What You Will Need
Before starting your business, here is what you need to obtain:
Certificate of Occupancy from Kitsap County
Business License from Washington State
Obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy
Before applying for your permit to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy, it is helpful to know your:
- address & suite number,
- floor plan,
- whether your business is using a septic or sewer system, and
- the name of the last tenant in the space (if needed, contact your property manager).
To obtain a Certificate of Occupancy, You must apply for a permit through the Permit Application Portal under the Commercial Project Type of Tenant Change.
Note: If you are doing any construction work to the space, you will apply through the Commercial Project Type of Tenant Improvement.
State Business License
For guidance on obtaining a state business license, please visit BusinessWA.gov.
Home Businesses
If you are starting a new business in your home, you will need to apply for a Home Business Permit. Our Land Use Planner is available in-person Monday-Friday from 9:00am-12:00pm to assist you with your home business plans or contact DCD at 360-337-5777 or help@kitsap1.com.
Risk Check - Inspection Program for Commercial Businesses
Risk Check is Kitsap County's Commercial Occupancy Fire & Life Safety Inspection Program. This program replaces the annual inspections that were previously conducted by the local Fire Departments and uses a risk assessment to prioritize the frequency of inspections based on the known risk of each business. Businesses with a higher fire and life safety risk are scheduled to be inspected more frequently, example: a hospital would be inspected more often than a office building. For more information about this program, or to work with Risk Check staff on scheduling your inspection, visit the Risk Check Page.
