Pole Buildings in Chewelah, WA: Shops, Garages, RV Storage & Barns

Pole buildings in Chewelah, WA, engineered for Stevens County snow and a 30-inch frost line. Raven Buildings designs and builds post-frame shops, garages, RV storage and barns in Chewelah and the surrounding Colville Valley, with the slab and aprons poured by our own concrete crew. Inside city limits we permit through the City of Chewelah; outside them, through Stevens County.

Pole buildings we put up around Chewelah

• Shops and garages: post-frame shops with roll-up doors, walk doors, windows and wainscot where you want them
• RV, boat and equipment storage: tall sidewalls and wide doors for motorhomes, trailers, tractors, and farm or logging equipment
• Hay, livestock and machine sheds: open-sided or enclosed bays for hay, animals and implements
• Concrete in-house: shop floors and aprons from the same contractor. See our Chewelah concrete contractor page

First question: city or county?

A Chewelah mailing address (99109) can be inside the city or out in unincorporated Stevens County, and the permit office depends on which:

• Inside Chewelah city limits: the City of Chewelah Building Department issues building permits. It's at City Hall, 301 E. Clay Avenue, Room 104 (509-935-8311), and the City also takes applications through its online permit portal
• Outside city limits: Stevens County Land Services issues them, through its Building Division at the Annex, 260 S. Oak Street in Colville (509-684-8325), and its Planning Division
• How we check: we pull your parcel number before we quote, so the design loads and paperwork match the right office

City of Chewelah: what the permit asks for

• Site plan: the City's building permit application requires a site plan drawn to scale, showing property lines, building locations, and meter and utility locations
• Department reviews: the application routes through Planning, plus storm drainage, driveway and parking, the City's Electric Department and Public Works
• Avigation and noise easement: the City's Building page provides an avigation and noise easement form. If it applies to your lot, it gets signed and notarized as part of the permit
• Design criteria: we confirm the City's snow load, frost depth and other design criteria with the Building Department for every permit

Stevens County (outside city limits): design loads and permits

• Codes: the County enforces the Washington State Building Code, and its building pages list the 2021 codes as effective July 1, 2024
• Frost depth: Stevens County's building ordinance sets a 30-inch minimum depth below finish grade for footings exposed to outside temperatures, so post footings go at least that deep
• Site Analysis first: the Planning Division's Site Analysis checks zoning setbacks and plat restrictions before the building permit
• Does a pole barn need a permit? Per the County's Building FAQ, anything with plumbing, habitable space or commercial or public use does. A residential utility building over 200 sq ft or on a permanent foundation may be exempt if it's at least 20 feet from every property line and from any structure with habitable space, but only after the Site Analysis confirms no plat restriction requires a permit. Utility buildings of 200 sq ft or less, with no plumbing, no habitable space and no permanent foundation, don't need one
• Timeline: the County says plan reviews take about 2 to 3 weeks, and March through November is its busiest season
• Keep it active: County permits and applications are deemed abandoned after 180 days of inactivity

How much snow is Chewelah designed for?

The SEAW Snow Load Analysis for Washington, reproduced in the WABO/SEAW snow load white paper, lists a recommended ground snow load of 50 psf for Chewelah, at an elevation of 1,671 feet. The same table lists 46 psf for Colville and 56 psf for Springdale. The paper notes the analysis isn't legally enforceable and that design roof loads are usually lower than ground loads, so the engineer converts the ground load for your roof and the building official confirms it.

What that means for a pole building:

• Engineered for your parcel: post size, embedment and truss spacing are designed for your site's snow and wind, not a generic plan
• Deeper post footings: 30 inches minimum in unincorporated Stevens County, versus 24 inches in Spokane County. Our frost depth guide explains why
• Roof details: pitch, sliding snow and snow guards matter here. See our snow load guide and metal panel guide

What an installed pole building costs

Raven's going rate for an installed pole building is about $60 to $75 per sq ft. Electrical, plumbing and utility hookups are not included and are extra.

• 30x40 (1,200 sq ft): about $72,000 to $90,000 installed
• 40x60 (2,400 sq ft): about $144,000 to $180,000 installed
• Always extra: electrical, plumbing and utility hookups
• Varies by site: grading, gravel, driveway approach and how far utilities have to run

Pre-engineered steel runs about the same installed in our market. Compare the two in our red iron vs. pole barn guide, or see our metal buildings in Chewelah page.

Why Chewelah owners call Raven

• North-country experience: we build up into Stevens and Pend Oreille counties, including pole buildings in Colville, Newport and Deer Park
• Pole or steel: we build both, so you get a straight comparison for your site
• One crew for the concrete: no separate flatwork contractor to schedule
• City or county: we handle the City of Chewelah or Stevens County paperwork that fits your parcel. Our permit guide covers the basics

Get a Chewelah pole building quote

Call 509-350-2016 or request a free quote with your size, door layout and address or parcel number. See our pole building services.

Sources

• Installed pricing: Raven Buildings' current going rate
• City of Chewelah Building Department
• City of Chewelah Building Permit Application (PDF)
• Stevens County Building Division
• Stevens County Building FAQs
• Stevens County Building Codes / Ordinance
• Stevens County Building Code Ordinance 02-1984 (frost depth)
• WABO/SEAW Snow Load White Paper, SEAW ground snow loads by town (PDF)
• WABO/SEAW White Paper 8: Snow Loads (2020, PDF)