Concrete Patios & Stairs in Tacoma, WA

Patios & stairs in Tacoma: what to know

Where a Tacoma yard meets the street, stairs are a regulated item. City code lets at-grade stairs beside a house sit in the right-of-way without an occupancy permit, but stairs above grade have to meet the Public Works Design Manual. Inside the lot, the residential permit page lists stairs among alterations that need a permit, so we ask before pouring any that tie into the house.

November and January are Tacoma’s wettest months, each averaging more than six inches. A patio here has to shed that water and still grip underfoot, which means a real slope away from the foundation and a surface with texture, especially on the shaded side of a house.

Permits and rules in Tacoma

Tacoma exempts a deck only if it is 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches high, and detached from the house. Its residential exemption list does not mention concrete patios at all, so the answer comes from the city, not the list. A patio, walks, and driveway poured together can reach the 2,000 square feet of hard surface that triggers site development review. Before we quote, we check the total and the stair details with the city.

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

How we approach it

Total all new hard surface first, since 2,000 square feet changes the permit
Form steps with even risers and landings that drain away from the house
Texture the surface for grip through the long wet season
Ask about the smelter plume before digging footings in North or West Tacoma

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 Tacoma

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

Questions from Tacoma homeowners

Do I need a permit for a concrete patio in Tacoma?

A slab-on-grade patio on private land is usually not a building permit item, but Tacoma’s list doesn’t name residential patios, so confirm. Raised or attached work, stairs, and 2,000 square feet of new hard surface can bring permits. We check your address first.

Can I build concrete steps in the Tacoma right-of-way in front of my house?

At-grade steps beside a house can go there without a separate occupancy permit under Tacoma code. Steps above grade must meet the Public Works Design Manual, and construction in the right-of-way still needs its own permit. We confirm which applies.

Can I reuse the dirt from my North Tacoma patio excavation?

Test it first. North and West Tacoma are in the smelter plume, where any property can have higher-than-normal arsenic and lead. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Dirt Alert program offers sampling for qualifying addresses and advice on moving soil.