Building Permit

Applying for a Building Permit


The International Building Code adopted by the City requires that you get a permit before doing any:

  1. construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, movement, demolition, or changing the occupancy of any building or structure; and
  2. installation, enlargement, alteration, repair, removal, conversion, or replacement of any electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing system.

This includes tenant improvements to leased space.  There are a few exceptions to this rule, which may be found here .

If you’ve never worked with or gotten a building permit before, it’s sometimes challenging to figure out which of the application forms below you might need to use or what regulations apply to your project.  If you don’t already know what permit(s) you need, we encourage you to consult with our Permit Counter staff prior to downloading and completing forms.  This can help to avoid confusion and wasted time and effort at your end.  The Permit Counter is located on the second floor of Lakewood City Hall, located at 6000 Main Street SW, and is open on a first-come, first served basis from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  (If you are ready to submit your application, we ask that you arrive no later than 4:00 p.m.)

Property owners may perform work on their own property. If a contractor is used, the contractor must have a state contractor's license (and/or appropriate state specialty license) and a City of Lakewood business license.  Please keep in mind that work on a project cannot legally begin before a permit is issued. When developing your construction schedule, please consider the time that will be needed to obtain all necessary permits before construction.

Permit fees are based on the value of the work, including labor, materials, and sales tax.

Application Forms

After your permit has been issued, you may schedule an inspection 24 hours or more in advance of the day you would like the inspection to be performed. Please call the inspection line at (253) 512-2266 and leave your recorded message, providing all the information as directed; or arrange for an inspection online .