Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Stevens County, Washington

Stevens County requires a building permit in unincorporated areas for structures with plumbing, habitable space, or commercial or public use¹. A residential utility structure of 200 square feet or less may be exempt only if it has no plumbing, habitable space or permanent foundation; a site analysis or plat restriction can still require a permit¹. The county applies the Washington State Building Code and identifies July 1, 2024 as the effective date for the 2021 code and March 15, 2024 for the related energy code⁹. Submit a complete application to the Building Division in person, by mail or by email; the county returns incomplete applications⁴. An issued permit authorizes construction to begin, after which required inspections apply¹⁰.

The Stevens County Building Division is at 260 S. Oak St. in Colville, Washington, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m¹⁰.. Reach the division at 509-684-8325 or building@stevenscountywa.gov¹⁰. The Planning Division shares that office and handles zoning, subdivision and land-use questions; reach it at 509-684-2401 or planning@stevenscountywa.gov¹¹. For construction under an active permit, request inspections at least two working days ahead; all required inspections, including the final inspection, must pass before the project is complete or occupiable¹⁰. After final inspection, the county issues either a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Compliance, except that qualifying Owner/Builder Exemption projects receive no Certificate of Occupancy from the Building Division¹⁰.

Stevens County Title 3 applies to all land in unincorporated Stevens County, including fee-owned land within the Spokane Indian Reservation boundaries, but not to incorporated municipalities². Zoning classifications are district-based, and the Planning Division provides an Interactive Land Use & Zoning Map plus printed maps for parcel-specific research^11,12. We could not confirm the district-specific minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage or height limits, so ask Planning for the standards attached to the parcel before designing a house or dividing land¹¹. Subdivision and platting are regulated, with county application paths for short plats, long plats, alterations, vacations and binding site plans¹³. Washington's accessory-dwelling-unit rule applies to qualifying lots inside designated urban growth areas, so confirm both the parcel's zoning and urban-growth-area status before relying on it¹⁴.

The Northeast Tri County Health District permits and inspects on-site sewage systems in Stevens County, including systems with design flows below 3,500 gallons per day³. Reach Environmental Health at 240 E Dominion Ave in Colville or 509-684-2262³. Except for a minor repair, installation, repair, modification, connection or expansion requires an application and permit before construction⁵. An approved design comes first; an installation permit then remains valid for 3 years, and work cannot begin until the installer has it⁷. Before covering the system, notify the district, submit the as-built form and allow at least 48 hours for the final-inspection request; deficiencies require correction and reinspection⁷. Only about 4.5% of county soils have no severe limitation for a conventional drain field, so obtain the site evaluation before committing to a building layout⁸.

Whether you can live in an RV on your own land long-term in Stevens County is unconfirmed; no official county rule addressing RV occupancy on private property was found, so call the Building Division or Planning Division before you buy with that plan^10,11. A tiny house can be occupied statewide in Washington as a dwelling up to 400 square feet, including its kitchen, bathroom and sleeping or living area, provided it's built to the Washington State Building Code, but the approval process depends on where it's built and still runs through the local building department for its foundation, installation and location⁶; Stevens County's own specific process for a tiny house was not confirmed on the pages reviewed, so bring your plans to the Building Division early¹⁰. Whether and where a manufactured home can be sited on your land in Stevens County is likewise unconfirmed; ask the Building Division or Planning Division before you buy with that plan^10,11.

1. Use the county zoning map, then ask Planning to confirm the parcel's district standards and whether subdivision or site analysis is involved^12,13.
2. Establish a permanent on-site potable-water source and obtain health-district approval for wastewater disposal¹.
3. Obtain septic design approval and the installation permit from the Northeast Tri County Health District⁷.
4. Send a complete building application to the Building Division in person, by mail or by email; incomplete applications are returned⁴.
5. If considering the local Owner/Builder Exemption, understand that it waives county plan review, inspections and the certificate of occupancy, but not land-use approval, trade permits, water, septic or code compliance⁴.
6. For a normal building permit, request inspections at least two working days ahead and pass the final inspection before occupancy¹⁰.
7. Give the health district at least 48 hours' notice before the septic system is covered⁷.

A driveway connecting to a Stevens County road requires an approach-permit application and fee, location flags for inspection, review of visibility and drainage, and a final inspection after installation¹⁵. Processing may take 1 to 3 weeks, and the fee ranges from $50 to $200 by approach type¹⁵. A state-highway connection instead requires written permission from the Washington State Department of Transportation¹⁶. Confirm floodplain status before buying; Washington requires contact with local government for a floodplain-development permit before work in a regulated floodplain¹⁷. Only 29.1% of Stevens County land has a slope of 15% or less, while 73.3% is wooded, so evaluate buildable area, access and clearing rather than relying on acreage alone⁸. A dwelling, including a hunting or seasonal cabin, needs a permanent on-site potable-water source and health-district-approved wastewater disposal, but public utility connections are not universally required by that rule¹.