The Clark County Public Health School Health and Safety program staff conduct occupancy inspections of all school based construction projects. The purpose of the inspection is to ensure minimum environmental health and safety standards are met.
Starting in 2021, the occupancy inspection fee is per site visit. Projects will be billed for multiple inspections if needed to obtain final occupancy. Please review our inspection checklist which outlines requirements for temporary and final occupancy of school building inspections.
When an occupancy inspection is required
An occupancy inspection is required for all school construction projects that include areas that students will access including:
- New or replacement schools;
- Remodels of student accessible spaces;
- Food service areas;
- New or relocated portables; and
- New or relocated playground equipment.
How to apply
Prior to submitting for an occupancy inspection, please email the School Health and Safety program staff to confirm application requirements. If required, please submit the application materials and required documents:
Electronic submissions:
Starting January 1st 2021, occupancy inspection applications can be accepted online. For online applications, email us to get the unique link to access our online permitting portal. For instructions on how to register for a profile, submit and make payments, review the Online Users Guide.
Paper submissions:
Paper application materials, plans and payments can be submitted by mail at PO Box 9825 Vancouver, WA 98666. Paper application and submittal requirements are outlined in the application below:
Please note that in person submissions are currently not being accepted due to the COVID-19 safety precautions in place. Check back here for updates.
Environmental health fees
All Environmental Public Health fees are reviewed and updated annually.
Additional resources
- Washington Administrative Code 246-366: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS
- Health and Safety Guide for K-12 Schools in Washington
- Washington Department of Health: School Environmental Health
- Center for Disease Control - Playground Safety
- Consumer Product Safety Commission - Public Playground Safety Handbook
- National Program for Playground Safety