14 published records
Business licenses and permits in Thurston County, Washington
Thurston County, Washington (county seat Olympia) regulates businesses through three county offices covering different geography. Public Health and Social Services' Environmental Health Division enforces the Thurston County Sanitary Code county-wide, in every city and the unincorporated area alike: food establishment, temporary food, water recreation facility (pool and spa) and drinking-water permits, priced on the Environmental Health 2026 Fee Schedule (Appendix A of Article I, effective January 1, 2026). Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED), through its Building Development Center, issues building permits and land-use approvals; 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,' so inside a city the city's own building and land-use permits apply instead. The Thurston County Auditor's Licensing Services issues a short list of Title 6 county business licenses; the Auditor's Business Licenses page states that 'a business located in the unincorporated areas of Thurston County (outside city limits) may require a County Business License' and lists each licensed business type by name. The same page states that 'State law requires a Master Business License from the State Department of Revenue for anyone doing business in the State of Washington'; that state license sits at the state layer. Washington's Office of Financial Management lists seven incorporated cities and towns in Thurston County: Bucoda, Lacey, Olympia, Rainier, Tenino, Tumwater and Yelm. Each sets its own business license requirement (issued as a Washington Department of Revenue city endorsement) and runs its own building and land-use permitting, which stacks on the county-wide health permits recorded here. Alcohol is licensed by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board; the county's role is the notice-and-objection role RCW 66.24.010 gives it for locations outside city limits. The population figure of 302,912 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Thurston 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
- 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 Thurston County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drinking Water Program — Well Site Review and Public Water System Permits (Sanitary Code Article III)only if it applies to you | Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, Environmental Health Division | 2026 Environmental Health schedule, Article III: well site review $610 plus $275 per hour after 2 hours; Group B public water system preliminary plan (design) review $1,140 plus $275 per hour after 4 hours; water system design resubmission $295; sanitary survey or public water system evaluation and report $1,220; public water supply annual permit $165; Certificate of Water Availability review $275; certified water sample pickup $175 per site visit; laboratory tests — total coliform (Colilert) presence/absence $32, membrane filter $40, Quanti-tray $40, nitrate $32, emergency after-hours testing $520 plus the sample fee; special requests under Article III $275; plus the 5% technology fee where applicable | per review; public water supply permit annual | 2026-10-06 |
| Building Permit and Plan Review (commercial and residential)only if it applies to you | Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development Center | Building 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 permit | 2026-10-06 |
| Public Works Development Review — Commercial/Industrial Site Plan, Site Work and Drivewayonly if it applies to you | Thurston County Public Works, Development Review Division | 2026 Public Works Development Review Fees, Commercial/Industrial Development: project hourly review $175 (billed at permit issuance); site plan application and inspections $875 (5 base hours); site work permit $0.10 per square foot of disturbed area; administrative site plan review (Public Works fee only) $350 (2 base hours); driveway apron $525 | per project | 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 Thurston County?
Drinking Water Program — Well Site Review and Public Water System Permits (Sanitary Code Article III)
A business whose premises draw water from a well or a small public water system, rather than a city or utility connection, deals with Environmental Health's Drinking Water Program. Article III of the Sanitary Code states: 'This Article regulates water supplies located within Thurston County', so it is county-wide; its public water system section exempts sources serving only one or two single-family residential connections, which remain subject to siting and protection standards. Article III §10 charges fees as set in Article I, and the Environmental Health 2026 Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026) prices them: well site review $610 plus $275 an hour after two hours; Group B public water system design review $1,140 plus $275 an hour after four hours; a public water supply annual permit $165; a sanitary survey or system evaluation $1,220; a Certificate of Water Availability review $275; certified water sample pickup $175 per visit, with laboratory tests from $32 (total coliform or nitrate). The adopted Article III text is the version effective January 1, 2014. The county's Environmental Health page states that it is accepting public comments on revisions to the Article III Drinking Water Code; the figures here are the current adopted 2026 schedule. Call Environmental Health at 360-867-2685.
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.
Public Works Development Review — Commercial/Industrial Site Plan, Site Work and Driveway
A commercial or industrial project that involves site work, drainage or a driveway connection goes through Thurston County Public Works development review alongside its CPED permits. The 2026 Public Works Development Review Fees sheet, linked from the county's permit-fees page, prices the Commercial/Industrial Development items as follows: project hourly review $175, billed at permit issuance; site plan application and inspections $875 for five base hours; a site work permit at $0.10 per square foot of disturbed area; an administrative site plan review (Public Works fee only) at $350 for two base hours; and a driveway apron at $525. These Public Works fees are separate from, and in addition to, the CPED building permit and any land-use fee. The sheet applies to projects with site, road or driveway work; a tenant moving into an existing building with no site work is outside these items. Contact the Permit Assistance Center at 360-786-5490.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 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
- Thurston County Sanitary Code Article III, Public and Private Water Supplies (effective January 1, 2014; §2.2 scope; §10 fees)Thurston County Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
- Public Comment: Revisions to Drinking Water Code for Thurston County, Article IIIThurston County Public Health and Social Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
- Building Permit Fee Chart (valuation table, building permit fee and plan review fee)Thurston County Building Development Center · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
- 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
- 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
- 2026 Public Works Development Review FeesThurston County Public Works, Development Review Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-06
Who issues business permits in Thurston County?
Permitting in Thurston 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.
Thurston County issuing agencies
- Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, Environmental Health DivisionFood establishment, food plan review and temporary food establishment permits under Sanitary Code Article II — county-wide, including every city and town · Water recreation facility (pool and spa) permits under Article VII — county-wide, including every city and town · Drinking water (well site, public water system) reviews and permits under Article III — county-wide5 permits
- Thurston County Auditor, Licensing ServicesTitle 6 county business licenses for the business types named on the Auditor's Business Licenses page, for businesses in unincorporated Thurston County · Pet shop, flea market, junk, secondhand, antique, itinerant dealer and peddler licenses · Fireworks permit applications under TCC 6.68 (granted by the Board of County Commissioners, issued by the Auditor)4 permits
- Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development, Building Development CenterBuilding permits and plan review — unincorporated Thurston County · Land-use approvals under Title 20 (special use, home occupation) — unincorporated Thurston County3 permits
- Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (county legislative authority)Receives Liquor and Cannabis Board notice of liquor license applications outside incorporated cities and towns, and may object (RCW 66.24.010) · Grants or denies fireworks permit applications under TCC 6.68.0501 permit
- Thurston County Public Works, Development Review DivisionSite plan, site work, drainage and driveway review and inspection for commercial and industrial development1 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.