Building permits, zoning and land rules in Cheney, Washington

At a glance

Building permits

Required for most construction and remodeling inside Cheney city limits.¹

Zoning

Cheney zoning standards vary by district and use.⁶

Septic permits

Spokane Regional Health District handles new or modified systems under its jurisdiction.⁷

Tiny homes

Washington recognizes code-compliant tiny houses; ask Cheney Building and Planning about the proposed location.⁸

Owner construction

A conditional state contractor-registration exemption applies to owner work; building permits and inspections still apply.⁹

ADU utilities

Cheney accessory dwelling units must connect to public sewer and water.⁵

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Cheney, WA?

Cheney requires building permits for most construction and remodeling, including additions, finished basements, window replacements and re-shingling.¹ Cheney also lists fences, storage sheds and patios among projects requiring a permit, so ask the city Building Department about the proposed work before buying materials.¹ Washington’s conditional owner-work exemption concerns contractor registration and does not remove building permits or inspection requirements.⁹ For work on an owner’s own property, that exemption does not apply to contractor activities performed for selling, demolishing or leasing the property.⁹

Who issues Cheney building permits, and how do you apply?

Cheney’s Building Department accepts building applications through Citizen Connect, including uploaded construction drawings; reviewed plans are returned by email.² Applicants who cannot use the portal may return application forms in person, by mail or by email.² Contact the city Building Department for project-specific building permit fees rather than using Spokane County’s fee schedule for a city project.¹⁰ Cheney accepts check, cash or credit-card payment, and permit fees are paid at issuance.² Inspection requests are also available through Citizen Connect.¹⁰

Does Cheney have zoning, lot-size limits and setbacks?

Cheney has city zoning, with development standards that vary by zoning district and use.³⁶ Cheney’s Planning Department provides an interactive zoning map searchable by address; use the parcel’s district when discussing the proposed home and accessory structures with Planning.¹¹ In Cheney’s CALR district, the maximum height is 35 feet for a primary structure and 20 feet for a detached garage or accessory structure, subject to the code’s measurement rule.¹² We could not confirm a complete set of Cheney lot-area and setback thresholds here; ask city Planning for the standards governing the particular district and use.¹¹

How do septic permits work inside Cheney?

Spokane Regional Health District handles applicable septic systems inside Cheney as part of its Spokane County jurisdiction, including systems using less than 3,500 gallons per day.⁴ New or modified septic systems require SRHD approval, with fees depending on system size and type.⁷ Washington requires the septic application and permit before covered construction begins, except for minor repairs.¹³ For Cheney accessory dwelling units, public sewer and water connection is required, so a septic proposal cannot substitute for that city requirement.⁵ For an existing septic property, conventional gravity systems require inspection every three years; other systems and holding tanks require annual inspection.¹⁴

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Cheney?

We could not confirm Cheney’s rule for living in an RV on a private lot or during home construction; ask Cheney Planning about the proposed occupancy and location before relying on that arrangement.¹¹ Washington recognizes a tiny house as a dwelling no larger than 400 square feet that includes kitchen, bathroom and sleeping or living space and meets the State Building Code.⁸ Local building requirements still govern the foundation, installation and location, and a wheeled structure outside that definition may instead be an RV or park model.⁸ A Cheney tiny home proposed as an accessory dwelling unit must also meet the city’s public-water and sewer connection requirement.⁵

What are the steps for building a home in Cheney?

1. Ask Cheney Planning to identify the parcel’s zoning district and the applicable development standards.⁶¹¹
2. Resolve wastewater service before finalizing the design: Cheney ADUs require public sewer and water, while applicable septic proposals go to SRHD.⁵⁴
3. Submit the city building application and construction drawings through Citizen Connect or the city’s alternative submission methods.²
4. Arrange footing and foundation inspections before pouring concrete and rough-in inspections before covering the work.¹⁵
5. Arrange the final inspection after work is complete; electrical inspections come from Washington Labor and Industries, and the respective city departments inspect water and sewer connections.¹⁵

What should you check before buying land in Cheney?

Confirm that the parcel is inside Cheney’s city limits before choosing the building and zoning authority; for land outside the city, use the Spokane County guide for the county’s unincorporated-area building and zoning rules.³¹⁶¹⁷ For a proposed well, Washington’s domestic groundwater exemption allows qualifying use up to 5,000 gallons per day per project, but other laws and local requirements still apply.¹⁸ A notice of intent is required 72 hours before drilling and is not approval to use water.¹⁸ We could not confirm Cheney-specific private-well requirements; ask city Planning and SRHD before committing to a well-based design.¹¹¹⁹

Watch-outs

• Cheney’s RV occupancy requirements remain unconfirmed; ask city Planning about both permanent occupancy and living in an RV during construction.¹¹
• Washington requires contacting the local government for a floodplain development permit on floodplain property; ask Cheney Planning which requirements apply to the parcel.²⁰¹¹
• Cheney building permits expire when no reasonable work is accomplished and inspected during a 180-day period; request any eligible written extension before expiration.²

Sources

1. Building Department (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
2. Building Department (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
3. Laws & Regulations (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
4. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
5. CMC 21.67.030 — Accessory Dwelling Unit Development Standards (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
6. CMC 21.20.050 — R-1 and R-2 Development Standards (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
7. New Systems or Changes to Existing Systems, quoted and re-checked
8. Tiny Houses (Washington statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. RCW 18.27.090 — Exemptions (Washington statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Cheney Building Department (cityofcheney.org)
11. Cheney Planning Department (cityofcheney.org)
12. CMC 21.17.060 — CALR Development Standards (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
13. WAC 246-272A-0200 Permit requirements (Washington statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. On-Site Septic Operations and Maintenance, quoted and re-checked
15. Inspection Types (Cheney), quoted and re-checked
16. Residential Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
17. County Code, quoted and re-checked
18. Groundwater permit exemption (Washington statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Spokane Regional Health District — Liquid Waste Program (srhd.org)
20. Planning & regulation — Washington State Department of Ecology (Washington statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.