School plan review projects

The School Health and Safety Program staff review all construction projects for K-12 public, private and parochial schools in accordance with WAC 246-366: Primary and Secondary Schools. This includes reviewing site locations and design plans for new structures, remodels and playgrounds. These reviews complement a building department review in that the review considers a school’s proposed classroom use and determines appropriate health and safety measures. These reviews also cover items not requiring building department approval, such as playground equipment. Program approval is required before building permits and/or certificates of occupancy are issued.

Types of review

There are several different types of reviews required for school based construction projects. Please expand the content below to learn more about each type including when they are required. For more information about the plan review process, please review our school construction project process and timeline.

Due to the complexity of school projects, we recommend contacting the School Health and Safety program with any questions prior to submitting for a new project, including purchasing or leasing a new location. Pre-application meetings are available. Please email us for any preapplication questions or to schedule a meeting.  

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In accordance with WAC 246-366-030, site review is required for all K-12 public, private and parochial school-based projects undergoing construction or remodel projects. 

School Health and Safety program site reviews will assess risks associated with neighboring businesses, surrounding areas and sound levels as well as determine potential environmental contaminants based on previous land use and existing buildings. This step is required for all school locations that have not been previously utilized or designed for a school.

The length of time for a review is dependent on the completeness of the application packet and prompt responses from the applicant(s). 

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In accordance with WAC 246-366-040, plan review is required for all K-12 public, private and parochial school-based projects such as:

  • New or replacement school buildings
  • Remodels or additions to existing schools, including but not limited to:
    • Adding classrooms or special-use rooms such as gyms, band rooms, art, STEM or other locations students will access
    • Re-purposing/relocating existing rooms for STEM, art or other specialty instruction
    • Remodeling an existing kitchen

This review covers the building only. Other types of reviews that may occur in conjunction with a new construction or remodel project will need to be applied for separately. 

The length of time for a review is dependent on the completeness of the application packet and prompt responses from the applicant(s).

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In accordance with WAC 246-366-130 and 246-215, the School Health and Safety Program reviews food handling policy and procedures for new cafeterias, student stores or curriculum-based food services for all K-12 public, private and parochial schools. This review covers food handing practices and the planned menu only. The kitchen floor plan and equipment review is done in conjunction with the new construction or remodel review. Food services that have already obtained approval from Clark County Public Health are not required to be resubmitted. 

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In accordance with WAC 246-366-040, plan review is required for new or relocated portable classrooms for all K-12 public, private and parochial school-based projects to ensure minimum environmental health standards are met. The review considers a school’s proposed classroom use and determines appropriate environmental health and safety measures.

The number of fees assessed will be based on the number of unique plans submitted for review. If a project will have the same set of plans for multiple school locations, only one review will be completed however a site plan must be submitted for each location. There is a separate fee for the occupancy inspection(s) for each location associated with the project.

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In accordance with WAC 246-366-040, the School Health and Safety Program reviews playground design plans for all K-12 public, private and parochial schools to ensure playground safety prior to being open to the public.

A playground plan review is required for: 

  • New playground equipment
  • Relocation of existing playground equipment
  • Installation of nature play features
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In accordance with WAC 246-366-040, the School Health and Safety Program staff conduct occupancy inspections of all school-based construction projects. The purpose of the inspection is to ensure compliance with the approved plan and to ensure minimum environmental health and safety standards are met.

An occupancy inspection is required for all school construction projects including:

  • New or replacement schools
  • Remodels of student accessible spaces
  • Food service areas
  • New or relocated portables
  • New or relocated playground equipment

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. 

How to apply

Due to the complexity of school construction projects, it is encouraged to contact the School Health and Safety program staff prior to submitting. To ensure proper and complete submissions, please email to initiate the submittal conversation. 

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Once your project is ready for CCPH review, please download and complete the associated project questionnaires and use our online portal for submittal. These questionnaires ask for contact information for the project as well as other project specific information. Once you are ready to submit, use the links below to find the one that best describes your project and use it to navigate to our online portal system.

If you do not already have a profile registered in the portal, you will be automatically directed to the registration page. After registering and logging in you will have to click the link above again to access the application. For additional instructions on how to register for a profile, submit and make payments, review the Online Users Guide. 

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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 an appointment is required for in person submissions.  Book your appointment now.

Related links

School - cubbies and coat hooks

School fees & definitions

Environmental health fees

Apply or pay online

Schedule to apply or pay in person

Contact information

Please email the School Health and Safety staff with questions you may have about the review or application process.