Data through September 2026 · updated 23 Oct 2026
The usual permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 104 days from issue to the county's final inspection; the middle half take 36 to 225 days. That is from 2,164 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final. Plumbing permits are quickest at 22 days; new home permits take longest at 260 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 county to approve the plans. Ask the county for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → final. From the day the county 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 | Usual days to final | Middle half (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 609 | 51.4% | 32 | 15–101 |
| Remodels & repairs | 631 | 66.2% | 81 | 45–176 |
| New homes | 326 | 67.8% | 260 | 187–347 |
| Plumbing | 280 | 58.2% | 22 | 9–44 |
| Roofing | 138 | 61.6% | 68 | 34–139 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 184 | 69.6% | 138 | 62–223 |
| Electrical | 106 | 57.5% | 46 | 31–95 |
| Solar | 110 | 78.2% | 66 | 38–127 |
| Other | 706 | 80.2% | 164 | 85–271 |
Each kind of work on its own, issue to the county's final.
The usual HVAC permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 32 days from issue to final; the middle half take 15 to 101 days (313 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 51% of the 609 permits issued then have finished. Kitsap County HVAC permits →
The usual remodel and repair permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 81 days from issue to final; the middle half take 45 to 176 days (418 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 66% of the 631 permits issued then have finished. Kitsap County remodel and repair permits →
The usual new home permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 260 days from issue to final; the middle half take 187 to 347 days (221 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 68% of the 326 permits issued then have finished. Kitsap County new home permits →
The usual plumbing permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 22 days from issue to final; the middle half take 9 to 44 days (163 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 58% of the 280 permits issued then have finished. Kitsap County plumbing permits →
The usual roofing permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 68 days from issue to final; the middle half take 34 to 139 days (85 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 62% of the 138 permits issued then have finished. Kitsap County roofing permits →
The usual garage, shed and shade structure permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 138 days from issue to final; the middle half take 62 to 223 days (127 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 70% of the 184 permits issued then have finished. Kitsap County garage, shed and shade structure permits →
The usual electrical permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 46 days from issue to final; the middle half take 31 to 95 days (61 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 58% of the 106 permits issued then have finished.
The usual solar permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 66 days from issue to final; the middle half take 38 to 127 days (86 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025). 78% of the 110 permits issued then have finished.
The usual demolition permit in unincorporated Kitsap County takes 91 days from issue to final; the middle half take 26 to 187 days (53 permits with a final date, issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025).
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 Seattle and Puget Sound. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
Seattle, WABellevue, WAKing County, WAEverett, WATacoma, WAPierce County, WAAuburn, WA
Source: Kitsap County DCD, Permit Activity DCD Permits (ArcGIS: Permit_Activity_DCD_Permits_view), read 23 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Permits Kitsap County Community Development issues for unincorporated land only: Silverdale, Kingston, Manchester, Hansville, Seabeck, Olalla, the county parts of the Port Orchard, Bremerton and Poulsbo growth areas, and the rural county. Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island issue their own permits and 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 unincorporated Kitsap County, WA?", https://contractorrecords.com/kitsap-county/how-long-does-a-permit-take, data through September 2026, from Kitsap County Department of Community Development 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.