Richland, WA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 23.70.030, in the zoning title's enforcement chapter, sets the baseline: no building or other structure in Richland can be erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered without a building permit issued under the city's building code, and the administrative official cannot issue that permit unless the proposal also satisfies Title 23's zoning standards. RMC § 21.01.020 layers Richland's own amendments onto the adopted International Building and Residential Codes' Chapter 1. Subsections B and C strike the model code's annual-permit option entirely: Richland does not issue or recognize annual permits or annual permit records.

Subsection D exempts only a narrow set of small accessory structures, tool and storage sheds and playhouses no larger than 200 square feet (IRC) or 120 square feet (IBC), and certain amusement-ride structures, from needing a full building permit; those still need a no-fee location placement permit before construction. Subsection E requires every contractor and subcontractor to hold a current City of Richland business license under Title 5 and a current Washington State Department of Labor and Industries contractor registration before any actual construction work begins.

Permit fees under Subsection F are calculated from Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code applied to the greater of the declared construction valuation or the city's Supplemental Table 1-B, updated every January 1st; plan review runs 65 percent of the building permit fee, with no plan-review fee at all for single-family or duplex construction unless plans change after approval. Disputes over a permit decision go to the Mid-Columbia Board of Appeals under RMC § 21.01.020(I), the joint board Richland shares with Kennewick, Pasco, West Richland, Benton County and Franklin County.