Kitsap County, WA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

2). Detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses of three stories or less instead fall under the International Residential Code, and detached single-family Bed and Breakfast Houses are also governed by the IRC rather than the IBC. Road projects in county right-of-way follow the Kitsap County Road Standards instead. This chapter applies only in unincorporated Kitsap County; Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island administer their own building codes. Beyond the general scope, the county has added two specific permit triggers to IBC Section 105.

3), when a building is constructed with future tenant spaces meant to be finished later, "a separate building permit is required for each tenant space prior to any tenant occupancy," except for individual mini-storage rental units; a certificate of occupancy issues once required inspections pass. 4), "A building permit is required and shall be obtained prior to use or occupancy of an existing building or portion thereof," with five listed exceptions: continuous occupancy with no new construction or use change where a certificate of occupancy already exists; occupancies predating the county's first adoption of the Uniform Building Code; all R-3 and U occupancies; individual dwelling units in R-1 and R-2 occupancies; and individual mini-storage rental units. 120.