholing, landscaping, and replacing or changing a driveway. The application needs plans, including a traffic control plan, and is filed through the City's Permit Portal. | FeeRight-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. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Side sewer | Always | The City of Woodinville issues no side-sewer permit: the sewer utility that serves the lot does, under its own rules (most of the City is in Woodinville Water District's area). New construction needs the District's certificate of sewer availability before the City takes the building application; a septic system is approved by Public Health – Seattle & King County. The City of Woodinville has no sewer utility and issues no side-sewer permit: the utility that serves the lot does, under its own rules and fees. King County's sewer service area map puts most of Woodinville in Woodinville Water District's area, with slivers in Northshore Utility District's and the City of Bothell's; a lot with no sewer available is on a septic system. New construction needs Woodinville Water District's certificate of water and sewer availability before the City takes the building application; Public Health – Seattle & King County approves a septic system. | FeeSet by the sewer utility that serves the lot. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Stormwater / drainage | Depends on scope | Woodinville requires a site development permit for land-disturbing work, unless, outside a critical area and its buffer, it moves under 25 cu yd of earth in the R-1 to R-8 zones (under 50 in other zones), adds or replaces under 2,000 sq ft of impervious surface, and disturbs under 7,000 sq ft in any 12 months. Woodinville requires a site development permit for most land-disturbing work. Outside a critical area or its buffer, none is needed when all three hold: under 25 cubic yards of earth moved in the R-1 to R-8 zones (50 in other zones), under 2,000 sq ft of new or replaced impervious surface, and under 7,000 sq ft disturbed in any 12 months. Digging foundations and footings under a building permit, topsoil up to 6 in at a house, and pavement maintenance are also exempt. The application includes a drainage report, an erosion control plan and a tree protection plan. | FeeDrainage review fees are commonly tiered by project size in the local fee schedule. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Land-use / zoning | Always | A variance, conditional use permit, subdivision, rezone, design review or site plan review is a Woodinville land use decision of Type 1, 2 or 3 (WMC 21.80.030), decided before the building permit for the same work (21.80.035). Woodinville sorts land use applications into three types (WMC 21.80.030). Type 1 is decided by the Director with no public notice or hearing: a boundary line adjustment, Type 1 design review or site plan review, a tree removal permit, a temporary use permit, a critical area determination. Type 2 is decided by the Director after public notice: an administrative conditional use permit, Type 2 design review, a preliminary short subdivision, a shoreline substantial development permit, a SEPA threshold determination. Type 3 is decided by the Hearing Examiner after a public hearing: a variance, a nonadministrative conditional use permit, a preliminary subdivision, a shoreline variance or conditional use, which Ecology then decides; a site-specific rezone goes to the City Council on the Examiner's recommendation (Table 21.80.050). Where an application could be either, the higher type applies (21.80.030(3)). | FeeLand-use fees vary widely; a variance usually carries an application fee plus cost recovery for the hearing examiner. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
| Tree removal | Depends on scope | Woodinville needs a tree permit, a Type I decision, to remove a tree 6 in across or more at 4.5 ft (WMC 21.50.020, 21.50.030). A tree under 2 in needs none, and trees under 6 in need none while their combined trunk widths stay under 40 in within 12 months. A heritage or specimen tree comes down only under the City's Heritage Tree Program. Woodinville needs a tree permit, a Type I decision, to remove a tree 6 in across or more at 4.5 ft (WMC 21.50.020, 21.50.030). A tree under 2 in needs none, and trees under 6 in need none while their combined trunk widths stay under 40 in within 12 months. On a house lot with no construction up to two trees may come down in 12 months, or four in 24; more only at the Director's discretion. A heritage or specimen tree comes down only under the City's Heritage Tree Program, and in a critical area or its buffer only a hazard, nuisance or dead tree may be removed. | FeeWhere removing a tree needs a permit, its fee is set by the local code or fee schedule, per permit or per tree; some cities require replacement bonds. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-04-30 |
| Signs | Always | A sign permit is needed for a permanent sign over 2 square feet or a temporary or portable sign over 4 square feet; smaller signs and the code's listed signs need none. Woodinville requires a sign permit to erect, install or replace any permanent sign larger than 2 square feet, or any limited-duration or portable sign larger than 4 square feet, unless the sign chapter says otherwise; a permit for a limited-duration or portable sign lasts one year and may be renewed (WMC 21.44.040(1), (3)). Smaller signs still must meet the chapter. Allowed without a permit: unlit noncommercial personal expression signs of up to 5 square feet, up to two address signs per premises (3 square feet each in residential zones), flags within the code's limits, holiday decorations, security and warning signs of up to 2 square feet in single-family zones, and the code's other listed signs, though a flag's support structure may still need a building permit under chapter 21.62 WMC (WMC 21.44.040(5)). | FeeSign permit fees are set in the local fee schedule, plus an electrical sub-permit for an illuminated sign. | ReviewNot published by the city | Cite verified 2026-10-24 |
Building in the City of Woodinville?
Kolmo Construction is a licensed Washington general contractor — KOLMOL*753JS, bonded and insured — working throughout the City of Woodinville and King County. We pull the building permits listed above and build the project. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, and those permits, go to licensed trade subcontractors that Kolmo manages.
How this page is built
Each row is the most-recently-verified authoritative rule on file for the City of Woodinville and the listed project type. “Pending verification” means we have the City of Woodinville in our database but haven't yet personally checked the city page for that project — those rows fall back to King-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.