Island County, WA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Island County doesn't write its own plumbing code; instead, section 14.01A.010(A)(1)(e) folds the Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Plumbing Code Standards, published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, into the Island County Building Code by reference, subject to the exceptions the state carves out in RCW 19.27.170. The county's own text adds one more carve-out on top of the state's: any Uniform Plumbing Code provisions covering sewers or fuel gas piping are specifically not adopted here, since Island County handles on-site sewage separately under Chapter 8.07D and fuel gas piping through the standards referenced in the same section's mechanical code adoption.

Section 14.01A.030 sets how a plumbing permit gets its price: plumbing permit fees are set by Board of County Commissioners resolution rather than printed in the code itself, using the same building-valuation approach applied to other permits, and the Building Official maintains a copy of the current Uniform Plumbing Code on file with the County Auditor under section 14.01A.010(C), with council updates automatically folded into the county's adopted code without a separate county ordinance. Appeals from a plumbing permit decision go to the Island County Hearing Examiner as a Type II decision under Chapter 16.19, per section 14.01A.020(B), rather than to a construction board of appeals.