11 published records
Business licenses and permits in Pierce County, Washington
Pierce County, Washington, with its seat at Tacoma, has two county-level licensing actors that reach the ten industries covered here. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) issues food-establishment, mobile-food, temporary-food, water-recreation (pool and spa), on-site-sewage and well permits under the 2026 Fee Schedule adopted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health on December 3, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026; Washington law makes a local board of health's jurisdiction coextensive with the boundaries of the county (RCW 70.05.030(1)(h) and RCW 70.05.035(1)(h)), so these permits apply in Tacoma, every other city and town in the county, and the unincorporated area alike. The Pierce County Auditor's Office licenses a short list of specific activities, among them pet shops and boarding and commercial kennels and catteries, at the fees on its Business Licensing page. Liquor licenses are issued by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board; under RCW 66.24.010(8) the Board must notify the county legislative authority of a new or renewal application for premises outside the boundaries of incorporated cities and towns, and the county may file written objections within twenty days. Tacoma and the county's other incorporated cities and towns each run their own business licensing, building, fire and zoning regimes, which stack on top of the TPCHD permits; Tacoma administers its own business license directly rather than through the state's Business Licensing Service. Pierce County Planning and Public Works issues building, fire-code and land-use permits for the county; its fees changed on February 1, 2026, and Planning and Public Works gives the current amounts. The population figure of 941,170 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Pierce 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
- 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 Pierce County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit and Design Reviewonly if it applies to you | Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Environmental Health | 2026: Installation Permit $480 (new or repair); Installation Permit (tank only) $240; design application for a commercial or school system, per system, $1,200 (less than 1,000 gallons/day) or $1,800 (1,000+ gallons/day); Septic Tank Decommissioning Certification (when not related to another Health Department application) $360; Temporary Use Permit $240; Variance/Waiver Review $720 (3-hour minimum). | one-time per permit or design | 2026-10-06 |
| Well Siting, Construction and Decommissioning Permitonly if it applies to you | Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Environmental Health | 2026, Individual Well: Siting and Permitting table: Well Site Inspection and Construction $1,080; Well Construction Only $540; Well Inspection (existing individual or remodel) $540/$840; Well Decommissioning $540; Well Decommission Renewal (two-year extension) $240; Renewal of expired well site application $240; Well Water Treatment Plan Review $540; Variance/Waiver $720 (3-hour minimum). The schedule's separate Group A and Group B (2-14 connections) tables price Well Construction Only at $600 and Well Inspection (existing well) at $840. | one-time per permit or review | 2026-10-06 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Pierce County?
On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit and Design Review
A business whose premises are served by an on-site sewage (septic) system rather than a sewer needs Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department approval to design, install, repair or decommission that system. Per the On-site Sewage tables of the 2026 Fee Schedule adopted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health on December 3, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, as published on tpchd.org/fees: the design application for a commercial or school system is $1,200 per system under 1,000 gallons a day and $1,800 per system at 1,000 gallons a day or more; an installation permit is $480 (new or repair), or $240 for a tank only; a septic tank decommissioning certification not related to another Health Department application is $360; a temporary use permit is $240; and a variance or waiver review is $720 (three-hour minimum, additional hours at $240). Redesign of a commercial or community system with renewal is $1,500 on the same schedule. TPCHD's jurisdiction is county-wide under RCW 70.05.030(1)(h) and 70.05.035(1)(h).
Well Siting, Construction and Decommissioning Permit
Premises supplied by a private well need Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Water Resources approval to site, construct, inspect or decommission the well. Per the Individual Well: Siting and Permitting table of the 2026 Fee Schedule adopted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health on December 3, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026, as published on tpchd.org/fees: Well Site Inspection and Construction $1,080; Well Construction Only $540; Well Inspection of an existing individual well or remodel $540 or $840; Well Decommissioning $540; a two-year decommission renewal $240; renewal of an expired well site application $240; Well Water Treatment Plan Review $540; and a variance or waiver $720 (three-hour minimum). The same schedule's Water Resources section also has separate Group A and Group B (2-14 connections) tables, where Well Construction Only is $600 and a Group B System Permit is $180; ask TPCHD Water Resources which table applies to a given well. The Water Adequacy Field Review for facility licensing and renewal is $480.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 2026 Fee Schedule — adopted by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health December 3, 2025, rates effective January 1, 2026 (food, temporary food, water recreation, on-site sewage and water resources tables)Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
- RCW 70.05.030, local board of health in counties without a home rule charter — subsection (1)(h): jurisdiction 'coextensive with the boundaries of the county'Washington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
- RCW 70.05.035, local board of health in home rule charter counties — subsection (1)(h): jurisdiction 'coextensive with the boundaries of the county'Washington State Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
Who issues business permits in Pierce County?
Permitting in Pierce County is split across 2 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.
Pierce County issuing agencies
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Environmental HealthFood establishment annual permits, food plan review, mobile food unit and temporary food establishment permits, county-wide including every city and town · Water recreation facility (pool, spa, spray pad, flotation tank) permits and plan review, county-wide · On-site sewage (septic) installation and design permits, county-wide · Well siting, construction and decommissioning permits (Water Resources), county-wide8 permits
- Pierce County Auditor's Office, Business LicensingPet shop, kennel, cattery, grooming parlor and foster shelter licenses · Pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, peddler, solicitor, panoram and adult entertainment licenses3 permits
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.