Concrete Patios & Stairs in Olympia, WA

Patios & stairs in Olympia: what to know

Under the residential list, a deck needs no building permit when it measures no more than 200 square feet, rises no more than 30 inches from grade, stands apart from the house, and cannot be the route to a required exit door. A stair or patio is not on that list, so each step height, platform height, and exit door is measured before the feature is treated as exempt. A stair that serves an exit door gets its status in writing from the city before it is built.

A raised patio edge that holds soil is a retaining wall for review, even when the patio itself is flat. Four feet or less with no surcharge sits inside the residential wall exemption, and anything taller or loaded goes to the permit track. Water sent to the city storm system needs an engineering permit under OMC 13.16.020, so the outlet is chosen on the survey first.

Permits and rules in Olympia

Before the quote, we measure each raised edge and step against the four-foot wall line, the 30-inch deck line, and any exit door on the plan. We check whether a load sits behind any raised edge, and we confirm with city permit staff when a stair serves an exit door. We total the new patio slab against the 2,000 and 5,000 square foot stormwater lines, and we look up the outlet rule before any drain is tied in.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Measure each step and platform height before the layout
Treat a raised edge that holds soil as a wall for review
Confirm any stair that serves an exit door with the city
Total the new patio slab against the 2,000 and 5,000 square foot lines

For the full process, see our Concrete Patios & Stairs page.

Building in the cold months? See our guide to winter concrete pours.

Our patios & stairs work, serving Olympia

Examples of our work. We build patios & stairs in Olympia and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Olympia homeowners

Does an Olympia patio at ground level need a permit?

A patio is not on the residential deck list, and the list does not name patios, so we ask Olympia staff in writing before the pour. Its new hard surface still counts toward the stormwater lines, and any edge that holds soil follows the wall rules.

Does an Olympia stair need a permit when it serves an exit door?

A stair that serves a required exit door falls outside the deck exemption, so the city’s written reply decides its status. We measure each step height and the landing depth before the layout is fixed, and we file the reply with the job.

What stormwater review does an Olympia patio slab trigger?

Olympia’s June 2023 guidesheet sets the path by size. Under 2,000 square feet of new hard surface and under 7,000 square feet of disturbance, no plan is needed. Above 2,000 square feet an abbreviated plan follows, and above 5,000 square feet a full plan with a scoping meeting. Disturbance over 7,000 square feet also requires a full plan.