Administrative Appeals

  Your Right to appeal

Per PCC 1.22.090 any person aggrieved by a final order, permit, or decision may file an administrative appeal by submitting a Notice of Appeal, along with the appeal fee, to the Pierce County Development Center within 14 days of the date of issuance. 

Hearing Examiner Information
  1. Administrative Appeals
  2. Appeal of Hearing Examiner Decision
  • Administrative Appeals
    Planning and Public Works staff issue decisions on a wide range of issues relating to the administration, interpretation, and application of the Pierce County Code. A permit, order, or final decision may be appealed by an “aggrieved” party. “Aggrieved” means person(s) who are adversely affected by the issuance of the permit, order, or final decision. Click on “Hearing Examiner Information” button above to learn more about the applicable codes and rules that apply to administrative appeals. 
  • Environmental Appeals
    An Environmental Appeal is a type of administrative appeal and refers to decisions issued pursuant to the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA). In most cases, the deadline for submitting an appeal, along with the applicable appeal fee, is 14 days from the date of the decision. In rare cases where the optional Determination of Nonsignificance (DNS) process is used, the deadline to appeal is 21 days from the date of the decision. The applicable appeal timeline will be included in the SEPA decision issued by the Planning and Public Works Department. 

  • Code Enforcement Appeals
    A Code Enforcement Appeal is another type of administrative appeal and refers to appeals of notices, orders, and final decisions in a code enforcement action. A final decision, notice, or order will contain information on the appeal process. In all code enforcement appeals, the deadline to submit an appeal, along with the appeal fee, is 14 days from the date of the final decision, notice, or order. 

See “Appeal Fees” section below for more information about the fee amount and appeal fee waivers. 

How to Submit an Appeal:

There are three different ways to submit an administrative appeal:

Drop off
Development Center
Pierce County Annex, East Entrance
2401 South 35th St., Tacoma, WA 98409

Lobby is open Monday to Friday
9 a.m.-2 p.m. (excluding holidays)

Drop box
Development Center

Accessible Monday to Friday 
8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays)

Online 
Submission Form

Appeal Fees: 

Per PCC Table 2.05.040-15

Administrative Appeal of Short Plat/ Large Lot$2,775
Appeal of Administrative/Environmental Official Decision$3,360
Appeal of a Code Enforcement Notice, Order, or Decision$250
Reconsideration Request$950


Per PCC 2.05.020.A, appeal fees are fully refundable to any appellant who successfully appeals a decision of an Administrative Official to the Hearing Examiner.

Per PCC 2.05.020B.4, if the appeal is of a final enforcement order, the fee may be waived if the applicant meets the criteria for indigent status in accordance with Washington Courts GR 34. Find the Appeal Waiver form here.

If you are seeking an appeal fee waiver, submit your waiver application at least 24 hours before the appeal deadline to give staff adequate time to review your waiver request. Fee waivers are available for enforcement appeals only. 

Pierce County Codes