To get a building permit in Gig Harbor, first find out who reviews your address. Inside city limits, the City of Gig Harbor’s Community Development Department reviews the project. Outside city limits, the address is in unincorporated Pierce County, and Pierce County Planning and Public Works reviews it.
For a new home inside the city, the City asks for a complete plan set plus a Single Family Design Review application. It expects the first review to take about four weeks, and a second review about two weeks if corrections are needed. Bluefoot Architecture & Design prepares these submittals as your architect in Gig Harbor.
This guide explains both paths, what the City’s single-family checklist asks for, and the local rules that most often change a Gig Harbor design. It covers new homes, additions and major remodels. It does not replace a call to the reviewing office, and codes change, so confirm current requirements before you submit.
Gig Harbor is an incorporated city in Pierce County, not Kitsap County. Many homes with a Gig Harbor mailing address sit outside city limits, on the peninsula, in unincorporated Pierce County. The mailing address does not tell you which office reviews the project. The parcel does.
Start with the parcel number from your property tax statement. Then call the City’s Planner of the Day at (253) 851-6170 or check the parcel with Pierce County. That one answer decides the code, the checklist, the portal and the reviewers for the whole project.
| Question | Inside Gig Harbor city limits | Outside city limits (unincorporated Pierce County) |
|---|---|---|
| Who reviews the permit | City of Gig Harbor Community Development (Building & Fire Safety Services) | Pierce County Planning and Public Works |
| How you apply | Construction permit application by email, then plans uploaded for electronic review | Online, through the county’s permit portal |
| Where you track it | The City’s SmartGov permit portal | The county’s online permit portal |
| Design review for a house | Yes: Single Family Design Review under GHMC 17.99 | County zoning and development rules apply instead |
| Shoreline rules | 2013 Gig Harbor Shoreline Master Program, within 200 feet of the shoreline | Pierce County’s shoreline program |
| Phone | (253) 851-6170 | Building Division, (253) 798-3152 |
The City’s Single Family Residence Building Permit Application Packet (revised November 2024) sets out the process. In short:
You can follow each review in the City’s SmartGov portal. The four-week and two-week figures come from the City’s single-family information sheet. An incomplete submittal does not start that clock, which is why the checklist matters.
The packet lists the minimum for a complete single-family application. Other documents may be requested after review. The list is longer than most homeowners expect:
A retaining wall may need its own permit. The packet also asks screening questions about critical areas nearby, a parkway frontage, a prominent parcel, the height restriction area and the historic district. A yes to any of them adds requirements.
Some of the City’s rules change what you can draw, not just what you submit. Check them before the first sketch.
The City’s Single Family Planning worksheet lists a maximum height of 35 feet. In the height restriction area the limit is 16 feet, and in the historic district it is 18 feet. Those areas carry extra design rules under GHMC 17.62 and GHMC 17.99.370(D).
Height in the restricted area is measured two ways, uphill and downhill, and a home must meet both. That is why the checklist asks for the highest point within the buildable area. A 16-foot limit on a sloping lot is a design problem to solve early, not a correction to fix at review.
Every new house inside the city goes through design review under the City’s Design Manual, GHMC 17.99. The standards cover things like how prominent the garage is, windows and porches facing the street, and outdoor lighting. A design that meets the specific standards can be approved by planning staff. A design review board route exists for proposals that need more flexibility.
Parkways, enhancement corridors, prominent parcels and the historic district each add their own standards. Your lot may sit in none of them, or in two.
Land within 200 feet of the shoreline is regulated by the 2013 Gig Harbor Shoreline Master Program. At a minimum, a no net loss worksheet is required, completed at the Planning counter with a planner. Wetlands and steep slopes are regulated as critical areas under Title 18 GHMC. The City offers courtesy inspections, and reports may be required.
On a waterfront or bluff lot, these rules often decide where the house can go. We read them before we place the footprint, not after.
Outside city limits, Pierce County Planning and Public Works reviews the building permit. You apply online, using the county’s residential construction checklist and submittal standards. The county publishes a separate guide to work that is exempt from a building permit, so check it before assuming a small project needs nothing.
The county’s review begins once it accepts the application. Building and critical areas applications can be submitted at the same time. Pierce County updated its policy for extending permits and applications in January 2026, so confirm expiry rules with the Building Division at (253) 798-3152 before you plan the build schedule.
Not by law. Washington’s RCW 18.08.410 lets anyone design a residential building of up to four dwelling units. The City still needs a complete, code-compliant submittal set, with stamped engineering where the design requires it. Our guide Do I need an architect for a home addition in Washington? explains the rule in detail.
In Gig Harbor, the harder part is usually the design rules, not the drawings. A height-restricted lot, a shoreline worksheet and a design review application all reward a plan that was drawn to fit them. That is the work an architect does before the permit clock starts.
Bluefoot Architecture & Design is an award-winning firm based in Poulsbo, with Jay Volz named Best Architect in North, Central and South Kitsap in 2026. For Gig Harbor clients, we confirm the jurisdiction first, then design to the zone, height and shoreline rules that apply. We prepare the full permit documents, coordinate the structural engineer, and answer reviewer comments until the permit is issued.
That includes custom homes, additions and ADUs. Unsure what a lot allows before you buy or design? A feasibility study answers that first. Outside Kitsap County, the first consultation is usually by video call.
For a complete single-family application inside city limits, the City of Gig Harbor expects the first review to take about four weeks. If corrections are needed, a second review takes about two weeks. Incomplete submittals take longer, and Pierce County sets its own timelines for addresses outside city limits.
Gig Harbor is in Pierce County. Inside city limits, the City of Gig Harbor reviews building permits. Addresses outside city limits are in unincorporated Pierce County, where Pierce County Planning and Public Works reviews them.
The City’s planning worksheet lists a maximum height of 35 feet. In the height restriction area the limit is 16 feet, and in the historic district it is 18 feet. In the restricted area, height is measured both uphill and downhill, and the house must meet both.
Yes, inside city limits. The City’s single-family checklist requires a Single Family Design Review application with every new house, reviewed against the Design Manual in GHMC 17.99. Designs that meet the specific standards can be approved by planning staff.
Land within 200 feet of the shoreline is covered by the 2013 Gig Harbor Shoreline Master Program. At a minimum, the City requires a no net loss worksheet, completed with a planner. Whether a separate shoreline permit is needed depends on the project, so confirm it with the City before design.
Building, adding on or remodelling in Gig Harbor? Bluefoot Architecture & Design brings more than 40 years of combined experience to the design and the permit set. Contact us to book a design consultation, or call 360-602-2965. Learn more about working with an architect in Gig Harbor.