Planning and Development Services

Washington State has adopted a revised version of the State Building Code effective February 1, with new standards for building safety, fire safety, and energy code compliance. More information may be found at the Washington State Building Code Council webpage. Projects with a building permit application date prior to February 1, 2021 must be designed compliant with the 2015 building codes. Projects with a building permit application date February 1, 2021 or thereafter must be designed compliant with the 2018 building codes. The building permit application date is established by submitting a complete application for any required step of building permit review prior to February 1, 2021. This may include, but is not limited to, Lot Certification, Project Water Review, Critical Areas Review, or Septic/Sewer Review. This application date will remain valid as long as the application does not expire and all deferred information, including but not limited to construction plans, stormwater plan, contractor information, etc., is submitted within 6 months of the building code change or at the discretion of the Planning Director for good cause within a period not to exceed one year.

We Are Open!

While we are not offering in person interactions, we continue to assist customers via phone and email. Please see below for how to ask questions, submit applications and call for inspections.

We will continue to keep the community updated with any changes through our website. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to continuing to assist you in your planning and development needs!

What Does This Mean?

Permit Counter and Reception Counter

We are currently closed to the public at this time.

Questions for Our Team

General questions: PDS@co.skagit.wa.us or reception line, 360-416-1320.

Specific questions: PDS Staff Directory 

To better assist our team, provide your project number (if applicable), parcel number (if available) and preferred contact method. Response time may be delayed due to the large volume of phone calls and emails our staff is currently receiving.

Application Submittals (PDS@co.skagit.wa.us)

Please send applications in PDF format with a file and message size no greater than 30 MB. Please review our Electronic Document Submittal Guidelines for more information.  Businesses are available to assist with document scanning. An email with a link to a file share site (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) is acceptable.

We will review the applications in the order they come in. Please make sure you have a complete application or appeal, otherwise it will not be processed. You will be contacted by our department for payment if the application is deemed complete or you will be given a list of additional items required for resubmittal. At this time, we can only process payments by credit card over the phone. An application will not be deemed complete without receipt of payment.

Comment Letters (PDScomments@co.skagit.wa.us)

Comment letters are for active land use plans or permit applications, more information can be found here.  General questions should be sent to PDS@co.skagit.wa.us.

Payments (360-416-1320)

Payments are by phone only, Monday – Friday 8:00am-3:30pm.

Development Permit Issuance

Once your application has been approved, you will receive an email for payment. A digital signature will be required prior to permit issuance.  If you submitted a paper application, your permit packet will be available in our pick up box located in the vestibule of our office. To receive your permit packet, please call ahead so we can have your permit placed in the box prior to your arrival.  If you submitted an electronic application, your permit will be issued via email.

Development Permit Inspections (360-416-1330)

Please be aware of the requirements the Governor issued regarding workplace safety: Phase 2 Construction COVID-19 Job Site Requirements, including the use of personal protection equipment, social distancing, worker training, handwashing stations, etc. All inspections within occupied structures will be completed via FaceTime, Zoom, or equivalent. This option may also be available for other inspections, if practical.

If you received permit approvals or other related documentation electronically, please make sure that all documentation are printed out and available at the jobsite.  For all projects, inspectors will not conduct inspections unless these documents are available.

• General questions about how to comply with construction safety practices should be submitted to the state’s Business Response Center.
• Workplace safety and health complaints should be submitted to the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Call Center: 1-800-423-7233 or via e-mail to adag235@lni.wa.gov.
• All other violations related to Governor’s Proclamations can be submitted here.