Home Elevator Permits in Spokane: Who Actually Issues Them
Spokane is one of only two Washington cities that issues its own elevator permits. Here is what that means for your install — and the rules that apply either way.
Inside Spokane city limits, your home elevator permit comes from the City of Spokane Development Services Center under Spokane Municipal Code chapter 17F.060 — not from Washington State L&I. Outside city limits — Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Deer Park, Mead and unincorporated Spokane County — it comes from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Elevator Program.
That first point catches people out regularly, including contractors. Nearly every article written about elevator permits in Washington says L&I is the permitting authority — and for most of the state, that is correct. Spokane is one of two exceptions in the entire state.
Either way, the rules that matter most are the same: the elevator must be installed by a licensed elevator contractor, permitted before work starts, and given an acceptance test before anyone rides it.
Why Spokane has its own elevator authority
Washington law contains a provision most people never encounter. Under RCW 70.87.200(2), a city that had adopted its own elevator code before June 1963 retains jurisdiction over elevators inside its boundaries. Only two cities in Washington qualify: Seattle and Spokane. Everywhere else, the state is the elevator authority.
You can see this reflected in L&I’s own public lookup tools, which exclude both cities from their permit and inspection records. If you search for your Spokane address there and find nothing, that is why — it is not evidence that no permit exists.
| Your address | Who issues the permit | What that involves |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Spokane city limits | City of Spokane, Development Services Center | City plan review and city inspection, under SMC ch. 17F.060 |
| Everywhere else in the county Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Cheney, Airway Heights, Deer Park, Mead, unincorporated | Washington State L&I Elevator Program | State permit, state inspection and acceptance test |
If you are not certain which applies to your address, we check it before quoting. It changes the timeline more than it changes the price.
Three rules that apply no matter which side of the line you are on
It has to be a licensed elevator contractor. Not a general contractor licence, and not something a capable remodeler can extend to cover an elevator. An unpermitted or improperly installed elevator can also create problems with your homeowner’s insurance and will surface during a sale.
Washington adopts elevator code on its own schedule. The state is currently on ASME A17.1-2019 for elevators and A18.1-2020 for platform and stairway chairlifts — not the newest published editions. A contractor quoting a different edition may not be current. There are also Washington-specific additions in WAC 296-96-02700 through 02720.
Replacing a controller needs a permit. In Washington it is a major alteration under WAC 296-96-00675(1)(i), not a like-for-like swap.
Our Washington home elevator installation guide goes through all of this in detail — the drive systems, the state-specific requirements, and what the install process actually looks like start to finish.
The annual inspection question
State law exempts private residence elevators in single-family use from the annual operating permit and inspection requirement, under RCW 70.87.120(2)(b)(i) and WAC 296-96-01045(3).
Inside Spokane city limits, the municipal code does not set out an equivalent private-residence exemption. We would rather tell you to confirm your situation with the City than assume the state exemption carries across. Either way, an annual service visit is worth doing on its own merits — it is a machine carrying people.
One safety item worth acting on
Residential elevators installed before October 2018 may have a gap between the hoistway door and the car gate wide enough for a small child to occupy. It is the subject of an L&I technical bulletin and a national product recall.
L&I strongly recommends having older residential elevators assessed and space guards fitted where needed. If your elevator predates 2018 and you have grandchildren visiting, this is the thing on this page worth acting on soonest. We can check it during a service visit. There is more on ageing equipment in our guide to problems that show up on older home lifts.
We file the permit, not you
We are a local, veteran-owned and family-owned elevator company working across Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Cheney, Deer Park, Mead and Coeur d’Alene. Permitting is part of the job we quote, not an errand we hand back to you.
That means we determine the correct authority for your address, file the application, coordinate the inspection, and hand you a permitted, tested, documented elevator at the end. If a bid you are comparing leaves permitting to the homeowner, or does not mention it at all, that is worth asking about directly.
Talk to a local installer
Free, no-pressure in-home consultation across Spokane and the Inland Northwest. We file the permit.
Request a Free Consultation