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 do 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. You can make an appointment with a Land Use Planner to assist you with your home business plans or contact Community Development 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 previously conducted by the local Fire Departments. It 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; for example, a hospital would be inspected more often than an office building. For more information about this program or to work with Risk Check staff on scheduling your inspection, visit the Risk Check Page.
