Bellevue, NE Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Bellevue adopted the International Building Code and International Residential Code, 2021 Edition, as its building codes under § 8-17, and the Permits and Inspections Department, established at § 8-2 and overseen by the building official under §§ 8-3 and 8-4, administers every permit those codes require. Section 8-19 sets the starting point: an applicant files at the Permits and Inspections Department office, and the department keeps a record of the application in the permits and inspection division. Permit fees run off the Master Fee Schedule referenced in Tables 3-A through 3-H under § 8-18.5(A)(4), and when submittal documents are required, § 8-18.5(A)(5) adds a plan review fee of 25 percent of the building permit fee, though R-3 and U occupancies, covering most residential work, are exempt from that review fee.

Anyone who starts permit-required work before applying faces the investigation fee in § 8-18.5(A)(6): double the normal fee for a self-reported start, four times the fee once the department issues a stop-work order. Once issued, § 8-20 gives a permit a 180-day clock: it becomes void if work has not begun within 180 days, or is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after starting, and the holder may take one extension for good cause beyond their control before a new full fee applies to resume, or half the original fee if resuming without a plan change and within six months of the lapse. Permitted construction must also display a construction address identification sign under § 8-21 until permanent address numbers are affixed.