8 published records
Business licenses and permits in Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County, in northwest Washington with its seat at Mount Vernon, regulates businesses through two county departments that cover different ground. Skagit County Public Health, Environmental Health, issues food establishment, food plan review, temporary food, food worker card and pool and spa permits across the whole county, cities included: under RCW 70.05.030(1) the jurisdiction of the local board of health is coextensive with the county's boundaries, and the county's fees are set in its published Public Health Schedule of Charges, headed 'Effective February 1, 2025' on the county's Permit Fee Schedule page with a column for each year; the figures here are its 2026 column. Planning & Development Services, which includes the Fire Marshal's Office, works, in the words of its own page, 'to ensure development in unincorporated Skagit County, follows local rules', and prices building and fire permits on the county's Permit Fee Schedule page. The county has eight incorporated cities and towns: Anacortes, Burlington, Concrete, Hamilton, La Conner, Lyman, Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley. Each runs its own business license, building and zoning rules, which stack on the county-wide health permits. The PDS Getting Started page says: 'If your property is within a city limit (not in unincorporated Skagit County) ... Please contact the city with jurisdiction.' The Washington State business license is recorded at the state layer. The population figure of 132,736 is the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Skagit 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 Skagit County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Permit and Plan Review (unincorporated Skagit County)only if it applies to you | Skagit County Planning & Development Services | Permit fee by total valuation: $1-$500 $33.00; $501-$2,000 $33.00 for the first $500 plus $3.85 for each additional $100 or fraction; $2,001-$25,000 $90.75 for the first $2,000 plus $15.15 for each additional $1,000 or fraction; $25,001-$50,000 $439.20 for the first $25,000 plus $11.00 per additional $1,000; $50,001-$100,000 $714.20 for the first $50,000 plus $9.25 per additional $1,000; $100,001-$500,000 $1,176.70 for the first $100,000 plus $6.68 per additional $1,000; $500,001-$1,000,000 $3,848.70 for the first $500,000 plus $5.53 per additional $1,000; $1,000,001-$5,000,000 $6,613.70 for the first $1,000,000 plus $4.04 per additional $1,000; $5,000,001 and over $22,773.70 for the first $5,000,000 plus $2.57 per additional $1,000. Building plan review 65% of the building permit fee. Valuation-based fees not otherwise specified: minimum $310.00. Technology fee 7.5% of the total. Staff hourly rate and inspection fees $155 per hour (inspections 1-hour minimum). Change of Use $315.00; Zoning Review $155.00; Temporary Certificate of Occupancy $315.00; State Building Code Council surcharge (commercial) $25.00. | per permit | 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 Skagit County?
Building Permit and Plan Review (unincorporated Skagit County)
Building, remodel and tenant-improvement work in unincorporated Skagit County needs a building permit from Planning & Development Services (PDS); the PDS page says its teams work 'to ensure development in unincorporated Skagit County, follows local rules.' The figures here are as published on the county's current Permit Fee Schedule page, which shows no effective date and names no adopting ordinance. Each permit has a plan review fee charged at application and a permit fee charged at issuance, both based on project valuation. The permit fee runs from $33.00 for work up to $500 to $22,773.70 for the first $5,000,000 plus $2.57 for each additional $1,000, and building plan review is 65% of the building permit fee. Valuation-based fees not otherwise specified carry a $310.00 minimum, and commercial mechanical, commercial plumbing and sign permits are valuation-based. A 7.5% technology fee applies to all applications. Staff time and inspections are $155 an hour (inspections with a one-hour minimum). A change of use review is $315.00, zoning review $155.00, a temporary certificate of occupancy $315.00, and the State Building Code Council surcharge on a commercial permit $25.00. Inside Mount Vernon, Anacortes, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley and the other cities and towns, the PDS Getting Started page says to 'contact the city with jurisdiction.' Call PDS at 360-416-1320.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Permit Fee Schedule (Planning and Development Services fees; Public Health Department Schedule of Charges, Effective February 1, 2025, with a column for each year)Skagit County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Planning and BuildingSkagit County Planning & Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
- Getting StartedSkagit County Planning & Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-26
Who issues business permits in Skagit County?
Permitting in Skagit County is split across 4 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.
Skagit County issuing agencies
- Skagit County Public Health, Environmental HealthAnnual food establishment permits (fixed, mobile and independent catering) and food establishment plan review, county-wide · Temporary, seasonal and multi-event food establishment permits, county-wide · Food & beverage worker permits (food worker cards) at the fee set by WAC 246-217-025 · Water recreation facility (pool and spa) permits, county-wide5 permits
- Skagit County Board of County CommissionersReceives Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board notice of liquor license applications for locations outside incorporated cities and towns, and may file objections (RCW 66.24.010(8))1 permit
- Skagit County Fire Marshal's Office (Planning & Development Services)Fire protection system permits, including kitchen hood and spray booth permits, for unincorporated Skagit County1 permit
- Skagit County Planning & Development ServicesBuilding permits and building plan review for unincorporated Skagit 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.