Building Safety in Puyallup, WA (2026)
5 verified building safety rules for Puyallup, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Puyallup requires a fully automatic sprinkler system in buildings over 10,000 square feet, 40 feet or taller, or four or more stories, under PMC § 17.36.020. Buildings with three or fewer dwelling units are exempt from that size-based mandate.
Puyallup Automatic Sprinkler System Requirements
Some RestrictionsPuyallup Municipal Code § 17.36.020
A fully automatic sprinkler system designed, installed, and tested per NFPA No. 13 or 13R (residential occupancies), currently adopted edition, shall be installed in buildings in excess of 10,000 square feet gross floor area, or 40 or more feet in height, or four or more stories in height with the exception of a building that has three or less dwelling units.
Childcare Center Rules
Day care centers are a conditional use in Puyallup's RS single-family zones under PMC § 20.20.015(4), requiring a hearing examiner conditional use permit, a 10,000-square-foot minimum lot on a collector or arterial street, rear and side-yard fencing, and a 15-foot landscape buffer against neighboring residential lots.
Puyallup Day Care Center Siting Rules
Some RestrictionsPuyallup Municipal Code § 20.20.015(4)
Day care centers, subject to the following: (a) The subject property is bounded on at least one side by either a collector or a principal or minor arterial; (b) The subject property has a minimum net lot area of 10,000 square feet. Further, adequate fencing shall be located on all rear and interior side yard lot lines of any day care center; (c) A minimum 15-foot-wide landscape buffer strip sha...
Anti-Mansionization
Puyallup limits how much floor area a house can add relative to its lot through a maximum floor area ratio: RS-10 tops out at 0.45:1, RS-08 and RS-06 at 0.55:1, and RS-04 at 0.6:1, under PMC § 20.20.020, applied only to residential properties per PMC § 20.20.028.
Puyallup Residential Floor Area Ratio Cap
Some RestrictionsPMC § 20.20.020, Table 20.20.020, row (13); PMC § 20.20.028
RS-35 RS-10 RS-08 RS-06 RS-04 ... (13) Maximum floor area ratio — 0.45:1 0.55:1 0.55:1 0.6:1 Refer to PMC § 20.20.028 ... Maximum floor area ratios shall be established only on properties for which the principal use is residential (e.g., single-family, duplex, triplexes, retirement clusters).
Building Permits
Puyallup governs building permits through the state-adopted International Building Code and Residential Code, enforced by the city's building official. Permits expire if work is not begun within 180 days or not finished within two years.
Puyallup Building Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsPuyallup Municipal Code § 17.04.030(1)-(2)
The city of Puyallup hereby adopts the following codes by reference, which are incorporated herein, as they currently exist or are hereafter amended: (1) The current edition of the International Building Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-50 WAC. ... (2) The current edition of the International Resident...
Plumbing Permits
Puyallup enforces plumbing work through the Uniform Plumbing Code adopted under PMC § 17.04.030(5), as incorporated by the Washington State Building Code Council. The same permit expiration and civil infraction rules that govern building permits apply to plumbing permits.
Puyallup Plumbing Code Adoption and Permits
Some RestrictionsPuyallup Municipal Code § 17.04.030(5)
(5) Except as provided in RCW 19.27.170, the current edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Plumbing Code Standards, published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council in Chapters 51-56 and 51-57 WAC.
Looking for Pierce County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Puyallup city rules.
Building Safety in Pierce County →