13 published records
Business licenses and permits in Benton County, Washington
Benton County, Washington (county seat Prosser; largest cities Kennewick and Richland) regulates businesses through two layers that cover different ground. The Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD) is a two-county health district serving both Benton County and Franklin County; it issues food establishment, grocery, mobile unit, temporary food and food worker permits and on-site sewage (septic) permits everywhere in Benton County, inside the cities as well as in the unincorporated area, under fee schedules adopted by the BFHD Board of Health. Benton County Community Development — its Building Division (which includes the Fire Marshal) and its Planning Division — issues building permits, fireworks permits and land-use approvals (home occupation, conditional use, child day care) in unincorporated Benton County only. Alcohol is licensed by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board; for a location outside city limits the Board notifies the Benton County Board of Commissioners, which may object (RCW 66.24.010). Benton County has five incorporated cities: Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, Prosser and Benton City. The Washington Department of Revenue's city-endorsement page for each states that the city 'requires a license for all businesses located within city limits, or conducting business within city limits', so a business inside a city adds that city's business license, issued through the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service, and works with the city's own building and zoning departments, on top of the county-wide health permits recorded here. The population figure of 218,190 is the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Benton County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Benton County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditional Use Permit (BCC 11.50)only if it applies to you | Benton County Community Development, Planning Division | $800 non-refundable application fee (Planning Division fee page); an environmental checklist or addendum may also be required | one-time land-use approval; transferable to a new holder after written notice to the Hearings Examiner if the use and location stay the same (BCC 11.50.040) | 2026-10-26 |
| Commercial On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permitonly if it applies to you | Benton-Franklin Health District | $1,000–$1,300 per permit (BFHD schedule approved November 22, 2024, effective 2025): non-residential/commercial installation, design flow under 500 gpd $1,000; over 500 gpd $1,300; commercial repair $1,000 | per permit | 2026-10-26 |
| Commercial Building Permit and Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Benton County Community Development, Building Division | Permit fee per Section 109 of the 2021 International Building Code on project valuation from the ICC 2020 Jan./Feb. Building Valuation Data; "All commercial, Industrial, and type U structures over 4,000 sq/ft will be charged a 65% plan review fee on the permit."; commercial application deposit $200 (refundable within permit issuance only; not applicable to permit fees less than $200); special inspection or extra plan review $65; reinspection $65; plus the State Building Code fee of $25 per commercial permit (RCW 19.27.085) | expires 2 years from issuance; one extension of 1 year, requested in writing before expiry, at 25% of the original fee (BCC 3.04.039) | 2026-10-26 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Benton County?
Conditional Use Permit (BCC 11.50)
A business whose use is listed as a conditional use in its zoning district in unincorporated Benton County needs a conditional use permit, decided by the Hearings Examiner under BCC 11.50.040. The code explains that certain uses are classified as conditional 'because of their unusual nature, infrequent occurrence, special requirements, or potentially significant impacts to the environment, public infrastructure or adjacent properties', and BCC 11.50.040(b) requires a non-refundable application fee. The Planning Division's Applications and Fees page lists 'Conditional Use Permit (CUP)' at $800 and notes that it 'May require an Environmental Checklist or an Addendum'; the addenda it lists are Detached ADU, Business Use, Child Care Type B, Event Center and Mineral Extraction. Once granted, a conditional use permit may be transferred after written notice to the Hearings Examiner, provided the use and location remain the same and the new holder keeps to the permit's conditions. Whether a particular use needs a conditional use permit depends on the zoning district of the site; the Planning Division confirms this before application.
Commercial On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit
A business whose building is served by an on-site sewage (septic) system rather than a public sewer needs an on-site sewage permit from the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), which serves both Benton County and Franklin County, when it installs or repairs that system. The BFHD fee schedule whose cover reads 'Approved by the Benton-Franklin Health District Board of Health on November 22nd, 2024', and whose table pages are headed 'Fee schedule effective 2025', prices a non-residential/commercial on-site sewage installation permit at $1,000 for a design flow under 500 gallons per day and $1,300 for a design flow over 500 gallons per day, and a commercial on-site sewage repair at $1,000. The figures are the schedule's approved 2025 rates (the column headed 'Proposed BFHD FEE', which the Board approved). BFHD's Fee Schedule page links this document as its 2025 Fee Schedule and states that the schedule is 'reviewed annually and updated when there is a significant cost increase or decrease to the services provided.' Contact BFHD at 509-460-4200.
Commercial Building Permit and Plan Review
New construction, additions and tenant improvements in unincorporated Benton County need a building permit from the Benton County Community Development Building Division; inside Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, Prosser and Benton City the city's own building department issues the permit. The county's 'Building and FAS Permit Fee Schedule', headed 'As authorized by resolution of the Benton County Commissioners' and marked 'Effective 3-26-25', states that building permit fees follow 'Section 109 of the 2021 International Building Code (IBC)', with valuation based on the 2020 Jan./Feb. Building Valuation Data published by the International Code Council; where a project is not covered, a contract price is provided. The same page states: 'All commercial, Industrial, and type U structures over 4,000 sq/ft will be charged a 65% plan review fee on the permit.' It lists a commercial application deposit fee of $200, 'Refundable within permit issuance only' and 'Not applicable to permit fees less than $200.00', a $65 special inspection or extra plan review fee and a $65 reinspection fee. The State Building Code fee under RCW 19.27.085 is $25 for each commercial building permit. Under BCC 3.04.039 every permit expires two years from issuance; one extension of one year may be requested in writing before expiry, at a fee of 25% of the original, and an expired permit needs a new permit and full fees. Call the Building Division at 509-735-3500.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Planning Division — Applications and FeesBenton County Community Development, Planning Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Benton County Code ch. 11.50, Variance and Conditional Use (§11.50.040 Conditional Use)Benton County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Benton-Franklin Health District Proposed Fee Schedule – 2025, Approved by the Benton-Franklin Health District Board of Health on November 22nd, 2024 ("Fee schedule effective 2025")Benton-Franklin Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Fee Schedule (links the 2025 Fee Schedule)Benton-Franklin Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Building and FAS Permit Fee Schedule, as authorized by resolution of the Benton County Commissioners (Effective 3-26-25)Benton County Community Development, Building Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Benton County Code ch. 3.04, Building Code (§3.04.039 Building Permit Expiration)Benton County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- RCW 19.27.085, Building code council account — fee on building permitsWashington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Who issues business permits in Benton County?
Permitting in Benton County is split across 5 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Benton County issuing agencies
- Benton-Franklin Health DistrictTwo-county health district serving both Benton County and Franklin County, cities included · Food establishment, grocery (retail food), mobile unit, caterer and temporary food permits and plan review · Food worker cards · On-site sewage (septic) system permits6 permits
- Benton County Community Development, Planning DivisionHome occupation permits (BCC 11.49) in unincorporated Benton County · Conditional use permits (BCC 11.50) and child day care Type A / Type B applications in unincorporated Benton County3 permits
- Benton County Fire MarshalFireworks permits under BCC 7.30 in unincorporated Benton County, including retail fireworks stands · In-home child day care inspections (with the Building Inspector) in unincorporated Benton County2 permits
- Benton County Board of CommissionersReceives Liquor and Cannabis Board notice of liquor license applications outside city limits and may object (RCW 66.24.010(8))1 permit
- Benton County Community Development, Building DivisionBuilding permits and plan review in unincorporated Benton County1 permit
Other Washington jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.