Lacey, WA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Right-of-way access permit under Chapter 12.16 LMC
- Adopted plumbing code
- Uniform Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition
- Fees
- Set by city council resolution, paid before issuance
- Owner-maintained building sewer
- From two feet outside the foundation wall to the main
- Minimum pipe in right-of-way
- Six inches in diameter, ASTM D3034
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under LMC § 14.06.040
Summary
In the City of Lacey, Washington, no one can uncover, connect to, open into, use, alter or disturb a public sewer without first applying for and securing a right-of-way access permit under Chapter 12.16 LMC. Plan check, inspection fees and connection charges set by city council resolution must be paid before the building sewer and right-of-way access permits issue.
No person shall uncover, make any connection to, opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereto without first making an application and securing a right-of-way access permit pursuant to Chapter 12.16 LMC from the administrative authority. Plan check, inspection fees and connection charges in an amount established by resolution of the city council shall be paid prior to issuance of building sewer and right-of-way access permits.
Full Breakdown
Lacey Municipal Code § 14.06.020 is the permit rule in Chapter 14.06, the city's Uniform Plumbing Code chapter. The permit is a right-of-way access permit pursuant to Chapter 12.16 LMC, requested from the administrative authority, and it is needed before anyone touches a public sewer or appurtenance. Plan check, inspection fees and connection charges are set by resolution of the city council, and they must be paid before the building sewer and right-of-way access permits are issued.
The plumbing code itself is adopted in § 14.06.010: the Uniform Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition, published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, as amended by Chapter 51-56 WAC. Provisions affecting fuel gas piping are not adopted in that chapter, and all requirements of the Uniform Plumbing Code relating to building sewers are adopted. Fuel gas is picked up by the International Fuel Gas Code, 2021 Edition, adopted in § 14.05.010. The building code's Section 101.4.3, as amended in § 14.04.015, says the City of Lacey Plumbing Code applies to plumbing systems and to medical gas systems.
Section 14.06.015 redefines the building sewer. The portion the property owner is responsible for maintaining begins two feet outside the outer foundation wall of the structure and runs to the sanitary sewer main. Under § 14.06.030, no building sewer in the public right-of-way or easement can be less than six inches in diameter, the pipe within the right-of-way cannot be smaller than the pipe from the building to the right-of-way, ASTM D3034 pipe is used within the right-of-way or easement, and cleaning the building sewer is the property owner's responsibility.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of the Uniform Plumbing Code as adopted in the City of Lacey constitutes a misdemeanor under Lacey Municipal Code § 14.06.040. Work on a public sewer without the right-of-way access permit breaks § 14.06.020 directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What permit does Lacey require before connecting to a public sewer?
Which plumbing code applies in the City of Lacey?
Who maintains the sewer line between the house and the main?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lacey
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