The Building staff administers the City's building, plumbing, mechanical and fire codes program, including all plan check functions, codes administration, permit issuance, inspections, record keeping and public information city to ensures the health and welfare of the residents of Battle Ground by regulating the construction, use, and occupancy of buildings. The department ensures that the standards set by these codes for construction are met through plan review, permit issuance and on-site inspections.

Plan Review makes sure a project meets code requirements and is safe before constructions starts. It does so by processing permits and reviewing code compliance for structural, architectural, grading and fire safety as show on submitted plans.This service saves the building from costly mistakes that could be made during construction and lends the additional expertise of a construction professional to the project.

Inspections ensure that the work conforms to the permit, local codes, and the submitted plans. This is an additional protection for the consumer since it provides a check that the contractor is following the project guidelines.

Building permits are required for most new construction and alterations to existing buildings in the City of Battle Ground.

Click here for a list of all available downloadable permits.

What do you need to submit?

The following is a building permit checklist of what you will need to provide us:

1. One (1) completely filled out and signed building permit application.
2. (1) completely filled out and signed utility connection application.
3. (2) 8-1/2" by 11" / 1 inch = 20 feet, scaled plot plan drawings that meet the zoning district setback, structural dimension requirements, and city code requirements, as they apply to your development.
4. (2) 8-1/2" by 11" architectural elevation drawings, drawn to standard architectural scale, that show you are clearly meeting the code requirements.
5. Written calculations, including all elevation square footage measurements for architectural treatments, that meet the percentage requirements listed in the City code.

Remember, building permit applications must be complete or they will be returned to you.

How can you speed up the approval process?

If you're not sure about something, please call or e-mail us. We would be happy to sit down with you and go over the code requirements and your plans, and answer any questions you might have. You may also want to consider having your architectural elevation plans pre-approved by the City before you submit for building permit(s). We want to help. Together, we can save you and your job time and money. On April 15th, 1999 Ordinance No. 99-004 became effective and listed new design standards for residential development. The ordinance was later amended on January 6th, 2005 (Ordinance No. 04-024). Battle Ground Municipal Code (BGMC) 17.106.040D was enacted by this ordinance and states:

In single-family detached or duplex residential developments, no five or fewer linearly contiguous lots shall have repetitious facades. Facades shall be substantially different beyond simple mirrored plans, garage or window relocation, and shall include combinations of architectural variety such as: front porches, dormers, gables, bay windows, hipped or pitched roofs or other such architectural features that substantially differentiate house facades.

Garages with entry doors facing the street in single-family or duplex residential development shall be set back from the front face of the residential structure, including covered porches, by at least four feet. To qualify as a porch under this subsection, the porch must extend the full length of the street fronting building facade that is not devoted to the garage. Garage doors may be located forward of the front face of the residential structure and located in the front yard setback, if placed so their entrance doors are perpendicular to the right-of-way; and provided, that they have windows, doors or other architectural treatments covering at least thirty percent of the wall facing the street.

Where houses are served by alleys, all garages and on-site parking shall be accessible from the alley and the facade of the house facing the public street shall be designed as the front of the house including, but not limited to, a primary building entrance consisting of inward swinging door(s), porches, windows and pathways to the public sidewalks.

Applicants for building permits shall demonstrate compliance with the provisions of this section.

All single-family residences shall be constructed with a roof of nominal 6:12 pitch or steeper for the main portion of the roof and containing eaves of a minimum of six inches. Roofs with a lower pitch are acceptable if they contain multiple roof lines, gables, dormers or other features that serve to reduce the visual impact of the lesser pitched roof. Hipped, gambrel, saltbox and shed roofs are also permitted. Roofs not meeting these specific standards may be approved by the planning director if they are found to be consistent with the overall intent of this section.

Each single-family residence shall contain a porch or covered entry area for the primary entrance facing or accessible from the public or private street serving the residence.

Each single-family residence shall contain at least three of the following features:

1. An attached or detached garage;
2. Bay window(s) facing the street;
3. Cross gable roof;
4. Roof dormers;
5. Trim a minimum of two inches wide around the windows facing a public street;
6. Varied roof line with at least one intersecting plane.

Jessica Rinaker
Building Permit Specialist
City of Battle Ground
109 S.W. 1st Street, Suite #123
Battle Ground, Washington 98604
(360) 342-5046
Fax (360) 342-5049
E-mail: