Spokane County, WA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

When Spokane County adopted the International Building and Residential Codes into Title 3, it deliberately stripped out the electrical provisions rather than enforce them locally. 7 (Energy). 2 provisions covering electrical and plumbing permit exemptions. The result is that Spokane County's Department of Building and Planning does not issue electrical permits for the unincorporated county; its own published FAQ tells applicants that "electrical permits for the unincorporated areas of Spokane County can be obtained from" the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries office at 901 N.

Monroe Street, Suite 100, Spokane, phone 509-324-2640. 101(1) requires an L&I inspector to inspect all wiring, appliances, devices, and equipment covered by the chapter, with an exemption from the permit requirement only for minor "class A basic electrical work" absent deficiencies. 010 makes the National Electrical Code and National Electrical Safety Code, as supplemented by L&I rule, "prima facie evidence of the approved methods of construction" statewide, which is the electrical standard county building permits reference but do not themselves enforce.