01RCW 36.70B.070
28 days to completeness
The city or county has 28 days to tell you whether your application is complete. If it says nothing, the application is treated as complete on day 29 and the decision clock starts.
Free case reviewTell us what is happening at your property
28 daysFor the city or county to decide if your application is complete
65 / 100 / 170Days to a permit decision, depending on notice and hearings
21 daysTo appeal a land use decision to superior court
Feasibility firstWe tell you what can be built before you design or buy
01 / Our Focus
Know what the lot allows before you commit to it
Washington puts every local permit on a state clock, but the clock only helps an applicant who keeps it running. Requests for more information, applicant holds, and environmental review all stop the count. Most delay on Tacoma projects starts on the applicant’s side, and most of it is avoidable.
We start with the parcel: zoning, overlays, critical areas, recorded easements, and earlier decisions on the property. Then we prepare a complete application, use the pre-development meeting to surface objections early, and press for a decision on time. If the decision goes wrong, we know the appeal deadline down to the day.
“We would rather tell you a lot does not work than help you lose a year finding out.”
A written feasibility memo tells you what the code allows outright, what needs a discretionary approval, and what is not realistic. Buyers, builders, and lenders all read it.
02 / The law
The state clocks every applicant should know
Two clocks run on every project: the jurisdiction’s deadline to decide, and your deadline to appeal.
02RCW 36.70B.080
65, 100, or 170 days to decide
After completeness, the jurisdiction owes a final decision in 65 days with no public notice, 100 days with notice, and 170 days with notice and a hearing, not counting time spent waiting on the applicant.
03RCW 36.70B.080
Fee refunds when the city is late
A late decision can earn the applicant a partial refund of the permit fee, 10 or 20 percent depending on how late, unless the jurisdiction qualifies for an exemption.
04RCW 36.70C.040
21 days to appeal
A land use decision you disagree with, including a neighbor’s approval, must be challenged by a petition filed and served in superior court within 21 days of issuance. There is no extension.
03 / The process
How we run a land use matter
Feasibility takes days, not months. The permit timeline after that depends on the type of approval and whether a hearing is required.
- 01Week 1
Parcel diagnosis
Zoning district, overlays, critical areas, recorded easements and covenants, and any earlier land use decisions on the property.
- 02Weeks 1 to 2
Feasibility memo
A written answer on what the code allows outright, what needs a discretionary approval, and what is not realistic.
- 03Before you file
Pre-development and application
We prepare for and attend the city or county pre-development meeting, then file a complete application so the review clock starts right away.
- 04Decision or appeal
Hearing, decision, or appeal
We build the record for hearings, press for decisions on time, and file or defend a land use petition within the 21-day window.
04 / Fees
What it costs
Flat feeFeasibility memo for a single parcel, and the pre-development package (city or county fees are separate).
Hourly Permit management, variances, conditional uses, and hearings, with a written budget by phase.
Free consultLand use petitions on a fixed fee for the filing itself, given the 21-day deadline, then hourly.
05 / Coverage
Where we practice
TacomaHome in Tacoma and middle-housing projects
Pierce CountyPuyallup, Spanaway, Gig Harbor (unincorporated)
Eastside King CountyBellevue, Issaquah, Sammamish
Snohomish CountyInfill and short plats
Kitsap CountyInfill and short plats
The RCW 36.70B and land use appeal clocks are statewide. Each city and county layers its own code on top, and we work the Tacoma and Pierce County codes daily.
65 to 170 days after completeness.
65 days for permits with no public notice, 100 days with notice, and 170 days with notice and a hearing, not counting time waiting on the applicant and other exclusions in RCW 36.70B.080.
Before the earnest money goes hard
Find out what you can build, then build it.
Looking at a parcel? Get the feasibility memo first. Holding a decision you do not like? The 21 days started when it issued. Either way, start with a consultation.
Bring to your consultation
01The parcel address or tax number
02Your site plan or concept
03Any letters or decisions from the city or county