Handyman in East Wenatchee, WA

Inside city limits, no building permit if the shed is one story and 200 square feet or less. That is the city's own amendment to the state exemption list, and the residential version carries no restriction on what the shed gets used for.

Outside the line, unincorporated Douglas County lands on the same 200 square feet, but with two catches. Its exemption only covers tool sheds, playhouses and similar uses, and a prefab shed that is two stories or lofted needs a county permit at any size. Zoning runs on both sides: accessory structures hold a five foot setback from property lines, zero setback where the line adjoins an alley.

Whichever side of the city line the parcel sits on, and the mailing address does not settle that. An East Wenatchee address by itself does not mean city jurisdiction.

Inside the limits it is the City of East Wenatchee Department of Community Development, outside it is Douglas County Transportation and Land Services. Both counters are physically in East Wenatchee even though the county seat is Waterville, so the drive is the same either way. The rulebook is the thing that changes.

Four feet on both sides of the line, measured from two different points. The city exempts a wall not over 4 feet measured from the lower grade to the top of the wall, unless it supports a surcharge or impounds Class I, II or III-A liquids.

Unincorporated Douglas County measures the same 4 feet from the bottom of the footing. That datum includes the buried concrete, so a wall that stays exempt in town can trip the permit on a county parcel. Measure from the footing before you set block. Either way, a wall holding up a driveway or a cut slope needs a permit at any height.

Not in the city, as long as no roof sheathing gets replaced. Re-roofing done under IRC Section R907 is exempt, and the city's commercial provision references IBC Section 1510 with the identical carve out.

Replace even one sheet of decking and the city exemption ends. Soft decking shows up after the old layers come off, which is where people cross the line without meaning to. Unincorporated Douglas County has no matching exemption and lists any work that modifies the roof as permit required.

Inside the city, front yard is capped at 48 inches and rear yard at 6 feet, both measured from finished grade. Side yards follow the 48 inch cap within 10 feet of the front lot line, then 6 feet beyond. On a corner lot or beside a driveway, the sight triangle in Chapter 10.28 EWMC governs instead: nothing over 3 feet above the grade of the intersecting centerlines.

No city building permit is needed for a fence up to 6 feet, which is not the same as no height limit. Posts and decorative features can run up to 18 inches over the cap if spaced at least 6 feet apart.

On unincorporated county land, a minimum of 24 inches below finished grade, measured to the bottom of the footing. That is Douglas County code, and it is the county's own written frost depth standard rather than an inference from the state code.

Inside city limits there is no separate city frost depth figure to point at. East Wenatchee adopts the IRC through state rule and amends only the permit exemption list. The county design table lists that same 24 inch frost line depth with weathering rated severe.