Lewis County, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Type-A permit
- Annual, for lower-impact work
- Type-B permit
- Individual permit per project, higher-impact work
- Applicant pays
- County's permit and monitoring costs
- Financial security
- Bond or letter of credit may be required
- Unpermitted facility
- Subject to removal and cost recovery
Summary
Lewis County Code Chapter 12.20 requires anyone doing utility work within a county road right-of-way, in unincorporated Lewis County, to get a Type-A annual permit or a Type-B individual permit depending on the work's impact, and Chapter 12.40 lets the county remove any facility built without the required encroachment or utility permit.
All utility providers conducting work within county rights-of-way shall obtain a utility permit as follows, unless otherwise exempted hereunder. ... Type-B Activities: Type-B activities have a greater impact on the rights-of-way than Type-A activities. Type-B activities include individual service connections with more than two hundred feet of underground installation, all roadway crossings, installing underground vaults, constructing splice pits, attaching to any bridge structure, installing main lines, and all other utility activities within county rights-of-way. Utility providers conducting Type-B activities within county rights-of-way shall obtain an individual utility permit for each Type-B activity. ... If the facility was constructed or installed without the prior issuance of a required encroachment, utility or other permit; ... "Encroachment" means occupancy of county right-of-way by nonroadway structures or other objects of any kind. This includes any work within the county right-of-way.
Full Breakdown
040 splits permits into two tiers. Type-A activities, covering things like installing fewer than five new poles, replacing poles, short side utility services more than two feet off the pavement edge, individual service connections under 200 feet of underground line, and removing two or fewer sidewalk panels, only need an annual utility permit, with written certification of conformance due within 10 days of the work and the county free to conduct random inspections. 040(1)(b). 080 to guarantee timely, code-compliant construction and restoration of the right-of-way.
020(2)(c) makes a facility "unauthorized and subject to removal" if it "was constructed or installed without the prior issuance of a required encroachment, utility or other permit," letting the county director require the owner to apply for a permit within 30 days, remove the facility and restore the site within 90 days, or have county crews remove it and bill or lien the owner for the cost.
Violations & Fines
A utility facility built in a Lewis County right-of-way without the required Type-A or Type-B permit is unauthorized and subject to removal under § 12.40.020. The director can give the owner 30 days to apply for a permit or 90 days to remove the facility and restore the site, or have county crews remove it and bill the owner, including by placing a lien on the owner's property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a county permit to install a utility line in a Lewis County right-of-way?
What happens if a utility installs a facility without the required permit?
Does the county charge for reviewing and issuing these permits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lewis County
Compare Lewis County to another location·View the Washington sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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