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Thurston County

Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development Center

In short

Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development Center issues 3 permits we publish for Thurston County, last verified 2026-10-06. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Building Permit and Plan Review (commercial and residential)only if it applies to youThurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development CenterBuilding permit fee from the county's Building Permit Fee Chart by project valuation ($50.00 for $0-$500; $68.30 for $1,001-$1,100; $109.75 for $2,001-$3,000; $417.75 for $24,001-$25,000), plus a plan review fee of 65% of the building permit fee; hourly plan review $170; Washington State surcharge $25 on non-residential permits (not on fire, mechanical or plumbing permits) or $6.50 on residential permits (not on mechanical or plumbing permits); plus the 5% technology fee (Resolution #16560)per permit2026-10-06
Home Occupation Permit (TCC 20.54) — home-based barbershops and beauty parlorsonly if it applies to youThurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development Center$2,591 per application (2026 Land Use Fee Schedule, 'Type 1 & 2 – Administrative', Home Occupation), plus the 5% technology fee; no fee where TCC 20.54 allows the home occupation as a matter of rightone-time land-use approval; no expansion of an approved home occupation is permitted2026-10-06
Special Use Permit (TCC 20.54) — day-care centers, family day care, veterinary clinics, athletic facilities and home-based industryonly if it applies to youThurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development CenterSet by the 2026 Land Use Fee Schedule (Resolution #16559) under its Special Use heading, by the approval type (administrative or quasi-judicial, residential or non-residential) that Table 1 of TCC 20.54 assigns to the use in the site's zoning district; contact the Permit Assistance Center, 360-786-5490, for the figure that applies to a specific siteone-time land-use approval2026-10-06

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Building Permit and Plan Review (commercial and residential)

Building, remodel and tenant-improvement work in unincorporated Thurston County needs a building permit from the Building Development Center of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED). The county's permit-fees page states that Thurston County 'is authorized by the Washington State legislature to issue permits in unincorporated areas of Thurston County and collect fees', and places the Building Permit Fee Chart under the heading '2026 Building Permits & Plan Review Fees', noting 'Fees above are for commercial and residential buildings'. The building permit fee is read from the chart by project valuation (for example $50.00 up to $500, $68.30 at $1,001-$1,100, $109.75 at $2,001-$3,000 and $417.75 at $24,001-$25,000), and plan review adds 65% of the building permit fee. Per the 2026 Building Permit Fee Guide (Resolution #16559, effective January 1, 2026, revised 1/9/2026), hourly plan review is $170, and the Washington State surcharge is $25 on a non-residential permit (not applied to fire, mechanical or plumbing permits) and $6.50 on a residential permit (not applied to mechanical or plumbing permits). A 5% technology fee applies under Resolution #16560. The guide states that building fees adjust each February to the updated ICC Building Valuation Data. Inside Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and the other cities and towns, the city's own building department issues the permit. Contact the Permit Assistance Center at 360-786-5490 or permit@co.thurston.wa.us.

Home Occupation Permit (TCC 20.54) — home-based barbershops and beauty parlors

Thurston County's zoning code lists 'Barbershops and beauty parlors' among permitted home occupations (TCC 20.54.070(16)(a)(viii)), so a salon run from a home in unincorporated Thurston County falls under the county's home occupation rules. Under TCC 20.54.070(16)(c), a home occupation with no employees, no sign, all work done inside the dwelling (not in an accessory building) and no outdoor storage or repair is permitted as a matter of right, exempt from an approval process. Otherwise a home occupation permit is needed; the 2026 Land Use Fee Schedule (Resolution #16559, effective January 1, 2026) prices it at $2,591 under 'Type 1 & 2 – Administrative', plus the 5% technology fee. Standards include: conducted in the bona fide residence of at least one person employed in it, no more than two employees from outside the household at any one time, no more than 1,000 square feet of building area, all activity inside an enclosed structure, no off-site signage and no expansion once approved. The Environmental Health 2026 fee schedule describes county land-use applications as 'for areas outside incorporated City Boundaries'; inside a city, the city's own zoning applies. Contact the Permit Assistance Center at 360-786-5490.

Special Use Permit (TCC 20.54) — day-care centers, family day care, veterinary clinics, athletic facilities and home-based industry

Chapter 20.54 of the Thurston County Code (zoning) governs special uses, and states that 'the zoning districts in which a special use is authorized are identified in Table 1.' Section 20.54.070 sets use-specific standards for several uses that reach the ten industries: day-care centers and nursery schools (access, landscaping and parking standards) and family day care providers (compliance with building, fire, safety, health and business licensing requirements, a safe passenger loading area, signage and notice rules); veterinary clinics or hospitals (American Animal Hospital Association construction and maintenance standards, boarding and grooming only incidental to medical care); athletic facilities sized to serve the local community (indoor buildings up to 4,500 sq ft on at least two acres, with a 100-foot setback from adjacent residential uses); and home-based industry, whose illustrative list includes auto repair, small restaurants for ten or fewer patrons and a construction office, for owner-operated businesses on residential parcels with no more than two off-site employees. The fee is set by the 2026 Land Use Fee Schedule under its Special Use heading according to the approval type Table 1 assigns, so confirm the applicable figure and whether the use needs a special use permit in the site's zoning district with the Permit Assistance Center, 360-786-5490. A veterinary clinic is excluded from home occupations (TCC 20.54.070(16)(b)).

Contact

Jurisdiction
Thurston County
Phone
360-786-5490 (Permit Assistance Center)

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. 2026 Building Permit Fee Guide, Resolution #16559 effective January 1, 2026 (revised 1/9/2026)Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
  2. 2026 Land Use Fee Schedule, Resolution #16559 effective January 1, 2026 (revised 12/16/2025)Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
  3. Building Permit Fee Chart (valuation table, building permit fee and plan review fee)Thurston County Building Development Center · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
  4. Environmental Health 2026 Fee Schedule — Appendix A of Article I, Thurston County Sanitary Code (effective January 1, 2026)Thurston County Public Health and Social Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
  5. Permit Fees — 2026 Building Permits & Plan Review Fees, Land Use and Public Works fee sheets; states the county issues permits in unincorporated areasThurston County Community Planning and Economic Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
  6. Thurston County Code ch. 20.54, Special Use (§20.54.070 use-specific standards, including day-care, home-based industry, home occupations, veterinary clinics and athletic facilities)Thurston County (Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06

Other offices serving Thurston County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Washington jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.