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Basic Plumbing Specifications

Plumbing Testing

  1. Responsibility – The equipment material and labor necessary for inspection or tests shall be furnished by the person to whom the permit is issued or by whom the inspection is requested.
  2. Media -The piping of the plumbing, drainage and venting systems shall be tested with water or air. The Administration Authority may require the removal of any cleanouts, etc., to ascertain if the pressure has reached all parts of the system. After the plumbing fixtures have been set and their traps filled with water, they shall be submitted to a final test.
  3. Water test -The water test shall be applied to the drainage and vent systems either in its entirety or in sections. If applied to the entire system, all openings in the piping shall be tightly closed, except the highest opening, and the system filled with water to a point of overflow. If the system is tested in sections, each opening shall be tightly plugged except the highest opening of the section under test, and each section shall be filled with water, but no section shall be tested with less than a ten (10) foot (3m) head of water. In testing successive sections, at least the upper ten (10) feet (3m) of the next proceeding section shall be tested, so that no joint or pipe in the building (except the uppermost ten (10) foot (3m) of the system) shall have been submitted to a test of less then a ten.(10) foot (3m) head of water. The water shall be kept in the system, or the portion under test, for at east fifteen (15) minutes before inspection starts. The system shall then be tight at all points.
  4. Air test -The air test shall be made by attaching an air compressor testing apparatus to any suitable opening, and after closing all other inlets and outlets to the system, forcing air into the system until there is a uniform gage pressure of five (5) pounds per square inch (34.5 kPa) or sufficient to balance a column of mercury ten (10) inches (254mm) in height. The pressure shall be held without introduction of additional air for a period of at least fifteen (15) minutes.
  5. Building sewer test -Building sewers shall be tested by plugging the end of the building sewer at its point of connection with the public sewer or private sewer disposal system and completely filling the building sewer with water from the lowest to the highest point thereof, or by approved equivalent low pressure air test, or by another test as may be prescribed by the Administration Authority. The building sewer shall be watertight at all points.
  6. Water piping – Upon completion of a section or of the entire hot and cold water supply system, it shall be tested and proved tight under a water pressure not less than the working pressure in which it is to be used. The water used for tests shall be obtained from a potable source of supply. A fifty (50) pound per square inch (344.5 kPa) air pressure may be substituted for the water test. In either method of test, the piping shall withstand the test without leaking for a period of not less than fifteen (15) minutes.

Building Plans

Minimum information required:

  1. Cross sections of all walls
  2. All windows: length, width, and height from floors
  3. Cross sections of all truss designs and attachments
  4. Cross section of roof sheathing and attachments
  5. All door locations
  6. Insulation
  7. All braced wall panels and attachments
  8. Foundation cross section, see new (ICC 2018) foundation specs  7-1-07
  9. Foundation depth
  10. All concrete reinforcement
  11. Plumbing details
  12. All flooring cross sections and attachments
  13. Snow load data from engineer

Detached Garages, Shops, Barns, Storage Buildings, Carports, Greenhouses, etc.

  1. Completed Building Permit Application with a site address.  (Often the same as adjacent residence.)  This address MUST be posted at the site before work can begin.
  2. Site Plan
  3. Copy of the contractor’s state license
  4. If there is to be any plumbing (bathroom, kitchen, sink, laundry etc), must have sewer and water approval from health department.  Plumbing is subject to additional fees found in Title 15 – Building Issuance and Fees.
  5. For pole construction, poles must be in holes before inspection.
  6. One set of construction plans including but not limited to:
  • Cross section of footings and foundation
  • Cross section of walls
  • Cross section of roof
  • Floor plan – if there is to be a separation of rooms
  • Climate and geographic design criteria
  • If there are to be cooking facilities, this may be considered a residential structure.
  • Plumbing plans to be submitted with building plans prior to issuance of permit.

Click here for a form to help diagram the details of your pole building.

Inspections

If you call and leave a message on our voicemail, you must leave a call back number so we can reach you.

To clarify when it is necessary for the owner or contractor to notify this department of a needed inspection, the following information is furnished:

  1. Please follow the issued permit guide you received for all inspections.
  2. Final Inspection: To be made after finish grading and the building is completed and ready for occupancy.

Arrangements for all inspections may be made by calling 509-725-7911.  We ask that at least two days advance notice be given so that trips may be properly scheduled to avoid duplication of visits to the same areas on a daily basis.

Access permits are required for approaches to all county roads.  Existing approaches will be reevaluated when use is changed (i.e. farm approach to residential).

  1. Certified Installer Form  
  2. Installer Training and Certification
  3. Minimum Manufactured Home footing requirements.
  4. Be sure to advise the manufacture that the minimum roof snow load in Lincoln County is 40 lb/sf.  This very small increase in cost may make all the difference in your new home.
  5. Mobile and manufactured home installation, Chapter 43.63B RCW
  6. Pre 1976 Mobile Home: Alteration Fire Safety Pre-Inspection Checklist (Required by Labor and Industries when relocating home)
  7. Crawl Space Ventilation
  8. Contact WA State Labor and Industries for Alteration Permits and a wide variety of other information regarding Factory-Built Structures

REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN A BUILDING PERMIT

  1. Completed Building Permit Application with a site address.  This address MUST be posted at the site before work can begin.
  2. Site Plan
  3. Proof of potable water: Health Department Approval Letter or Septic Permit
  4. Pre-approval of septic site from the Health Department: Approval Letter or Septic Permit
  5. Certification name and numbers of the installers other than the homeowner: form available online
  6. One set of manufacturer’s construction plans (if new home) for the footings and pier block schedule.  Footings are required (6” thick, 24” below grade to bottom of footing) on all homes.  Must be tied down to manufacturer’s guidelines.
  7. A relocated manufactured home should be installed according to the manufacturer’s installation instructions.  If the manufacturer’s instructions are unavailable, you must either use Lincoln County’s standards (See below) or the instructions of a professional engineer licensed in Washington State.
  8. Addition/remodel of any Manufactured Home requires a permit from Department of Labor and Industries.

Minimum Footing Requirements

* Note that this only applies if the manufacture’s plans with engineers stamp is not available.

  1. Place anchors and holdowns at manufacturers specified locations.
  2. Bottom of footings or pads to be at a minimum of 30” below finished grade.
  3. Footings or pads to be a minimum 6” thick.
  4. Minimum concrete compression strength to be 2500 PSI.
  5. ½” (#4) rebar to run length-wise in footings or pads with maximum span of 24” O.C.
  6. If there is no pier block schedule then set piers no more than 5’ O.C.
  7. The site is to be graded and compacted (if needed) to the 2006 International Code      Council specifications.  The finish grade should be no less than 6” below building siding.
  8. Should allow a 6” sloping grade away from the building for 10’.

  1. Single-story footings and foundation
  2. Residential Egress Windows
  3. Crawl Space Venting
  4. Use these Web Hole Details only if the original manufacturer information is NOT available.
  5. Required Inspections

REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN A BUILDING PERMIT

  1. Completed Building Permit Application with a site address.  This address MUST be posted at the site before work can begin.
  2. Site Plan
  3. Proof of potable water: Such as letter from purveyor, septic permit.
  4. Approval of septic site from the Health Department: Septic Permit
  5. Copy of the contractor’s state license/certificate
  6. 2 sets (1 for Building Inspector/ 1 for Builder) of construction plans including but not limited to:
  • All four sides viewed
  • Size of windows
  • Cross section of footings and foundation
  • Cross sections of walls
  • Insulation with R-value
  • Floor joists plan – size and span
  • Floor plan for each floor level
  • One set of plans will be returned to you after they have been approved
  • We cannot make copies of copyrighted plans

Inspections for Houses

If you call and leave a message on our voicemail, you must leave a call back number so we can reach you.

To clarify when it is necessary for the owner or contractor to notify this department of a needed inspection, the following information is furnished:

  1. Footings Inspection:     Set to grade with all steel in place prior to pouring concrete.
  2. Foundation Inspection:  To be made after excavations for footings are complete and any required reinforcing steel is in place.  For concrete foundations, any required forms shall be in place prior to inspections.   All materials for foundation shall be on the job, except where concrete is ready mixed, the concrete need not be on the job.  Where the foundation is to be constructed of approved treated wood, additional inspections may be required by the building official.
  3. Concrete Slab or Under Floor Inspection:  To be made after all in-slab or under-floor building service, equipment, conduit, piping accessories and other ancillary equipment items are in place but before any concrete is placed or floor sheeting installed, including sub-floor.
  4. Sub-floor Inspection: To be made prior to sheeting.
  5. Frame Inspection: To be made after the roof, all framing, fire blocking and bracing are in place and pipes, chimneys and vents are complete and the rough electrical, plumbing, and heating pipes and ducts are approved.
  6. Insulation Inspection:  To be made after all wall insulation is in place.  Ceiling insulation may be inspected on the final inspection.
  7. House Gas: Tested prior to unit connections.
  8. Tank Gas: After complete installation and operating.
  9. Final Inspection: To be made after finish grading and the building is completed and ready for occupancy.

Arrangements for all inspections may be made by calling 509-725-7911.  We ask that at least two days advance notice be given so that trips may be properly scheduled to avoid duplication of visits to the same areas on a daily basis.

Access permits are required for approaches to all county roads.  Existing approaches will be reevaluated when use is changed (i.e. farm approach to residential).

Smoke Alarms

R313.1  Smoke alarms.  Smoke alarms shall be installed in the following locations:

  1. In each sleeping room.
  2. Outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms.
  3. On each additional story of the dwelling, including basements but not including crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics.  In dwellings or dwelling units with split levels and without an intervening door between the adjacent levels, a smoke alarm installed on the upper level shall suffice for the adjacent lower level provided that the lower level is less than one full story below the upper level.

When more than one smoke alarm is required to be installed within an individual dwelling unit the alarm devices shall be interconnected in such a manner that the actuation of one alarm will activate all of the alarms in the individual unit.  The alarm shall be clearly audible in all bedrooms over background noise levels with all intervening doors closed.

All smoke alarms shall be listed and installed in accordance with the provisions of this code and the household fire warning equipment provisions of NFPA 72.

R313.1.1  Alterations, repairs and additions.  When interior alterations, repairs or additions requiring a permit occur, or when one or more sleeping rooms are added or created in existing dwellings, the individual dwelling unit shall be provided with smoke alarms located as required for new dwellings; the smoke alarms shall be interconnected and hard wired.

Exceptions:

  1. Smoke alarms in existing areas shall not be required to be interconnected and hard wired where the alterations or repairs do not result in the removal of interior wall or ceiling finishes exposing the structure, unless there is an attic, crawl space, or basement available which could provide access for hard wiring and interconnection without the removal of interior finishes.
  2. Repairs to the exterior surfaces of dwellings are exempt from the requirement of this section.

R313.2  Power source.  In new construction, the required smoke alarms shall receive their primary power from the building source, and when primary is interrupted, shall receive power from a battery.  Wiring shall be permanent and without a disconnecting switch other than those required for over current protection.  Smoke alarms shall be permitted to be battery operated when installed in buildings without commercial power or in the buildings that undergo alterations, repairs or additions regulated by Section R313.1.1.

Additional Information from Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

PERMITS (YELLOW COPY) MUST BE POSTED AT THE JOBSITE.  FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL INSPECTIONS AT PERMIT HOLDERS EXPENSE AS WELL AS A DELAY IN FINAL INSPECTIONS AND CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY.

Building Inspector, Ryan James

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:00 – 3:30 CLOSED FRIDAYS

27234 State Route 25 N

Davenport , WA   99122

509 725-7911   For technical questions, it is easiest to reach the building inspector on the cell at 509-721-0539 (or text)If you are from out of town, an appointment is highly recommended since we only have one (1) Building Official/Inspector and he is often out on inspections. 

building@co.lincoln.wa.us

Fax: 725-4467

MUST SUBMIT PROOF OF SEPTIC PERMIT TO RECIEVE A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMIT (HOUSE, SHOP HOUSE ETC…)

Forms, etc.

  1. Building Permit Request Form * Note that a physical address must be assigned to the site before a building permit or septic permit (509-725-2501) can be applied for.  All utility companies will also need to have a physical address before they will connect service. Click here for the address request form.  A list of exemptions can be found hereThe Tax Location Code for Lincoln County is very important to get right.
  2. Site Plan
  3. Inspection Affidavit (must have prior approval from Building Department)
  4. Site Built Residences
  5. Factory Built Residences
  6. Non-Residential
  7. Remodeling
  8. Plans
  9. Attics & Crawl Spaces
  10. Foundations
  11. Title 15 – Flood Damage Prevention
  12. Building Code
  13. Contractors: A list of local building services providers
  14. Plumbing Testing
  15. Stairs
  16. LP Gas Container Location
  17. Smoke Alarms
  18. Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Foundation Walls
  19. Retaining Walls
  20. Setback Variance Request

Washington State:  Labor and Industries

  • Electrical Permits are not issued or inspected by the Lincoln County Building Division.  Before beginning electrical work, contact Washington State Labor and Industries.
  • If you are altering a Factory Assembled Structure (also know as a manufactured/mobile home) you will need to get a permit through Labor and Industry.  Call 509-324-2568 for more information.  An addition will need a permit from Lincoln County Building.  509-725-7911.  Construction Alteration:  The replacement, addition, modification, or removal of any equipment or installation that may affect the originally approved design of construction, plumbing, heating, cooling, fuel-burning, or electrical systems.
  • Any manufactured/mobile home constructed in 1976 or earlier is not permitted in Lincoln County.

Codes Used 

The Washington State Legislature, together with the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC), has adopted the  State Building Code (RCW 19.27).  The State Building Code is comprised of model code editions with Washington State Amendments, and is the minimum construction requirement for the State of Washington.  The editions of the model codes listed below, as adopted by the SBCC, are currently in effect and prevail for construction in all counties and cities of Washington State, as required by the State of Washington, pursuant to RCW 19.27.031.

The 2018 editions are listed below in green, to be referenced for building permit applications submitted on or after February 1, 2021.

*for one & two family dwellings and residential utility structures
2015 International Residential Code (IRC) with statewide amendments
2018 International Residential Code (IRC)
 with statewide amendments
2018 Washington State Residential code includes:
-adoption of Appendices F, Q and U
-Chapter 11 and Chapters 25 through 43 are not adopted

*for commercial and other public projects
2015 International Building Code (IBC) with statewide amendments
2018 International Building Code (IBC) with statewide amendments
2018 Washington State Building Code includes:
-adoption of Appendix E & ICC/ANSI A117.1-2009
-the 2018 International Existing Building Code
-the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code

ICC/ANSI A117.1-09 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities with statewide amendments found in the IBC

2015 International Mechanical Code (IMC) with statewide amendments
2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) with statewide amendments
2018 Washington State Mechanical Code includes:
-adoption of 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 NFPA 58 & 2017 NFPA 54

2015 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) with statewide amendments (part of the IMC adoption)
2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) with statewide amendments (part of the IMC adoption)

2014 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code (NFPA 58)

2015 National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54) (for LP Gas installation only)

2015 International Fire Code (IFC) with statewide amendments
2018 International Fire Code (IFC) with statewide amendments

2015 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) with statewide amendments
2018 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) with statewide amendments
2018 Washington State Plumbing Code includes:
-adoption of Appendices A, B and I

2015 Washington State Energy Code (WSEC) 
2018 Washington State Energy Code (WSEC)

2015 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) with statewide amendments found in the IBC
2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) with statewide amendments found in the IBC

2015 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) with statewide amendments found in the IBC
2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) with statewide amendments found in the IBC

*National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) – Please see the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) for information on the adoption and amendment of the National Electrical Code

Design Guidelines

  1. Minimum Snow Loads in Lincoln County: Roof 40 lb/sqft, Ground 50 lb/sqft
  2. Frost Depth is 30 inches (from finished graded to bottom of footing)
  3. Design for winds of 85 MPH
  4. Design for Exposure Class C
  5. Seismic Design Category C
  6. Termite Infestation: Slight to moderate.
  7. Radon: Zone 2, Moderate Potential (from 2-4 pCi/L).  EPA recommends that all homes that measure 4 and greater be mitigated.
  8. Rebar is not required in slabs but is highly recommended.
  9. Egress Windows:  5.7 Square feet minimum, 44″ Maximum Sill Height.  All bedrooms must have egress windows.
  10. Railings must be a minimum of 36″ tall (34″ on stairs) on structures more than 30″ high.
  11. Wood Stoves: Use the manufacturer’s recommendations.
  12. ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG)
  13. Click here to research the soils for your site.

Miscellaneous Notes and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. From the time that the building permit is issued, you have 180 days to start construction.  Permits become null and void if work or construction authorized is not commenced within 180 days.  The permit is valid for 18 months from the date it is issued.  The permit may be renewed for a period of 6 months if substantial progress is shown.
  2. If you choose to build in Lincoln County, you may at times have to wait in excess of a week for inspections.  We only have one inspector.  We will make every effort to work your inspection into the schedule within 2 business days but it is on a first come, first served basis.
  3. An additional $50 fee (minimum) may be assessed if excessive repeat inspections are required.  It is essential that you are ready for your inspection when you schedule it.  Please refer to the list of inspections appropriate to your project which are available at on this website.
  4. A confirmation letter from a public water system or a well log is required for a septic permit.  Well logs are available online at: https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/waterresources/map/WCLSWebMap/default.aspx
  5. Tax Location Code for Lincoln County  All contractors and/or subcontractors on projects in Lincoln County must know that the Sales/Use Tax four (4) digit location code for this construction project is:  #2200 – Unincorporated Lincoln County.  Use this code when completing the Washington Combined Excise Tax Return, “Local city and /or County Sales and Use Tax” Section.  Correct coding is vital to our community and required by law.  The cities or county receives a portion of the sales tax, determined by the code reported.  If a previous return has been miscoded or you have questions, please contact the Lincoln County Treasures Office at 509-725-5061, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  6. Always Call Before You Dig, 8-1-1 or 509-456-8000 or 800-424-5555 (Free utility location service)
  7. Access permits are required for approaches to all county roads.
  8. Click here to look up a Contractor, Electrician or Plumber’s License Information
  9. RCW 18.08 Architects (licensing).  See also WAC 308-12
  10. RCW 18.27 regulates the registration of contractors
  11. RCW 18.43 Engineers and land surveyors (licensing)
  12. For questions regarding the subdivision of property or County zoning, go to the Planning page.
  13. Code of the West
  14. Fireworks:  Refer to Chapter 212-17 WAC and Chapter 70-77 RCW.  Also reference 8.12 of the Lincoln County Code.  Fireworks are permitted in Lincoln County however if you are planning on setting off very many, please be sure to contact your local fire department and the Sheriff’s Office (725-3501).  Fireworks are NOT permitted on the National Park Service ground or other Public ground (WA DNR, WA DFW, US BLM)