Kirkland, WA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- Any new, altered or replaced plumbing system
- Adopted code
- 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, KMC 21.24.010
- Administered under
- Chapter 21.06, not UPC's own Chapter 1
- Permit fees
- Per council schedule, KMC 21.06.390
- Max civil fine
- $500/day after day 31, $50,000 cap
Summary
Anyone in Kirkland who wants to install, alter, repair or replace a plumbing system must first apply to the building official and obtain a permit under KMC 21.06.205, part of the city's Construction Administrative Code. The plumbing work itself follows the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as adopted in KMC 21.24.010, administered under Chapter 21.06 per KMC 21.24.016, with fees set by the city council's schedule.
Any owner or owner's authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this chapter or one of the technical codes, or to cause any such work to be performed, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit. A separate permit is required for each building or structure.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4945, passed July 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
205 requires any owner or authorized agent who intends to erect, install, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system to first apply to the building official and obtain a permit before starting work; a separate permit is required for each building or structure, though the building official may allow an accessory structure's work to ride under the main building's permit. 010, which adopts the 2021 Edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code as amended by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-56 WAC, published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials.
Kirkland drops the UPC's own Chapter 1 (Administration) and Chapters 12 and 14, and does not adopt the UPC provisions on venting and combustion air of fuel-fired appliances in Chapter 5 or the portions addressing building sewers; several appendices, including Appendix A on water supply sizing and Appendix I on installation standards, are adopted by reference instead. 06, the Construction Administrative Code, rather than the UPC's own administrative chapter. 395. 013.
Violations & Fines
KMC 21.06.590 makes it unlawful to erect, install, alter, repair or replace any building, structure or equipment regulated by the construction codes, including a plumbing system, in violation of Chapter 21.06 or the adopted technical codes. KMC 21.06.600 enforces such violations under Chapter 1.12 KMC, which authorizes civil fines starting at $100 per day for the first 15 days of noncompliance, $250 per day for days 16-30, and $500 per day after day 31, capped at $50,000 per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kirkland
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