Before You Build in Pasco, WA: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

In Pasco, fences, walls and hedges in the front yard of residentially, retail-business and office-zoned lots are limited to 3.5 feet, with an extra 1.5 feet of 85% transparent material allowed up to 5 feet. Side, rear and secondary-front yards allow up to 6 feet.

Pasco does not require a building permit for fences under 7 feet tall, but those fences must still meet the city's zoning design standards in PMC 25.180.050. Fences taller than 7 feet require a building permit, and retaining walls over 4 feet require one separately.

Pasco's code does not set residential cost-sharing rules for shared boundary fences. Washington's partition-fence statute (Ch. 16.60 RCW) is part of the Animals and Livestock title and applies mainly to agricultural enclosures, so most disputes between neighbors are private property-line and civil matters.

In Pasco, retaining walls under 4 feet tall are exempt from a building permit; walls over 4 feet (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top) or any wall supporting a surcharge require a permit. A retaining wall can also affect how fence height is measured along a common lot line.

Pasco allows traditional fencing materials (wood, masonry, wrought iron, vinyl) under PMC 25.180.050 but bans non-fencing junk materials and most wire mesh in residential and commercial zones. Front-yard fences over 3.5 ft must be 85% transparent, and the I-182 overlay requires masonry block.

Under PMC 16.60.020, all outdoor swimming pools in Pasco must be enclosed by a nonclimbable fence or approved barrier at least five feet high, with a self-closing gate latched from the pool side. The barrier must sit no closer than three feet from the water's edge with a maximum two-inch gap below it.

Pasco requires a building permit for any swimming pool deeper than 24 inches under Municipal Code Title 16, issued through the city Building Division. Submittals must include a permit application, a complete site plan showing the safety barrier, and full installation instructions for the pool.

Pasco has adopted the 2015 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) as its official pool code under PMC 16.60.010, supplemented by a local five-foot barrier rule (PMC 16.60.020). Pools must pass a final building inspection, and the safety barrier must be shown on the site plan before approval.

Pasco's pool rules apply to above-ground and below-ground pools alike. A building permit is required for any pool deeper than 24 inches, and the same PMC 16.60.020 five-foot nonclimbable barrier and the adopted 2015 ISPSC apply to above-ground installations.

Pasco requires a building permit for hot tubs under PMC Title 16, and they fall under the same Swimming Pool, Spa, and Hot Tub Code (Ch. 16.60) that adopts the 2015 ISPSC. The PMC 16.60.020 barrier rule and zoning setbacks apply to spas and hot tubs.

Pasco allows one attached or one detached ADU per residential parcel with a conforming single-family home (not in the RP zone). The ADU may be up to 1,000 sq ft or 55% of the main house, whichever is less, and up to 25 ft tall. No extra parking is required, but occupants must live in the ADU more than 180 days per year.

Converting a garage into living space in Pasco generally creates an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Pasco's ADU Guide lists a garage conversion (attached or detached) as a recognized ADU type. The resulting unit is capped at 1,000 sq ft or 55% of the main house, whichever is less, and requires building permits.

In Pasco, detached storage buildings such as sheds are a permitted residential accessory use, limited cumulatively to 200 square feet of gross floor area and 15 feet in height, with no container (shipping-container) storage allowed. A habitable structure and a non-habitable structure such as a shed must be at least 6 feet apart.

Pasco has no carport-specific ordinance; carports are governed as residential accessory structures under the zoning code. Detached accessory structures must meet the zoning district's setbacks, and a non-habitable structure must be at least 6 feet from a habitable one. A building permit is generally required.

Pasco has no separate tiny-home ordinance. A permanent tiny house on a foundation is treated as an ADU, capped at 1,000 sq ft or 55% of the main house, whichever is less. A tiny home on wheels (titled as a motor vehicle) and RVs/motorhomes are not recognized as ADUs and cannot serve as permanent dwellings.

Pasco allows small recreational fires (cooking fires, campfires, fire pits, and outdoor fireplaces) inside the city without a permit, provided the fire is no larger than 3 feet by 2 feet, clearances to property lines and combustibles are met, and it is not a No-Burn Day. Larger recreational fires are prohibited within the Urban Growth Area.

Open outdoor burning of yard debris, land-clearing material, and garbage has been substantially banned inside Pasco's Urban Growth Area since December 31, 2000. The traditional metal burn barrel is illegal throughout Washington. Limited exceptions exist for windblown tumbleweeds on designated burn days, and agricultural burning in Franklin County is permitted only by the Washington Department of Ecology.

Pasco's Trees and Shrubs chapter (PMC 12.12) requires city permission to substantially prune trees or shrubs in the public planting strip or right-of-way, and prohibits abuse or mutilation of trees in public places. Property owners are responsible for maintaining vegetation on the abutting right-of-way and must keep it from overhanging sidewalks and streets.

Pasco regulates removal of trees in the public planting strip and right-of-way under PMC 12.12.080 (Permission to remove trees), which requires city permission. The city does not publish a general permit requirement for removing healthy trees on private property; private-yard trees are mainly limited by the nuisance and landscaping rules.

Pasco runs its own non-potable irrigation utility and asks customers to follow a voluntary watering schedule by address: even-numbered addresses water Tuesday, Thursday and/or Sunday; odd-numbered addresses water Monday, Wednesday and/or Saturday. The irrigation season typically runs April through October. PMC 13.85.180 prohibits wasting irrigation water.