Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Colville, Washington

Colville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building work inside Colville city limits unless expressly exempted by CMC 15.04.050.

  • Listed permit exemptions do not authorize work that violates code or another law or ordinance.
  • Separate plumbing and mechanical permits are required unless otherwise exempted.
  • Examples of exempt work include a one-story detached accessory structure of 200 square feet or less and a fence not over six feet high.

  “Exemptions from permit requirements of this code shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of this code or any other laws or ordinances of this jurisdiction. Permits shall not be required for the following:”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Building construction inside Colville city limits.

  • International Residential Code chapters 11 and 25 through 43 are not adopted.
  • Uniform Plumbing Code chapters 12 and 14, fuel-fire-appliance venting/combustion-air requirements in Chapter 5, and building-sewer portions are not adopted.

  “Except as revised and/or amended herein, the following are adopted as the building codes of the city of Colville:”

• InspectionsLimited

  Commercial and multifamily proposals with more than four dwelling units inside Colville city limits.

  • Applicant must employ and pay a special plans examiner/special inspector.
  • The examiner/inspector documents design compliance and provides energy-code-related field inspections.

  dwelling-unit threshold: > 4 dwelling units (Commercial and multifamily proposals)

  “All commercial and multifamily proposals which have more than four dwelling units shall be required to employ and pay for the services of a special plans examiner/special inspector (SPE/SI) to document design compliance and provide energy code related field inspections.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Commercial and multifamily proposals with more than four dwelling units inside Colville city limits.

  • Before certificate-of-occupancy issuance, the special plans examiner/special inspector's final report must be submitted to the building department.

  dwelling-unit threshold: > 4 dwelling units (Commercial and multifamily proposals)

  “Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, a final report generated by the SPE/SI must be submitted to the building department.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Permanent RV dwellings in established RV parks inside Colville city limits.

  • Must be in an applicable district.
  • Subject to city-specific permitting and installation standards under CMC 17.64.080.
  • RV parks require a Type III conditional-use permit.

  “Recreational vehicles may be used as permanent dwellings within an established RV park, if located within an applicable district and are subject to specific permitting and installation standards through the city of Colville, in accordance with CMC § 17.64.080.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tent camping as an accessory use in RV parks inside Colville city limits.

  • Restricted to one tent per RV unit or tents per RV parking pad.
  • Separate tent-camping areas may be designated, but pad sizes and setbacks still apply.

  “Tent camping may be permitted as an accessory use, restricting the use to one tent per RV unit or tents per RV parking pad.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Residentially zoned or neighborhood-mixed-use parcels containing only one single-family detached dwelling inside Colville city limits.

  • ADUs require Type 1 development review and all necessary building and occupancy permits.
  • One attached or one detached ADU is allowed per qualifying parcel.
  • The ADU may not exceed 900 square feet or 60% of primary-dwelling habitable area, whichever is less.

  maximum ADU size: <= 900 square feet (Also may not exceed 60 percent of primary-dwelling habitable area)

  “ADUs are permitted on all residentially zoned or neighborhood mixed use zoned parcels containing only a single-family detached dwelling.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Recreational-vehicle parks inside Colville city limits.

  • For parks with 10 or fewer units, an on-site sanitary waste dump station may be provided.
  • Water filling stations and sanitary waste dump stations must be hooked up to the city utility system and separated by at least 50 feet.

  RV-park unit threshold: <= 10 units (On-site sanitary waste dump station)

  “For RV parks with 10 or less units, an on-site sanitary waste dump station may be provided for sanitary sewer disposal.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Recreational-vehicle parks inside Colville city limits.

  • Water hookup through the city utility must be made available to each RV pad; parks with 10 or fewer units may instead provide an on-site water station subject to the 300-foot maximum distance.
  • Sewer hookup through the city wastewater utility must be made available to each RV pad; parks with 10 or fewer units may instead provide an on-site sanitary waste dump station.

  RV-park unit threshold: <= 10 units (On-site water station and sanitary waste dump-station alternatives)

  “Water hookup through the city's water utility shall be made available for each RV parking pad.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Shade-cloth structures for nursery or agricultural purposes inside Colville city limits.

  • Exemption applies only where the structure does not include service systems.
  • Permit exemption does not authorize work that violates other code provisions, laws, or ordinances.

  “Shade cloth structure constructed for nursery or agricultural purposes, not including service systems.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Entrances and exits for RV parks inside Colville city limits.

  • Access must be designed for safe and convenient movement and minimize friction with adjacent streets.
  • A minimum of one one-way entrance and one one-way exit from an adjacent public street is required; two-way entrances/exits are permitted.

  “There shall be a minimum of one one-way entrance and one one-way exit to the RV park from an adjacent public street. Two-way entrances/exits are permitted.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Permits and associated fees under Colville Municipal Code Chapter 15.04.

  • The amount is to be established by city-council resolution; no current fee schedule was located in the opened code material.

  “The city council shall establish a schedule of fees by resolution for permits and other fees associated with this code.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Colville or Stevens County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Colville city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in Colville R-1 Single-Family Residential District.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Colville city limits.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Colville city limits.
• Who permits septic — On-site sewage systems inside Colville city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Colville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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