Richland, WA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

When Richland amended Chapter 1 of the International Building and Residential Codes through RMC § 21.01.020, it carved electrical work out entirely. Subsection D.2 states that the model code's electrical work-exempt-from-permit subcategory, covering repairs and maintenance, radio and television transmitting devices, and temporary testing systems, is not adopted, and that all electrical permits and permit exemptions are instead set by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. That means a Richland homeowner or electrician applies to the state, not city Development Services, for the electrical permit itself and for any inspection tied to it.

The city has not walked away from the broader project, though: RMC § 21.01.020(E) still requires every contractor and subcontractor doing that work to hold a current City of Richland business license under Title 5 and a current Washington L&I contractor registration before starting, and if the electrical work is part of a larger project needing its own building permit, RMC § 23.70.030's general permit requirement and the Title 21 building-code amendments still apply to the rest of the structure. The city's building official also still reviews the project for the certificate of occupancy under RMC § 21.01.020(G), which cannot issue until every agency with jurisdiction, state L&I included, has signed off.