Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026
The usual permit in the City of Kennewick takes 73 days from issue to the city's final inspection; the middle half take 16 to 168 days. That is from 1,752 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Plumbing permits are quickest at 18 days; new home permits take longest at 154 days. This is the time to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve the plans. Ask the city for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded the final inspection. We count only permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends, so slow jobs have had time to finish; a permit still open is not in the days.
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Usual days is the middle permit among those with a final date: half finished sooner, half later. Middle half is the range the middle 50% fell in. Kinds of work with fewer than 100 permits in that period are left out.
| Kind of work | Permits | Finished | Expired | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 581 | 73.5% | 23.9% | 20 | 8–61 |
| New homes | 375 | 97.3% | 0.8% | 154 | 117–198 |
| Plumbing | 300 | 73.3% | 20.7% | 18 | 7–101 |
| Roofing | 263 | 63.9% | 35.7% | 18 | 9–48 |
| Remodels & repairs | 260 | 58.8% | 40.0% | 66 | 36–148 |
| Other | 428 | 76.9% | 16.4% | 111 | 42–220 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the city's final.
The usual HVAC permit in the City of Kennewick takes 20 days from issue to final; the middle half take 8 to 61 days (427 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 74% of the 581 permits issued then have finished and 24% expired. Kennewick HVAC permits →
The usual new home permit in the City of Kennewick takes 154 days from issue to final; the middle half take 117 to 198 days (365 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 97% of the 375 permits issued then have finished and under 1% expired. Kennewick new home permits →
The usual plumbing permit in the City of Kennewick takes 18 days from issue to final; the middle half take 7 to 101 days (220 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 73% of the 300 permits issued then have finished and 21% expired. Kennewick plumbing permits →
The usual roofing permit in the City of Kennewick takes 18 days from issue to final; the middle half take 9 to 48 days (168 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 64% of the 263 permits issued then have finished and 36% expired. Kennewick roofing permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in the City of Kennewick takes 66 days from issue to final; the middle half take 36 to 148 days (153 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 59% of the 260 permits issued then have finished and 40% expired. Kennewick remodel and repair permits →
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
How long permits take for other places in the Tri-Cities. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
Source: City of Kennewick EnerGov public permit layer (Public/EnerGovPublicInspection, EnerGovPermits), behind the city's Permit & Plan Explorer, read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building, mechanical, plumbing, sign and fire-system permits the City of Kennewick issues inside the city limits only. Richland, Pasco, West Richland and unincorporated Benton County run their own permit offices and are not in this file. Public works, utility-connection, right-of-way and grading permits are left out. Electrical permits in Washington are issued by the state Department of Labor & Industries, not the city, so they are not in this file.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "How long do permits take in the City of Kennewick, WA?", https://contractorrecords.com/kennewick/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from the City of Kennewick Building Safety Division building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · Each kind of permit.
Download the tables (CSV): Days to final by kind of work.