Pierce County, WA Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Plumbing code source
- Uniform Plumbing Code via WAC Title 51
- Local override
- Chapter 17C.50 PCC amendments control over state text
- Permit fees
- Table 17C.10-1-D under PCC 17C.10.070
- Unpermitted work investigation fee
- $250-$5,000, equal to permit fee
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 90 days jail
- Appeal window
- 14 days to Building Official/Hearing Examiner
Summary
Pierce County plumbs unincorporated properties under the Uniform Plumbing Code as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council in WAC Title 51, per PCC 17C.50.010, with local amendments in Chapter 17C.50 PCC controlling wherever they conflict with the state text. A permit is required for plumbing work, fees run through the Table 17C.10-1-D schedule, and enforcement follows the same Building Official process as every other Title 17C code.
The edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code, currently, or hereafter, adopted and amended by the State Building Code Council and included in Title 51 of the Washington Administrative Code, including Appendix Chapters A, B, D, E, I, and L, are adopted as the Plumbing Code for the unincorporated areas of Pierce County; except that the amendments to the Uniform Plumbing Code in this Chapter shall govern over the published provisions of the Plumbing Code. The effective date of subsequent editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code in Pierce County shall coincide with the effective date of their adoption and amendment by the State Building Code Council.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-515, and legislation passed through May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
PCC 17C.50.010 adopts whatever edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code the State Building Code Council has currently adopted and amended under Title 51 of the Washington Administrative Code, plus Appendix Chapters A, B, D, E, I, and L, as the plumbing code for unincorporated Pierce County. Any Pierce County amendment written into Chapter 17C.50 PCC overrides the published state text where the two conflict, and each new statewide edition takes effect in Pierce County on the same date the State Building Code Council adopts it, with no separate county adoption step required.
Chapter 17C.50 PCC deletes most of the Uniform Plumbing Code's own administrative sections and substitutes Pierce County's countywide Title 17C.10 process instead: enforcement authority routes to PCC 17C.10.030, permit fees are billed from Table 17C.10-1-D under PCC 17C.10.070 (see PCC 17C.50.050), plan review fees follow PCC 17C.10.070 as well (PCC 17C.50.060), and permit expiration is governed by PCC 18.150.060 (PCC 17C.50.040). Working without a permit triggers the investigation fee process in PCC 17C.10.080, a fee equal to the permit cost with a $250.00 floor and $5,000.00 ceiling, referenced at PCC 17C.50.080.
The Building Official is separately authorized to set a fee refund policy for cancelled plumbing permits under PCC 17C.50.090. Violations of the plumbing code are punished the same way as any other Title 17C violation: PCC 17C.50.030 sends enforcement to the general violations and penalties framework at PCC 17C.10.050, and appeals of a plumbing permit decision go through PCC 17C.50.100 to PCC 17C.10.060, the Building Official, and then the Hearing Examiner.
Violations & Fines
Plumbing work performed without the required permit is unlawful under PCC 17C.10.050.A, incorporated into the plumbing code at PCC 17C.50.030. It can be charged as a misdemeanor with a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both, treating each day of continued unpermitted work as a separate offense, or as a civil penalty up to $1,000 per violation, appealable to the Building Official within 14 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plumbing code does Pierce County enforce?
Do I need a permit for plumbing work in unincorporated Pierce County?
How do I appeal a Pierce County plumbing permit decision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pierce County
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