FAQs

This is not a function of the City. Jefferson County Auditors office is responsible for vehicle registration: (360) 385-9115.

The City’s B&O tax is separate from the Washington State B&O tax. You are required to file both returns.

Any business generating at least $100,000 in revenue inside the City of Port Townsend is required to file a B&O tax return. See gross revenue amounts below relevant to your business.

If your gross revenue is over $100,000: You are required to file a quarterly return.

If your gross revenue is under $100,000: You are not required to file a B&O tax return.

Cross out incorrect information and print updated information on the form before returning to update your City tax account. You will need to update information with the State for your master business license.

The amount of B&O tax owed is .2% of the taxable amount of gross revenue received during the reporting period. 

Returns are due on the last day of the month following the end of each quarter. Quarters and due dates are listed on the back of the return. Returns must be postmarked by the due date or a minimum $5.00 penalty will be assessed on past due taxes

When the City partnered with the state, the Department of Revenue (DOR) assumed all responsibility for business license activity on both state and local levels. Your license may be renewed annually through the state, and the Business Licensing Service (BLS) will notify you annually of your renewal due date.

Any questions regarding your state and local application or updates to your city license information such as change of address, ownership, phone numbers, business structure, etc., should be directed to the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) Business Licensing Service (BLS) at 800-451-7985 or online at business.wa.gov/BLS.

Businesses reporting gross receipts < $20,000 =  $30/year

Businesses reporting gross receipts > $20,000 =  $75/year

Utility rate studies are conducted regularly by an independent party to ensure rates adequately cover the costs of providing utility services. Rates need to ensure adequate long-term funding of operations, including maintenance and improvements in infrastructure.

Cash, Check or Money Order/Cashier's Check:

Payments are accepted at City Hall (located at 250 Madison Street) by mail or hand-delivered.  For your convenience, there is a payment dropbox at City Hall, sunken into the brick wall to the right of the front entrance doors.  City Hall Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00am-4:00pm.

Credit/Debit Card or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT):

Payments may be made online thorugh your bank or credit card. For more information, click here.

Online banking:

Please contact your financial institution about their online banking services.  Please include your utility account number to ensure you are properly credited for your payment, and allow five to seven business days for your payment to reach the City.

Important note: electronic payments are not instant transactions. To avoid penalty or a possible service disconnection, please allow enough transit time (typically five to seven business days) for your payment to reach the City.

The City bills monthly for all utility services.  Bills are mailed on the last day of each month and due on the 20^th of the following month.

Customers must apply for a water leak adjustment, in writing, within 30 days of the City's issuance of the water bill sought for adjustment.  You must provide a detailed explanation of when and where the leak or break occurred and what action was taken to repair it (you will need to provide proof of the repair such as photos, receipt from a licensed plumber, etc.).    

State and Federal mandated health rules required the City to build a new water treatment facility and water storage tank. The capital surcharges address the associated utility infrastructure debt. While City Council has approved rates through 2023, the majority of the debt is for 20 years, so it is expected that some level of capital surcharges will continue beyond 2023.

Most residential accounts have a flat rate usage charge while multi-family & commercial accounts have a base rate determined by meter size Utility Rate Schedule in addition to a volume/usage charge. 

Your total monthly water fee is comprised of two charges; the Base Rate and a Usage Fee.  See the Utility Rate Schedule for the base charge related to your specific meter size.  Typical single-family homes have a ¾” meter.

Water consumption is rounded down to the nearest thousand gallons, i.e., use of 3,268 gallons will be billed for 3,000 gallons, the balance of 268 gallons will roll over to next month’s reading.  

Water, sewer, and stormwater services:
Provided by the City. Depending on the location of your service address, water-only services are available.

Garbage and recycling services:
Required for all city residents, are provided by Olympic Disposal. Contact Olympic Disposal at (360) 385-6612 for service.

Electricity:
Provided by the Jefferson County PUD. For more details, contact the Jefferson County PUD at (360) 385-5800.

Patrons can put items on hold online or by calling the library at (360) 385-3181. Once patrons are notified that their items are available, come to the library. When you arrive, call our main line at (360) 385-3181 and we will bring your items to your car, or to the table outside the library’s front door. You can press 1 to bypass the phone message and talk directly to staff. 

Yes, you can print from one of the public computers or wirelessly from your device. The first 5 pages are free. It's $.10 after that. 

We are available for technology assistance at the circulation and reference desk, and offer assistance from the Digital Equity Navigator, Jaime Pena on the second floor of the Library on Wednesdays.

Small weddings have been held in the park and at the Gazebo for many years. It is not possible to rent the entire park exclusively. You can rent the Gazebo on our Rent a Facility Page. Chairs and other wedding decorations must be brought into the park by hand at the beginning of the rental and removed at the end of the rental period (same day). 

Please call (360) 385-3000 to sign up to volunteer.

When you enter the park, head downhill, toward the bluff. A trail off to the southern corner has a stairway with railings onto the beach.

 The park is named for “T'chits-a-ma-hun” a S’Klallam Tribal leader who played an important role in the early history of the city and was one of the most well-known native leaders in Washington State. 

Not currently. All amenities at Kah Tai Park are first come, first served. If you are interested in reserving the gazebo at Chetzemoka Park, please see our Rent A Facility page for shelter rentals.

No, there are trails around the meadow area and from Kearney to Landes, but there is no trail which circumnavigates the lagoon itself. There are sensitive wetlands around the lagoon which are habitat for creatures and birds that should be left undisturbed.

Not at this time. Contact Jefferson County Parks and Recreation for County Facility rental information.

Visit our Special Events page to learn what qualifies as a special event and will need a special events permit. The Police Department issues special event permits.

Both parks as well as the Recreation Center in uptown belong to and are maintained by the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department.

City Ordinance #2964 prohibits camping or sleeping in parks overnight. 

You may call (360)379-5095 for a status update. Please have your permit number or parcel number available.

You may also schedule your inspections through our online portal, which also allows you to see the status of your permit and the results of your inspection(s). 

Yes, as of July 1, 2023 within the new code. Visit the tiny house on wheels (THOWS) webpage and view related documents and the Housing Solutions Network webinar to learn more before you build or purchase a THOW. 

Other tiny homes are typical wood framed structures with minimal square footage, constructed on a permanent foundation and in accordance with the adopted building codes can be permitted in the City of Port Townsend. Any permanent structure built needs to provide all necessary elements to qualify as an approved residence. These elements include: 

• Living space
• Means for cooking
• Sanitation
• Eating space
• Sleeping space 

Adopted Residential Code

Washington State Amendments

Alternate types of construction materials (other than wood and concrete) may be allowed if it can be proven that the materials used, and the overall design meets the requirements of the International Residential Code, the Washington Administration Code Amendments and the International Energy Conservation Code. Alternative methods and materials require an engineered design. Anyone considering this type of design on their project should contact Development Services Building Division prior to beginning design.

Minimum Room Size Requirements:  Each dwelling unit shall have at least one habitable room that is 70 square feet in area with no dimension of the room area being less than 7 feet; to include height. *Kitchens, hallways, bathrooms, mechanical rooms, etc. are not considered habitable. 

Other habitable rooms provided shall also be no less than 70 square feet, with no dimension of the room being less than 7 feet.  Sanitation shall be provided, which includes bathtub or shower, toilet, and a sink. Rooms including these elements are sized accordingly to provide the appropriate clearances.

Recreational vehicles or RV’s are only permitted in campgrounds or RV parks. To see what constitutes as an RV, please visit the Labor and Industries website. 

Building Permit Applications expire 180 days after the date of filing. City Permit Technicians will contact you when your Building Permit is ready to pick up. If you think you need more time, contact our office before your application expires, an extension may be granted upon request for an additional 90 days. If your application expires you may need to pay additional fees to re-apply.

Enter the project valuation in the appropriate line on the Permit Application Form.

The permit valuation shall include the total value of the work for which a permit is being issued. This includes materials and labor for the permanent structure and mechanical, electrical, plumbing and gas, fire sprinkler and elevator systems and equipment. Permanent systems such as audiovisual, lighting and HVAC controls are included in the total as are expenses directly related to construction such as equipment rental and contractor fees.  Costs such as architectural and engineering design fees, landscaping and planting, tap fees, development mitigation fees, trash removal, and cleaning are not included. 

Depending on your proposed project, plans will be reviewed by various disciplines. The assigned reviewers check your proposal for compliance with the adopted codes. If the reviewer needs additional information or has identified corrections, they will request information from you in writing in the form of a comment letter.

A comment letter is sent when a reviewer needs additional information, or a correction needs to be made to the plans. Once a comment letter is sent to you the reviewer takes no further action until you provide a response to the comment letter. If you have questions contact the reviewer, you may have to leave a message and wait for them to get back to you.

After you have gathered all the additional information and/or made the requested corrections, bring the information to the front counter. Complete and timely responses will speed up the re-review of the project.

If the revisions are complete, the reviewer will sign off and the project will move on in the process.  If the reviewer needs additional information or has identified additional corrections, they will request this information from you in writing in another comment letter.

New construction of all non-residential buildings and structures over 4,000 square feet.

New construction of all residential buildings containing more than 4 dwelling units.

Tenant improvements or remodels in spaces more than 4,000 square feet.

If the remodel or tenant improvement involves area less than 4,000 square feet AND is in a building that is 4,000 square feet or larger, then an architect must be involved if there are structural changes or life safety changes (exits, fire alarms or fire sprinklers affected, or other life safety items such as change-of-use or occupancy).

The total square feet of a building includes the total of all levels and all outdoor covered areas like porches, drive-thru canopies, etc.

The practice of architecture is defined in and regulated through RCW 18.08. Visit the Washington State Architect Guide for help in understanding the roles and responsibilities of architects, engineers, and other design professionals.

Under state law and the building code the Building official has the authority to make the final determination on what documents will be accepted for building permit application.

Vehicles meeting the Revised Code of Washington’s RCW 46.55.010 definition of “junk vehicles” are considered nuisances under the City of Port Townsend’s Municipal Code PTMC 9.08.020(N). Inoperable and/or unregistered vehicles must be kept in a garage or removed from the property.  

Some businesses are permitted outright with a City of Port Townsend business license while others, meeting specific criteria under PTMC Chapter 17.56 Home Occupations, may be permitted with a Home Occupation permit and a City of Port Townsend business license.

All other businesses not meeting the above criteria would need to operate from a commercial or other zoning district where the activity and/or use is either outright permitted or permitted through a required permit process. All businesses require a City of Port Townsend business license to operate in the City of Port Townsend, PTMC Title 5, Business Licenses and Regulations. 

A conditional use permit is required to operate a short term vacation rental (less than 30-day stays) for either a Bed and Breakfast or a Tourist Home. You may contact the Department of Development Services to obtain a permit application and the relevant code sections are found under PTMC, Bed and Breakfast Inns and Tourist Homes, Chapters 17.57 and Operation of Bed and Breakfast Inns and Tourist homes, Chapter 5.45.

Vacation rentals operating without an approved and issued conditional use permit for anything less than 30-day stays are out of compliance with the PTMC.

For more information on our short term rentals, please see our list of permitted short term rentals.

Contact the Code Compliance Officer and provide your contact information. If you have any questions about the requirements being outlined or the timeline provided, the Code Compliance Officer is willing to work with you to help you reach a resolution. 

The Code Compliance officer will determine if a violation(s) exists on the property by performing an inspection as viewed from City and/or public property.

A Request for Voluntary Compliance letter is typically the first letter sent to a business or property owner identifying the violation(s) on site and providing a timeframe by which to correct the violations (typically 2 weeks). The timeline can vary depending on the nature of the violation.

If the violation(s) remain and or continue past the deadline provided or if the violation(s) were more serious in nature, a formal Notice and Order of Violation (NOV) is issued, providing two weeks (timeline can vary depending on the nature of the violation) to bring the property into compliance. If the NOV deadline is not met, daily fees begin to accrue and/or citations may be issued.

The goal is to reach compliance at the voluntary level. Most cases are resolved in a short amount of time, however, some cases can take months or longer for successful resolution and can vary depending on the cooperation by the business or property owner.

You can submit a comment on a project during the public comment period. Not all projects require a comment period.  For those that do, Notice of Application is posted at the project site and mailed to the property owner within 300 feet of the project boundary.  Some also require published notice, we publish in The Leader.  Notices describe the project, address, contact person and the deadline for submitting comments.

Please mail your comments to the Planning and Community Development Department; include the project, project address, and your mailing address with your comment. We will consider comments submitted after the comment period only if we have not yet published a decision.

There is a "Request for Public Records" form available at the Police Department for those who wish to request police report information. Some information on police reports may be confidential or not for disclosure under certain laws maintained in the Revised Code of Washington. Each request will be considered individually and responded to in a timely manner. 

The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or damage to the property of any one person to an apparent extent equal to or greater than $1000.00 shall, within twenty-four hours after such accident, make a written report of such accident to police. Nothing prohibits accident reports from being filed by drivers where damage to property is less than $1000.00. If police do not investigate the accident, you are still required to file a report of such accident. You may pick up an accident report at the Port Townsend Police Department during normal business hours.

Fingerprinting is done at the Port Townsend Police Department by appointment on Friday afternoons. Call the Police administration number (360)385-2322 to make an appointment.