PORT ANGELES — Residents in unincorporated areas of Clallam County won’t need a building permit to raise a 400-square-foot storage shed as long as the structure meets code.

The county’s Permit Advisory Board will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, to modify a recommendation to the three commissioners to keep the long-standing exemption in place.

The formal recommendation will include an educational component to inform the public what structures will require the $400 building permit and what buildings won’t.

Earlier this year, county officials considered tightening the exemption to 200-square-foot structures, but the commissioner-appointed, 12-member Permit Advisory Board overwhelmingly rejected it.

All 22 who spoke out in an Aug. 10 commissioners hearing opposed the smaller exemption.

More outreach

“I had underestimated the interest in this 400-square-foot permit exemption,” county Community Development Director John Miller told commissioners Monday.

Miller said he is willing to support the advisory board’s recommendation with additional public outreach and increased attention to the siting of the structures.

The Permit Advisory Board meets in the commissioners’ board room (160) at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.

Illegal buildings

County Building Official Leon Smith and Miller presented a slide show Monday showing images of several buildings that violate county code during a 45-minute discussion.

Smith said the majority of property owners violating the code are not aware that they are.

County officials don’t know exactly how many illegal buildings exist in unincorporated Clallam County.

“Even though permit-exempt, these structures must be built to code,” Miller said.

Commissioner Mike Chapman suggested that county staff work with the North Olympic Building Association on the public education component.

“This could be a win-win for both sides,” Chapman said.

Permit-exempt buildings are detached structures that do not exceed 12 feet in height. They must be set back at least 6 feet from other buildings.

Multistory buildings and commercial structures are not exempt from the building permit requirement, regardless of size.

Exempt structures

Exempt structures must have proper zoning setbacks and buffers. Separate plumbing and electrical permits are still required.

“You don’t have to get a building permit, but you still need to be aware of where it is on the lot and the standard that you have to meet as far as the structure being safe,” Commissioner Steve Tharinger said.

A person cannot live in an exempted building, Smith said.

After taking public testimony Aug. 10, the commissioners remanded the proposal for building code changes back to the Permit Advisory Board and staff.

Commissioners and staff indicated their support for the 400-square-foot exemption.

The larger exemption was originally intended for animal shelters. It has since morphed into sheds, illegal dwelling units, garages, offices and other structures.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.