Homeowners who are lower income may have difficulty paying for repairs and necessary improvements to their homes to provide for safety and accessibility. In order to assist lower-income homeowners in maintaining their homes in a safe and accessible manner, the Kenmore City Council deems it in the public interest to allow the Director to waive certain permit fees. The City Council finds that waiving some of these fees will benefit the public health and welfare of its residents and will encourage lower income homeowners to repair their homes to make them safe and accessible.

To be eligible for this program, you must:

1. Reside in Kenmore at least 6 months out of the year;
2. Attest that an insurance company is not responsible for permit costs; and
3. Verify your income. Homeowners who are at or below 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) as adjusted for family size. To determine eligibility, use the AMI percentage table provided by Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH).

ARCH’s 2023 AMI Table:

View this table as a PDF here.

View the Permit Fee Waiver Flyer here.

The types of permits eligible are:

• Single-family addition and/or alteration building permit for repair or maintenance of the existing structure, including accessibility or safety reasons
• Manufactured homes addition and/or alteration building permit for manufactured homes occupied as single-family residences
• Temporary mobile home permits
• Single-family plumbing and mechanical permits
• Shoreline substantial development permit exemptions for any of the previously mentioned permit types.

Complete form #108 and submit it with your building permit application.  For permits issued OTC, email the form to Permittech@kenmorewa.gov within 30 days of the issued permit.

• Get Supporting Documents Ready: To demonstrate compliance with income eligibility requirements, provide a copy of your most recent Federal Income Tax Return or a copy of an approved free meal application from the Northshore School District.
• Double Check Forms: Form #108 must be completely filled out (do leave areas blank, if they don’t apply write “N/A” or describe further) and include the required supporting documents as attachments. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

• Timing: For permits issued over-the-counter (OTC), a complete fee waiver application is required within 30 days of the permit issuance date. For permits that require plan review, the application is due prior to plan review. Limited exceptions based on extenuating circumstances may be considered by the Director.
• Help: If you need assistance, please call (425) 398-8900 and ask for the Development Services Department. We’re here to help!

Si gusta communicarse con la ciudad de Kenmore o revisar un documento en otro idioma, envíe su solicitud con su información de contacto a cityhall@kenmorewa.gov o llame al 425-398-8900

The Development Services Director (or designee) may waive all or a portion of development review fees for certain permits necessary to repair single-family dwelling units when the property owner(s) demonstrates, on a form provided by the department (Form #108), their income level meets the level(s) described in KMC 18.20.098.  See Ordinance 22-0544.