Here are 11 home renovations, additions you can make to your Tacoma home without a permit
Are you thinking about making some changes to your home in Tacoma, but aren’t sure if you need to let the city know beforehand?
Depending on the types of changes that you want to make to your home, you could do them without needing to involve the city and without a permit.
Permits are required to ensure that the work is done in a safe manner and meets city codes which are partially set up “to protect the public from unlicensed contractors and substandard building materials,” according to the Tacoma permits website.
“We are the second set of eyes to ensure that the installer or general contractor or whoever, properly installed stuff, whatever it is, properly for life safety reasons, “ said principal plans examiner for the City of Tacoma Quyen Thai in an interview.
Thai added that the city generally follows the same guidelines laid out by the International Code Council, but has made some amendments.
In addition, almost all construction work done to single family homes and duplexes requires a permit, but there are more than 10 changes you can make to your home without needing to apply for building permits.
But what major types of changes does that include?
The International Residential Code and Tacoma Municipal Code state that the following changes or additions can be made to townhomes, single family homes and duplexes are exempt from permit requirements:
Accessory structures
The Tacoma Permit website states that an accessory structure refers to detached garages or sheds “because they are an accessory or secondary to the main building on the property – the home.”
IRC and city code require that any detached accessory structure be one story and with a floor area no bigger and 200 square feet.
Fences
Structurally sound fences that are built up to 7 feet in height, are built entirely on private property and do not block the view from vehicular traffic entering or turning onto the street do not require a permit. According to the Tacoma City Code, fences that are located within critical areas or their buffers may require a critical areas permit.
Decks
Decks that 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point and are not be attached to the house or serve as an exit door are permitted to be built without a permit, according to city code.
Re-roofing a house
Removing and replacing an old roof with the same roofing type of material does not require a permit, but a permit along with a pre-roof inspection is required to add an extra layer to existing roofing. A permit is also needed if making changes to a roofline. Tacoma City Code amended the IRC code to allow people to re-roof their homes with new material that does not exceed 2.5 pounds per square foot.
Prefabricated pools
The installation of prefabricated swimming pools that are less than 24 inches deep is allowed in the City of Tacoma. Thai said examples of prefabricated pools that are allowed are those that can be bought at store such as Target and Costco. Thai added that the height is intentional for the safety of toddlers because researchers have found that toddlers are able to stand, crawl and sit.
Additional changes that do not require a permit:
Retaining walls that are shorter than 4 feet in height
Swings and other playground equipment
Finish work including painting, papering, carpeting, cabinets and countertops
Window awnings that do not extend more than 54 inches from the exterior wall that supports it
Addition of water tanks that do not exceed 5,000 gallons and the ratio of height to diameter does not exceed 2 to 1
Changes to sidewalks and driveways do not require a permit, but could still require a site development permit or other city permits
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 8:43 AM.
