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Demolition permits in unincorporated Pierce County, WA

Data through September 2026 · updated 20 Oct 2026

217 demolition permits were issued in unincorporated Pierce County, October 2024 through September 2026: about 108 a year and 1% of all permits. 123 demolition permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 31% more than the 94 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is July. The usual one took 99 days from issue to the county's final.

217permits issued
123last 12 months
Julbusiest month
99days, usual issue to final
Sep 2026records through

Demolition permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 6Oct2024Nov 2024: 5Dec 2024: 8Jan 2025: 11Jan2025Feb 2025: 4Mar 2025: 9Apr 2025: 11May 2025: 8Jun 2025: 6Jul 2025: 9JulAug 2025: 11Sep 2025: 6Oct 2025: 12Nov 2025: 6Dec 2025: 10Jan 2026: 10Jan2026Feb 2026: 13Mar 2026: 14Apr 2026: 6May 2026: 4Jun 2026: 12Jul 2026: 17JulAug 2026: 8Sep 2026: 11
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 20246
Nov 20245
Dec 20248
Jan 202511
Feb 20254
Mar 20259
Apr 202511
May 20258
Jun 20256
Jul 20259
Aug 202511
Sep 20256
Oct 202512
Nov 20256
Dec 202510
Jan 202610
Feb 202613
Mar 202614
Apr 20266
May 20264
Jun 202612
Jul 202617
Aug 20268
Sep 202611

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When demolition permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). July is the busiest (144), November the quietest (61). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 116 (100 = an average month)February: 94 (100 = an average month)March: 127 (100 = an average month)April: 94 (100 = an average month)May: 66 (100 = an average month)June: 100 (100 = an average month)July: 144 (100 = an average month)144August: 105 (100 = an average month)September: 94 (100 = an average month)October: 100 (100 = an average month)November: 61 (100 = an average month)December: 100 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January116
February94
March127
April94
May66
June100
July144
August105
September94
October100
November61
December100

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How long a demolition permit takes

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 57 with a final date.

MeasureValue
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 202594
Usual days, issue to final99
Middle half, days28–154

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The county's own permit types

How the county filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.

Permit typePermitsShare
Construction Residential - Demolition - House/plex15672%
Construction Residential - Demolition - Garage209%
Construction Residential - Demolition - Deck/Dock/Shed105%
Construction Commercial - Demolition - Other Structure84%
Residential Demolition - House/plex42%
Construction Residential - Demolition - Other Structure42%
Construction Commercial - Demolition - Garage31%
Residential Demolition - Other Structure2under 1%
Construction Commercial - Demolition - School K-122under 1%
Construction Residential - Demolition - Agriculture2under 1%

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Nearby permit data

Demolition permits for other places in Seattle and Puget Sound. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.

How these numbers are made

Source: Pierce County Open Data, Permits - Pierce County (Permits_Pierce_County, from PALS Plus), read 20 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Building, mechanical, plumbing, manufactured-home, demolition, pool and sign permits Pierce County Planning & Public Works issues for unincorporated land only: Spanaway, Graham, Frederickson, Parkland, South Hill, Lake Tapps, the Key Peninsula, Gig Harbor peninsula and similar places. Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, University Place, Gig Harbor city, Bonney Lake and the other cities run their own permit offices and are not in this file. Engineering, sewer and fire-prevention permits are left out.

  • The county's open permit file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Pierce County.
  • The value is the building valuation the county works out to set the permit fee (largely from floor area and type of construction); mechanical and plumbing permits carry none. It is not a final cost.
  • The file has no property ZIP code, so there are no ZIP code pages for Pierce County.
  • Electrical permits in Washington are issued by the state Department of Labor & Industries, not the county, so electrical work does not appear here; rooftop solar appears only when it needed a county building permit.
  • Mechanical permits cover furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioning, and also gas piping, gas fireplaces and water heaters; those last are counted as plumbing when the description says so.
  • A final date is the county's final date; permits the county cancelled are not counted.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Demolition permits in unincorporated Pierce County, WA", https://contractorrecords.com/pierce-county/demolition-permits, data through September 2026, from Pierce County Planning & Public Works building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Permit types.

Download the tables (CSV): Demolition permits by month · Demolition permits by calendar month (index) · Demolition permits: days to final · Demolition permits by permit type.

Common questions

  • How many demolition permits does Pierce County issue a year?About 108 a year in unincorporated Pierce County: 217 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 123 of them in the last 12 months.
  • How long does a demolition permit take in Pierce County?The usual one took 99 days from issue to the county's final inspection, and the middle half took 28 to 154 days (57 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final). The wait to get the permit issued is not in this file.
  • When do people in Pierce County file the most demolition permits?July (144 against an average month of 100); November is the quietest (61). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.