Shoreline, WA Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Shoreline layers its own procedural amendments onto the International Residential and Building Codes it adopts under Chapter 15.05 SMC. For one- and two-family construction, SMC § 15.05.040 rewrites Section R110.3 so that the permit card itself, once the building official (the city manager or a designee under SMC § 15.05.020(B)) signs the 'Final' inspection line, stands in as the certificate of occupancy; no separate certificate document is issued. Getting to that final signature requires the work to stay accessible and exposed for inspection at every stage the permit covers, since the standards of the adopted codes are enforced regardless of whether an earlier inspection already passed, and portions that fail an inspection must be corrected and cannot be covered until the inspector authorizes it.

A handful of minor projects skip the inspection cycle entirely: decks no more than 30 inches above grade, re-roofing that does not touch the roof diaphragm, and window replacement that does not change emergency escape openings are exempt from permit under Section R105.2 as Shoreline has amended it. On demolition permits, SMC § 15.05.015 requires the permit holder to request a site inspection once demolition is complete, and the permit itself is only valid 60 days from issuance unless the building official grants a 60-day extension for extenuating circumstances. Every inspection in this chapter is carried out by, or under the authority of, the city's building official.