Drafter
Clerk 09/28/2026
Title
AN ORDINANCE related to plumbing permit fees; and amending Ordinance 6746, Section 10, as amended, and K.C.C. 16.32.080 and establishing an effective date.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 6746, Section 10, as amended, and K.C.C. 16.32.080 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
Section 104 of the Uniform Plumbing Code is not adopted and the following is substituted:
Fees. A. An applicant for a permit to do work under this chapter shall pay at the time of permit issuance, the following fees according to the fee schedule:
FEE SCHEDULE
((Fee Type)) Fee Type Cost
Note: The fees in this table may be adjusted annually in accordance with subsection D. of this section. Contact public health - Seattle & King County for the most current fee schedule.
((Base permit fee)) Base permit fee, which is for a (($132.00)) $214.00
plumbing, gas, or backflow permit
((Fixture fee)) Fixture fee, which is assessed per each (($26.00)) $29.00
plumbing, medical or dental gas, fuel gas, laboratory gas, or repipe fixture, or backflow assembly, or any combination thereof, in addition to the base permit fee
((Administrative fee)) Administrative fee, which is (($40.00)) $43.00
the fee assessed to modify a permit or issue a refund
((Permit renewal fee)) Permit renewal fee, which is (($66.00)) $71.00
the fee assessed to renew a permit
((Repipe permit fee)) Repipe permit fee, which is a (Base permit fee +
project specific fee, and which is the base permit fee repipe fixture fee or
plus repipe fixture fee or fees plus the total number of fees) + (the number of
anticipated inspections times the hourly operating rate, anticipated
unless the number of actual inspections exceed the inspections + additional
number of anticipated inspections, in which case the inspections x hourly
applicant will be charged the hourly operating rate operating rate)
for each additional inspection. Contact public health -
Seattle & King County for fee estimate
((Plan review fee)) Plan review fee, which applies to (($264.00/hr))
plan reviewed projects only, and is invoiced at hourly $285.00/hr
operating rate based on actual time spent reviewing
project
((Hourly operating rate)) Hourly operating rate, (($264.00/hr))
which is used to determine fees for plan review, $285.00/hr
off-hour inspections and repipe projects
B. The following definitions apply to this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
1. "Backflow assembly" means any approved device or assembly installed within a water supply system to prevent health hazards associated with backflow or back-siphonage conditions;
2. "Fuel gas fixture" means an outlet point in a piped fuel gas supply system or connection to a piece of fuel gas using equipment;
3. "Laboratory gas fixture" means an inlet point in a piped nonsurgical vacuum collection system, or an outlet point in a nonmedical laboratory gas distribution system that connects to a piece of equipment, or that facilitates connections and disconnections to be made by a system operator for nonmedical research or process purposes;
4. "Medical or dental gas fixture" means an inlet point in a piped medical, surgical, or dental vacuum collection system or an outlet point in a medical or dental gas distribution system that connects to a piece of equipment, or that facilitates connections and disconnections to be made by a system operator;
5. "Plumbing fixture" means an approved type of installed receptacle, device, or appliance that is connected to a water supply or that receives liquid or liquid-borne wastes and discharges such wastes into a building drainage system directly or indirectly; and
6. "Repipe fixture" represents the water supply, drainage, or venting portion of a plumbing system within a building that is to be replaced or repaired. A repipe fixture represents the piping system only and does not include any specific device or fixture as defined elsewhere in this section.
C.1. Laboratory fixture fees may be collected for any appliance, equipment, appurtenance, alarm, or gas system inlet or outlet connected to or affiliated with a nonmedical vacuum collection system or nonmedical gas piping system that does not include fuel gas and is not required to be designed in accordance with NFPA 99.
2. Medical or dental gas fixture fees may be collected for any appliance, equipment, appurtenance, alarm, or gas system inlet or outlet connected to or affiliated with a medical, surgical, or dental vacuum collection system or medical or dental gas piping system designed in accordance with NFPA 99.
3. Plumbing fixture fees may be collected for any plumbing fixture, appliance, equipment, or appurtenance that is either regulated by the applicable plumbing or gas codes or impacts the design or operation of a plumbing or gas system within a building, or both. This includes industrial or commercial tanks, vats, and similar processing equipment which might or might not be connected to or discharged into approved traps or plumbing fixtures.
D. The fee schedule referenced within this section may be reviewed and adjusted periodically in accordance with the following:
1. The director of public health - Seattle & King County shall annually review whether the fee schedule needs to be adjusted to reflect the projected subsequent year costs of providing services, taking into account the budget adopted by ordinance for the agency charged with providing such services; and
2. The director may annually adjust increase or decrease fees to reflect actual costs up to an amount that represents the most recent Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Area Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W, inflation forecast for the subsequent year prepared by the office of economic and financial analysis and adopted by the forecast council plus one percentage point, up to a maximum of five percent over the current fee. Actual costs may include the cost of increasing reserves in accordance with any applicable county fund reserve policies.
SECTION 2. Effective date. This ordinance takes effect January 1, 2027.
SECTION 3. Severability. If any provision of this ordinance or its application to
any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the ordinance or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.