Permit-Ready Plan Program

The City of Port Angeles is now accepting donations for new permit-ready plans (Resolution No. 01-26).

In 2023, the City of Port Angeles launched the Permit-Ready Plan Program. This program offers pre-approved and thoughtfully designed construction documents for various housing types and configurations at no cost to community members building within the city limits. The Permit-Ready Plans are also eligible for fee waivers as outlined in Resolution 02-25. The City has implemented procedures to expand this program by accepting new donated Permit-Ready Plans for the online library, which will help further reduce costs for housing builders and streamline the permit review process.

The City of Port Angeles has determined that the Department of Community and Economic Development's (CED) Building and Planning teams will accept Permit-Ready Plans only if they are donated to the City. Any Permit-Ready Plans accepted into the program must meet one of the following criteria: 

• Provides multifamily housing units,
• Uses sustainable building materials,
• Uses innovative design techniques,
• Provides properly licensed modular or prefabricated options, or
• Provides infill or middle housing defined in Chapter 17.21 PAMC.

If the plan sets do not meet the criteria identified above, the company/design firm donating the plans must demonstrate that the proposed plans meet the community's needs as outlined in the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment. This can be accomplished by submitting a written narrative in the application addressed to the CED Manager, providing reasoning supported in the plan. 

To ensure a fair selection process, a single company, design firm, or housing developer may submit a limited number of engineered plan sets per year for review by the City and consideration in the Permit-Ready Plan Program, as determined by the CED Manager. 

Required Submittals:

• General Building Permit Application
• Building/Construction Plans: Detailed drawings/engineering of construction plans and elevations. 
• Engineering: Required for all projects in Seismic Zone E unless you demonstrate R301.2.2.1.2 IRC.
• WSEC-R 2021 Code Edition Forms: Include energy compliance documentation per the Washington State Energy Code (e.g., WSEC residential or commercial compliance forms). 

Desired Submittals: 

• Pre-engineered fire sprinkler plans are preferred, especially for multifamily units with four or more units.
• Project Narrative that includes information on how a potential builder can reach out to the design professional with additional questions.
• Information about the cost to build the plan set (e.g., a sample cost estimate from a contractor).

Following administrative review and decision by the CED Manager, the City will now accept the donated engineered plan set and evaluate them to ensure they meet the outlined criteria using the following procedures:

Application Procedures: 

1. Housing developers, design firms, and builders can submit a Permit-Ready Plan Donation Submittal Application and the required submittals (listed above) digitally to ced@cityofpa.us, care of the Housing Administrator.
2. Staff will route the plan set like a traditional building permit. The City’s permitting team (Building, Planning, Public Works, and Fire) will review the plan set for code compliance and completeness using Type I permitting procedures.
3. Once the City’s permitting team approves the plan, staff will work with the applicant and draft a donation agreement.
4. The donation agreement is a legally binding contract. The design professional will agree to update the engineered plan sets in response to changes to the building and energy codes. If the engineered plan sets are not updated to reflect the requirements of current codes in effect, the plans will be removed from the City's Permit-Ready Plan page on the City website. 
5. The donation agreement will be reviewed by the Housing Administrator, Legal Department, and CED Manager and sent to the applicant, City Manager, and City Attorney for final signature. 
6. Once the professional agreement is signed, the Housing Administrator will then post a preview of the plan sets on the City website. After posting, the plan sets can be used by anyone developing housing within Port Angeles city limits, based on the agreement limitations.