This week's stretch of sunny, dry weather in the 60s is a good window for finishing an outdoor project before Tri-Cities winter rain and freezes set in. Before you dig a post hole or pour a footing, though, it's worth knowing that Pasco, Kennewick and Richland handle permits for fences, sheds and decks in noticeably different ways, and getting it wrong can mean a stop-work order or a rebuild.
Pasco: most small projects no longer need a permit
Pasco eliminated building permit requirements for a list of common residential projects, according to Tri-Cities Business News. That list includes fences under 7 feet tall, decks that sit no more than 30 inches above ground, and reroofing or re-siding a house. It also covers one-story detached sheds or playhouses up to 200 square feet (120 square feet if the use is commercial), sidewalks, driveways and concrete patios under 30 inches above grade, as long as they aren't built over a basement or in the public right of way, and retaining walls under 4 feet tall.
Janelle Guthrie of the Building Industry Association of Washington told the outlet the change helps the city focus its attention on bigger, more complex permits. "Benton and Franklin counties have some of the best timelines but reducing the need for these smaller project permits ... helps improve those timelines and reduce the costs for homeowners," she said.
But a person identified in the article only as Miller, whose title isn't specified in the story, cautioned that losing the permit requirement doesn't erase the underlying rules on where and how things get built. "Last thing you want is a shed built over a pipeline and then it's in the way when we need to repair it," Miller said. In other words: no permit doesn't mean no research. Pasco's change took effect more than a year ago, so it's established policy at this point, not new, but it's one a lot of homeowners still don't know about.
Kennewick: a 200-square-foot line, plus a PUD clearance rule
Kennewick draws its own line at 200 square feet. The city's shed guidance says one-story detached accessory structures up to that size are exempt from needing a building permit, but anything bigger requires one, and every shed, regardless of size, still has to meet setback rules shown on a required plot plan, according to the city's shed permit packet. The same packet calls for footings at least 24 inches deep to meet frost-depth requirements, though it allows narrower footings for small, light-frame sheds under 600 square feet.
One wrinkle worth flagging: Kennewick's separate Permit Exceptions page lists accessory structures in a way that reads differently from the shed packet's 200-square-foot exemption, and it's not fully clear from public materials whether that reflects a split between a "building permit" and a separate land-use or zoning permit. If your shed, fence or deck sits anywhere close to that threshold, call Kennewick's Building Safety Division at 509-585-4276 or Community Planning at 509-585-4280 before you start digging, rather than guess.
Kennewick homeowners also need to clear a utility hurdle that doesn't show up in city code alone: any structure, including fences and sheds, built within 20 feet of Benton PUD facilities such as power lines, poles or transformers needs prior PUD approval, per the city's building applications and forms page. That 20-foot buffer catches a lot of backyard fence lines near alley power poles.
Richland: a 6-foot fence cap and a 5-foot shed setback
Richland generally caps residential fences at 6 feet anywhere on a lot, with some setback exceptions near street rights of way, according to the city's Building/Permitting office and its municipal code on supplementary yard and area regulations. The city also publishes separate "Fencing and Small Shed Regulations" guidance through that same office, worth a direct read if you're close to any of these limits.
For accessory buildings, Richland's code allows detached structures under 200 square feet to sit near the main house as long as fire and building codes are met, but it requires a minimum 5-foot clearance to property lines for sheds under 200 square feet placed in a side yard.
West Richland: check before you build
West Richland's specific thresholds for fences, sheds and decks weren't confirmed for this guide. Homeowners there should call the city's building department directly before starting any fall project rather than assume Kennewick's or Richland's rules apply across the river.
The trip-ups that catch homeowners
Across all four cities, a few things cause the most grief:
- No permit still means rules apply. Pasco's permit-free list doesn't erase zoning setbacks or utility clearance requirements; it just removes the city's upfront sign-off.
- Utility buffers. Benton PUD requires approval for anything built within 20 feet of its lines, poles or transformers in Kennewick. Franklin PUD's equivalent rule wasn't confirmed for this guide, so Pasco homeowners near power infrastructure should call ahead.
- Frost-depth footings. Kennewick's 24-inch minimum footing depth for sheds matters even on projects that don't need a permit, since it's a construction standard, not a paperwork requirement.
- HOA covenants. None of the cities enforce homeowners association rules, but an HOA can still require review or impose stricter limits than city code. Check your covenants separately.
A quick pre-build checklist
- Measure your fence height and deck height above grade before assuming it's exempt.
- Measure the square footage of any shed or accessory structure.
- Check the distance from the build site to any power lines, poles or transformers.
- Pull your property's plot plan or survey to confirm setbacks from lot lines.
- Call the city's building department if you're within a few feet or a few square feet of any limit.
Tri-Cities Today has covered other fall homeowner topics, including tree-pruning permits and freeze prep for outdoor plumbing, in earlier guides.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a 6-foot fence in Kennewick? City guidance focuses permit requirements on accessory structures like sheds rather than fence height specifically; call Kennewick's Building Safety Division at 509-585-4276 to confirm your project.
Can I build a shed over a buried utility line if it's under the permit-exempt size in Pasco? No. The person identified as Miller in the Tri-Cities Business News article said skipping the permit doesn't change underlying placement rules, and warned against building over pipelines that crews may need to access later.
How deep do shed footings need to be in Kennewick? The city's shed packet calls for a minimum 24-inch footing depth to meet frost-depth standards, with an exception for small, light-frame sheds under 600 square feet.
What if my shed or fence is near a power pole? In Kennewick, any structure within 20 feet of Benton PUD facilities, including power lines, poles and transformers, needs PUD approval before you build.
If you're unsure which rules apply to your address, the fastest fix is a phone call: Kennewick's Building Safety Division at 509-585-4276, Community Planning at 509-585-4280, or your city's building/permitting office for Pasco, Richland or West Richland.
