7 published records
Business licenses and permits in Spokane County, Washington
Spokane County, in eastern Washington with its seat at Spokane, has two county-level licensing layers that cover different ground. The Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) is the health district for the whole county: its food establishment, mobile food, temporary food, pool and spa, and on-site sewage permits apply in the City of Spokane, every other city and town, and the unincorporated area alike, priced under SRHD Board of Health Resolution #25-05, the 2026 fee schedule adopted October 30, 2025. A proposed 2027 SRHD schedule was before the Board of Health as of October 2026 and is not reflected here. Separately, Spokane County Code Title 7 licenses pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers, with record-keeping duties for dealers in the unincorporated areas. The county's Cities & Towns page lists Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Latah, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Millwood, Rockford, Spangle, Spokane Valley and Waverly; together with the City of Spokane these are the county's incorporated places. Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Medical Lake, Millwood and Rockford each require a city business license endorsement issued through the Washington Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service, and each city runs its own licensing, building and land-use rules, which stack on top of the county-wide SRHD permits. The Washington State business license is recorded at the state layer. The population figure of 555,947 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Spokane 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 Spokane County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Application and Permitonly if it applies to you | Spokane Regional Health District, Environmental Public Health (water recreation facilities and on-site sewage programs) | 2026 fee schedule: application (each includes one plan resubmittal) — commercial system $1,220, residential system $1,000, limited modification/repair $370, building sewer $370; permit — commercial system $1,060, residential system $890, limited modification/repair $370, building sewer $370. A new commercial system therefore pays $1,220 application plus $1,060 permit, $2,280 in total. | renewable permits for one or three years once installed, depending on the system type; inspection and maintenance required before renewal | 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 Spokane County?
On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Application and Permit
A business whose premises are on a septic system rather than public sewer deals with the Spokane Regional Health District, which, in its own words, 'tracks and issues permits for new on-site sewage systems and changes to existing systems designed for single-family homes, small businesses, and apartment buildings (systems less than 3,500 gallons per day).' Under the 2026 fee schedule adopted by SRHD Board of Health Resolution #25-05 on October 30, 2025, a commercial system costs $1,220 for the application (including one plan resubmittal) plus $1,060 for the permit; a residential system is $1,000 plus $890; a limited modification or repair is $370 plus $370; and a building sewer is $370 plus $370. SRHD's program page states that once installed, systems 'are issued renewable permits for one or three years, depending on the on-site septic system type,' and that inspection and maintenance are required before renewal. The process is described in SRHD's On-Site Sewage System Application Packet. A business on public sewer does not use this permit. These are the 2026 fee schedule amounts; confirm with SRHD (509-324-1560 ext. 1) for any application after 2026, since a proposed 2027 schedule was before the Board of Health as of October 2026.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- SRHD Board of Health Resolution #25-05, 'Adopting the 2026 Spokane Regional Health District Fee Schedule' (signed October 30, 2025; RCW 70.05.060) with the attached 2026 Fee ScheduleSpokane Regional Health District Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
- On-site sewage systems: new systems or changes to existing systems (scope under 3,500 gallons per day; one- or three-year renewable permits)Spokane Regional Health District · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
Who issues business permits in Spokane County?
Permitting in Spokane County is split across 3 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.
Spokane County issuing agencies
- Spokane Regional Health District, Food Safety ProgramFood establishment permits, county-wide — City of Spokane, every other city and town, and the unincorporated area · Mobile food service unit permits and temporary food establishment (TFE) permits, county-wide3 permits
- Spokane County — County Code Title 7 business licenses (Auditor; Sheriff's Office)Pawnbroker licenses, issued by the Spokane County Auditor (SCC 7.04.030) · Secondhand dealer licenses (SCC ch. 7.05) · The Spokane County Sheriff's Office enforces both chapters and receives the daily transaction transcripts dealers must furnish2 permits
- Spokane Regional Health District, Environmental Public Health (water recreation facilities and on-site sewage programs)Water recreation facility (pool, spa, wading pool, spray pool) permits to operate, county-wide · On-site sewage (septic) system applications and permits for systems under 3,500 gallons per day, county-wide2 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.