Kitchen Remodeling in Vancouver, WA: Licenses, Tax, Permits

A kitchen remodel in Vancouver runs on Washington’s rules, not Oregon’s: a contractor registered with the Department of Labor & Industries, a disclosure statement before work starts, sales tax on the labor as well as the materials, and the city’s Residential Building Permit. Each is below. The Oregon side of the river, with its CCB licensing and Portland permits, is on our page about kitchen remodeling in Portland.

Hiring a remodeler in Washington: L&I registration

Washington requires every construction contractor to register with L&I, and state law requires contractors to be bonded and insured; Oregon instead licenses contractors through its Construction Contractors Board. Washington registers contractors as general or specialty contractors, and the difference matters in a kitchen: L&I says a specialty contractor can only do work in the specialty it is registered in, and cannot hire subcontractors. Look any contractor up with L&I’s Verify tool before you sign.

The disclosure statement

Before starting work on a home of four or fewer units, a Washington contractor must give you a disclosure statement when the bid or contract price “totals one thousand dollars or more”, in the words of RCW 18.27.114. L&I’s consumer page describes the threshold as a contract that exceeds that amount; the statute is the law, so expect the statement on any job at or above it. The statute also says a contractor who has not given you a copy cannot bring or keep a lien claim on that contract.

Sales tax on a Vancouver remodel

Sales tax is where the two states differ in money. Washington treats constructing and improving new or existing buildings as retail services subject to sales tax when provided to consumers. The Department of Revenue says the taxable amount includes charges for permits and other fees, labor, profit, materials and subcontractors, and that the contractor collects it on the gross contract price, at the rate of the place where the work is done. The state rate is 6.5%, plus a local rate.

For work in Vancouver, the Department of Revenue’s quarterly table gives a combined rate of 8.9% (6.5% state and 2.4% local), which will apply through December 31, 2026. The table is published quarter by quarter, so check the current rate table before you budget. Oregon has no general sales tax.

The RES permit for a remodel

In Vancouver, a Residential Building Permit (RES) is required for the construction, alteration, addition, repair or demolition of a house, and the city’s list includes adding or removing walls. When plumbing, mechanical or electrical work is part of a remodel, it is included in the RES rather than permitted on its own, though an electrician working under an RES needs an electrical permit of record. The plan review fee for a remodel is based on its valuation, labor and materials included. The city’s residential permit page has the details.

Washington’s residential code today is the 2021 International Residential Code with state amendments, in effect statewide since March 15, 2024. The State Building Code Council says the 2024 codes will take effect May 3, 2027.

Range hoods must vent outside

Washington amended the residential code so that domestic cooking exhaust equipment shall discharge to the outdoors through a duct. The exception is narrow: listed and labeled ductless range hoods, in limited cases. The exhaust fan must also be sized to the code’s kitchen exhaust rates. In a remodel that moves the range, plan the duct route with it.

Older homes and lead-safe work

The median Vancouver home was built in 1988, and 40.2% of the city’s homes were built before 1980 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024). In a home built before 1978, Washington requires RRP certification from the Department of Commerce for renovation, repair or painting work, and the department’s lead program covers any work that disturbs paint in a pre-1978 property. The Oregon equivalent is a CCB Lead-Based Paint Renovation license. Vancouver’s own preservation code, unlike Clark County’s, allows historic districts to be designated, neighborhoods included.

The full kitchen remodel, cabinet refacing, cabinet painting and new cabinets are covered on their own pages below, and dated figures for whole-kitchen projects are on our page about kitchen remodel costs in Portland; in Vancouver, add the sales tax above.