Grays Harbor County, WA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Construct, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change occupancy
- Enforcing office
- Planning and Building Division / building official
- Unpermitted work fee
- Investigation fee equal to permit fee
- Permit fee refund cap
- Up to 80% if no work performed
- Appeals body
- Building Codes Advisory Council
Summary
Anyone who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure in unincorporated Grays Harbor County, or touch a regulated gas, mechanical or plumbing system, must first apply to the building official and get a permit before starting work.
105.1 Required. Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.
Full Breakdown
Grays Harbor County adopts the International Building Code under § 15.04.010 and administers it through the Planning and Building Division. Section 15.04.020(I) amends IBC § 105.1 to require a permit before any owner or authorized agent constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, demolishes, or changes the occupancy of a building or structure, or works on a regulated gas, mechanical or plumbing system. A short, fixed list of work is exempt from that permit requirement under § 15.04.020(K) (IBC § 105.2), covering items such as small tool sheds, fences under seven feet, and shallow prefabricated pools; everything else needs a permit.
Submittals must include construction documents, a statement of special inspections, and a geotechnical report where applicable, under amended § 107.1. No permit is valid until the fee prescribed by the county's fee schedule is paid, per amended § 109.1, and anyone who starts work before obtaining a permit owes an investigation fee equal to the permit fee itself, per amended § 109.4, whether or not a permit is later issued. The building official may not issue a new permit for a property carrying an unresolved recorded violation, per amended § 114.1. Appeals of the building official's decisions on permit questions go to the Building Codes Advisory Council under amended § 113.1 and Chapter 15.16.
Violations & Fines
Amended § 114.1 makes it unlawful to erect, construct, alter, extend, repair, move, remove, demolish, or occupy a regulated building, structure or equipment in violation of the adopted code. Starting work without a permit triggers an investigation fee equal to the full permit fee under § 109.4, charged in addition to the permit fee itself, and the building official can withhold any new permit on a property until a recorded violation is resolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers a building permit in unincorporated Grays Harbor County?
What happens if I start construction before getting a permit?
Can I get a refund if I cancel a permit?
Where do I appeal a building official's permit decision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grays Harbor County
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