Mountlake Terrace permit approach
Under the state building code, a retaining wall not over four feet, measured from the footing up to the wall’s top, goes without a permit unless a surcharge loads it or it holds Class I, II, or III-A liquids. Mountlake Terrace adopts the 2018 International Building Code with Washington amendments under MTMC 15.05.040, and its replacement for the code’s exemption list names only small sheds. The code text we read does not settle whether that replacement keeps the wall exemption, so we ask the building counter before a short wall is left out of the permit track. Sidewalks and driveways are exempt from building permits in MTMC 15.05.070(B), except where a civil permit is required. Work that disturbs the public right-of-way is sorted under MTMC 19.95.070 into Type A and Type B permits, and the Type B list includes curb openings for vehicle access and pedestrian walkways.
Nearby, we also build in Lynnwood, Shoreline, Edmonds, and Kenmore, and we serve the rest of western Washington.